Another rewarding day in store for northerners

Press, 14 November 1981, Page 24

Another rewarding day in store for northerners

By

J. J. BOYLE

Noble Heights and Beaufort Lass should spearhead a powerful North Island assault on the New Zealand Cup day programme today.

. Noble Heights is a dominating favourite for the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas, and Beaufort Lass will be held in as much regard among the two-year-olds in the Welcome Stakes. North Island stables have already won 12 of 20 races at the carnival, Paddy Busuttin, of Foxton, picking up three of them last Saturday.

Busuttin, trainer of the unbeaten Beaufort Lass, has splendid material to tilt at other rich races on today’s programme.

He will saddle Despa, top weight for the New Zealand Cup, and Diplomante, equal top weight in the Movements International Stewards.

Despa, whose record includes a fifth at 3200 m in a Sydney Cup, went about striding work with great gusto in the hands of Jim Collett at Riccarton yesterday.

Busuttin believes Despa will get toughest opposition from El Questro and Innes Lad.

Despa is by Decies. His dam is by Fox Myth, one of the most impressive Wellington Cup winners since the distance of that race was increased to two miles.

Fox Myth’s sire, Foxbridge, is also in the pedigree of El Questro. So is Marco Polo 11, which sired the Melbourne Cup winners, Polo Prince and Macdougal. El Questro was sired by Bucaroon, whose only victory was at two miles by a margin of 12 lengths. Bucaroon sired Royal Cadenza, winner of both the Auckland and New Zealand Cups.

Del Roberts, trainer of El Questro, believes his six-year-old will give the best expression to his talents over the New Zealand Cup dis-

tance. “He's a two mile horse, he’s done well since he won last Saturday, and a firm track is going to suit him,” Roberts said yesterday. Late arrival Retinere, a well-regarded stayer from the Central Districts, was one of the latest arrivals at Riccarton for today’s Cup. He arrived on Thursday, and was allowed to stride along for 600 m in 38.8 s on the plough at Riccarton yesterday. Retinere will be ridden by Diane Moseley, who was engaged yesterday to ride Country Scene in the second leg of the T.A.B. double. The South Island’s most interesting New Zealand Cup runner will be Tiara, a five-year-old whose dam Princess Mellay won her second New Zealand Cup at the same age 10 years ago.

Katika, another mare, triumphed in 1972, but it has been a “boys’ race” all along the line since then. Tiara, an elder sister of Prince Majestic, is owned by Mrs Alice Anderton, who also raced the Noble Bijou mare’s famous dam. In Flight, a stoutly-bred Reindeer mare from Southland, is trained by Ted Winsloe, who has not yet won the race, but prepared Cassarook. an unlucky second to Royal Bid in 1966. Out of luck In Flight was out of luck in her first attempt at 3200 m. She lost three plates- when badly checked in the early stages of the Wellington Cup last January, leaving her

without a chance to justify a start, one she earned by winning the Invercargill Gold Cup earlier that month.

If the south is to resist the North Island challenge for the New Zealand Cup it seems certain honours will not be easily earned. But the southern grip on the Churchill Stakes should be secure enough, thanks to the presence of Tiara's stablemate, Powley. This speedster did not appear earlier at the meeting, but goes into the race as winner of her last two starts.

On this programme last year she carried off the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas after a memorable battle with Glamour Bay.

Victory for her today should not be so hard-earned.