Jon likely favourite for Avondale Cup

Press, 13 December 1982, Page 38

Jon likely favourite for Avondale Cup

Special correspondent Auckland Bought from the bargain basement as a yearling. .Jon seems fairly certain, following his fine win al Te Aroha. to be favourite for the Avondale Cup on Wednesday. The owner-trainer. Jim Gibbs, admits to having bought Jon. al Dalgety's Bloodstocks Te Rapa auction, in the hope that the horse might "make up into a highweight tvpe." The amount of the purchase price, just $2200. was as he recalls, about all he could afford to spend. In this latest of his six wins from only 12 starts Jon added $12,500 to his already worthwhile stakes tally. Success in the big race at Avondale would bring in a further $44,000 in cash, and a $4OOO gold cup. Jon was given 51.5 kg in the Avondale Cup and. not being liable to rehandicap

lor Saturday, he now looks well placed indeed. Certainly he has not yet won any further than 16110 m. which he ran in such great style at Te Aroha. Then again he has made only two attempts, both when he was affected by the respiratory trouble which afterwards had to be corrected by surgery, in the Rotorua Challenge Stakes and the Air New Zealand Stakes. In the 1900 m Rotorua race he nevertheless finished second, running Bound to ■Honour pretty close. In the other, over 2200 m. he was a weakening ninth. Allowed some five or six months to recover from his operation. Jon came back to form straight away with a first-up fourth placing in October then a second, first, and fifth placing before scoring at Te Aroha. Jon had much against him in Te Aroha's L.P.A. Potter

Slakes. Through dwelling tn the gates he gave away several lengths at the start With his way blocked, haltwav down the run home, his rider. David Peake, was forced to angle him sharply to the outside of a line of horses. It seemed hardly possible Jon could win but he did so by a neck, going away, and in course record time of Imin 33.815. Silver Darling. Our Shah and Silver Row were right alongside, finishing second, third, and fourth, and just ahead of Nicolove and Avitt. Silver Darling and OutShah both shaped up most promisingly, but allowed a clear run over the last 250 m or so Silver Row would have beaten both of them and perhaps made it very close with Jon. Avitt. out of his distance because he is much better over more ground, turned in an impressive Avondale Cup

trial and Nicoloves effort, from an Avondale Guineas viewpoint. was also pleasing. A bay four-year-old. though described in the records as brown. Jon was to have been one of two horses in the Avondale Cup from the Gibbs stable. The other one. Maurita. is now to be scratched, her owners having decided to tackle the Cup Consolation instead. From so wide at the start it is considered Maurita would have too much of a task in the cup. She has trained on well and Jon. according to Gibbs, came through Saturday's race in excellent shape. While Peake rode Jon at Te Aroha the mount in the Avondale Cup will revert to Greg Childs, who missed the racing at the week-end through being under suspension. Peake is expected to be on Ben Kazam.