Claremont Wonder for Riccarton

Press, 29 March 1982, Page 24

Claremont Wonder for Riccarton

From

J. J. BOYLE

Nelson Claremont Wonder, impressive winner of the Nelson Cup on Saturday, will probably go to Riccarton for the $40,000 3ZB Easter Classic. “Races worth $40,000 at a middle distance are hard to find up our way at that time of the year,” Claremont Won-, der’s Tuhikaramea trainer, Graeme Rogerson, said yesterday. Rogerson said he might keep Claremont Wonder for the main race on the final day of the Nelson Jockey Club’s meeting, and be guided by the four-year-old’s performance in deciding about a Riccarton campaign. Rogerson predicted a bright future for Claremont Wonder after the four-year-old won the Nelson Cup on Saturday. But not on soft or heavy tracks. Rogerson brought 12 horses from the Waikato for the Nelson club’s three-day meeting. One of them took a knock on the trip, but Claremont Wonder, with assistance from the sprinter, Travolta,/kept the stable record moving on Saturday. Claremont Wonder, one of the few runners for the stallion Ben Orestes, won the Cup with ease in the hands of the stable lightweight, Peter Tims. He is the first horse raced by Mr Paul Doole, an Auckland property developer, but the name of Doole is not strange to racing. Paul’s father, Tony, had some success with Kaiser, a classic winner. “He's not an easy horse to train and he pulls hard in his races,” Rogerson said after Claremont Wonder won the Nelson Cup. Rogerson’s efforts to get Claremont Wonder to race in more relaxed style included a programme of highweights, and the settling effect of those runs under stronger riders with bigger weights could have done much towards Saturday’s victory. Claremont Wonder carried just over six kilos less than the favourite and top weight, Glenmana, which was a length and a quarter back second.

Glenmana ran rather keenly in a clear second position behind Nelson’s Command, but lost little stature in failing to contain Claremont Wonder at the weights.

Frontline was the best of the South Island-trained horses. He came from a cramped position in the running for his third. Riccarton’s Blue Sage was a battling fifth, failing to find the finishing speed necessary to get into the struggle for the dividend-bearing places. Peter Tims had to display more of his vigour in landing Travolta a winner by a head in the Ledger Goodman Handicap. Jarnell, which came with a late rush to run him so close, was making a fresh start, but came in for confident backing after good runs at trials in the Central Districts. Jarnell, a five-year-old daughter of the Wingatuibased sire, Double Nearco, outfinished the Ashburtontrained Alarming for her second. They were separated by three parts of a length, then came Septimus, which had not raced since December 26 and will have chances later at the meeting to improve his good record on the course. Travolta is a five-year-old by Taipan II from Secret Eyes. Graeme Rogerson is a part owner of the horse, and one of his partners is Mrs L. S. Simon, who is the mother of Shane Simon, one of the Rogerson apprentices.