El Questro up 2kg in N.Z. cup weights

Press, 9 November 1981, Page 23

El Questro up 2kg in N.Z. cup weights

By

J. J. BOYLE

The Huntly-owned. Tau-ranga-trained Stayer, E] Questro, has been rehandicapped 2kg for the New Zealand Cup next Saturday but 53kg might not be a stumbling block for him as he goes after a difficult double.

He earned the rehandicap for winning the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup in recordbreaking time of 2min 35.59 s for 2500 m on the opening day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s cup carnival at Riccarton.

El Questro won by a length and three-quarters in the hands of Grant Cooksley, who has now ridden Mrs Barbara Brough’s six-year-old Bucaroon gelding in four of his five wins. El Questro was the fourth favourite, but none of his big team of followers could have anticipated he would win with such ease when he started on the last 1000 m last but one in the field of 18.

However, Cooksley found nothing to concern him when he brought the star of Del Robert’s team forward on a storming run.

Disraeli, the closest to El Questro at the end of Saturday's race, will meet him 2.5 kg better in the New Zealand Cup and with their 52kg both horses will present problems for horses above them in the handicap. Disraeli beat John Peel by a head for second in the Benson and Hedges, but the promising Ashburton-trained stayer lost the chance of filling the role of runner-up when he ran into traffic problems behind the tiring Aramis and In Flight.

John Peel will not run in the New Zealand Cup, but he could get his chance at

3200 m in the Wellington Cup in January. Innes Lad. one of four eight-year-olds in the field, did best of those veterans by battling into fourth and is to be given his chance in the New Zeland Cup. Nearco King’s position down the field, fourteenth, did not reflect the merit of his run in the Benson and Hedges, for which he was favourite. The favourite never got into the clear through a tight pack in the straight. Had he done so he would have almost certainly strenghtened the impressive build-up of North Island horses in the finish. Four for Cassidy If Jim Cassidy had his

disappointments over Nearco King’s wretched luck in the running he found the tide of fortune running strongly his way elsewhere on the programme. He finished with an impressive “bag" of four wins starting with Commissionaire (Brighton Handicap), then Beaufort Lass (Pioneer Handicap) and later Diplomante (Edward Lumley Handicap) and Hagenblu (Hagley Handicap).. Beaufort Lass, Diplomante, and Hagenblu are trained at Foxton by Paddy Busuttin, who has made only one previous visit to Riccarton with members of his team. Diplomante sped over the 1000 m of the Lumley Handicap under 56.5 in 57.575, a track record. Beaufort Lass returned

58.8 when unchallenged to win against the two-year-olds under 57kg earlier in the day — a performance that will assure her of favouritism for the Welcome Stakes next Saturday.

Magellan ran Diplomante to three parts of a length in the second leg of the T.A.B. double, but no less impressive, and certainly less favoured in the running was the top weight, Silver Wraith. The Cambridge-trained top weight ran out of racing room when he attempted to make headway between horses, and had to be eased and brought on a wider approach. He came fast when he got into the clear, but a little too late to do better than fourth half a length behind Security Note (third).