Historic race within reach of The Twinkle

Press, 18 March 1982, Page 29

Historic race within reach of The Twinkle

By

J. J. BOYLE

The Twinkle has the class and the form to put the South Island back into the records of the historic Awapuni Gold Cup this year. The Manawatu Racing Club’s 2000 m weight-for-age race, first run in 1915, will be run at Awapuni on Saturday. The race has the names of many champions on its roll of honour. Desert ''Gold won the' second, third, and fourth contests—Chortle was the first winner—and one of the more recent giants was Grey Way (1976), the most recent winner for the South Island. A year later came Balmerino which went on to establish his quality as well as his

durability in the Northern Hemisphere. Next after Balmerino to win the race was the brilliant La Mer which eclipsed her rivals in 1978. Mellseur has come closest to winning the race for the South Island since Grey Way’s year. She ran Serendiper close two years ago. Last year The Twinkle remained in the North Island after her victory in the Chardon Mile at Trentham and ran fourth behind Mun Lee, Daisy, and Speculation in the Awapuni Gold Cup. She was then taken on to Ellerslie for the Easter Handicap and again had to settle for fourth, but racing and travelling did not blunt her

powers. When brought back to Riccarton for the final day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Easter meeting she won the George Adams Handicap for which she was favourite.

The Twinkle will not haveopposition of any great strength in the Awapuni Gold Cup on Saturday. Her run for fifth in the 1600 m weight-for-age race won by Hikotere at Trentham last Saturday contained a lot of merit.

She was coming back off a middle distance, and the demands made . on those not ridden within a length or so of the pace were accentuated when Hikotere was allowed to “idle” in front to the 600 m. If The Twinkle breaks

through for a win on Saturday the Dennis Brothers could be well on the way towards a week-end double in feature races.

They have The Wink in the Waitaki Stakes, the feature race for the three-year-old fillies at Oamaru on Monday, and their Noble Bijou filly will be going for her fourth win on the trot. The Waitaki Stakes is a 1600 m race in the Broadlands Series. The Wink has won the corresponding races at Gore and Wingatui in the last few weeks and it will be a major surprise if she does not tighten her grip on the series in the Oamaru feature, a race won last year by Powley.