Mackinnon Stakes looks Kingston Town benefit

Press, 31 October 1981, Page 21

Mackinnon Stakes looks Kingston Town benefit

From ALLAN BROWN Melbourne

The outcome of the L. K. S. Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington today, one of the last two big race preliminaries for the Melbourne Cup is regarded a foregone conclusion, with Kingston Town first, the rest nowhere.

Under the weight-for-age conditions. Kingston Town is to meet the eight of his cup rivals who will also be competing so much more favourably than in the Cup that it is hard to see him being tested.

If successful again Kingston Town will have run up nine straight wins. His stake earnings stand at $1,188,440. Without any doubt he is the best Australian horse since Tulloch, the champion of some 20 years back. As a five-year-old Kingston Town will be carrying 59kg in today's 2000 m race, the same weight as Hyperno, Belmura Lad, Koiro Trelay

and Arwon. The other four in the field — Our Paddy Boy, No Peer, Flashing Light and Lord Warden all have 57kg. When it comes to the Cup on Tuesday, Kingston Town will be required to carry an additional I.skg on his weight for today, whereas the others in the L. K. S. Mackinnon Stakes, except for Our Paddy Boy, will have lesser amounts.

Our Paddy Boy is to carry 57kg again in the Cup. But Hyperno will be down by Ikg, Belmura Lad by 4kg, Koiro Trelay by 4.5 kg, Arwon by skg. No Peer by 6kg, Flashing Light by Bkg and Lord Warden by 7kg.

So anything other than a very decisive win by Kingston Town in this one would say little for his chance in the Cup. The best runner-up prospect seems to be Our Paddy Boy, the winner two starts back of the 2100 m Coongy Handicap at Caulfield,

earlier the A.J.C. Derby and the Sydney Cup. Koiro Tretay is so thoroughly fit that it would be no great surprise if he took a share of the stake even though his. trainer, Eric Temperton, says he will be satisfied if the horse is "somewhere in behind them but running it out well.” No Peer and Hyperno are both trained by Bart Cummings and guaranteed very considerable attention oh that account. Both are already in-some favour for the Cup, obviously it would be a great encouragement to their admirers if they showed up this time.

Hyperno, now eight years old, finished only seventh last start, in the Caulfield Cup but he raced soundly enough just beforehand. No Peer was beaten only narrowly in the Caulfield Cup. by Silver Bounty after a string of wins, one of them in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.

Belmura Lad. won the L.

K. S. Mackinnon Stakes last year but with nothing like Kingston Town to contend with. He was among the beaten lot in the W. S. Cox Plate last Saturday but might well do better on the bigger Flemington track. Arwon, the Melbourne Cup winner in 1978, has now surely lost the capability of holding the likes of Kingston Town and Our Paddy Boy at weight-for-age.

The best that can be said for Flashing Light is that he will probably make the pace. Lord Warden won the 2400 m Canberra Cup in his last start but against moderate opposition. He has been brought from Sydney by a former New Zealand trainer, Harold Riley.

Selections

Mackinnon Stakes: Kingston Town, Our Paddy Boy, Koiro Trelay.

Dalgety Botham Handicap: Just A Dash, El Laurena, Anzaas.