Spring Moss picked for Parliamentary today

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 37

Spring Moss picked for Parliamentary today

By

J. J. BOYLE

Spring Moss gets a chance to show he is a horse for ail seasons in the Parliamentary Handicap at Trentham today.

He was a dividend-payer in a 1200 m sprint at Avondale last August and returned there to win the Air New Zealand Handicap last Saturday week. Between times he has toiled purposefully and often rewardingly on all kinds of tracks. He won the Stratford Cup on January 1. and his hardy qualities were well in evidence when he came up with three fourths in the space of a week at Trentham in March, one of them at 3200 m in the Chalmers Handicap.

At four years Spring Moss is one of the youngest in the Parliamentary Handicap field, but a contemporary of Saddlelight, another well-re-garded Takanini runner. Saddlelight opposed Spring Moss in the Air New Zealand Handicap at Avondale and was a dogged finisher for fifth, though without ever being able to get in a challenge against the winner, which he had trailed. Merman, top weight with 58kg. is one of the smallest in this field, but he will bow to none of the others for

courage. He carried I.skg less, when he won easily over 2000 m at Wanganui last month. Retinere, an easy winner with clever handling from Jim Cassidy at Hastings, will be ridden today by Bill Skelton. who won the 1966 Parliamentary on Gus and the 1971 race on Frederik. Cassidy has switched to Flying Kazan, an easy highweight winner on the first day of the meeting. Greek Meer, a stablemate of Spring Moss, is one of the obvious chances for the

Members’ Handicap, second leg of today's T.A.B. double after a third in stronger company in the Whyte Handicap last Saturday. His two starts at this distance at Trentham in May produced a win and a second. His winning margin was three and a half lengths, and the race was won on a deteriorating track. Copper Weave and Uncommon, newcomers at the meeting, and minor placegetters last time out. are others capable of battling into the finish.