Amrica should gain overdue win tomorrow

Press, 4 March 1983, Page 13

Amrica should gain overdue win tomorrow

By

J. J. BOYLE

Amrica was one of the bridesmaids of the middle distance handicap races at the Wellington Cup meeting.

Her two starts there yielded two seconds, one of them behind Rama after running into traffic snarls at a vital stage of the Terrace Regency Handicap (2400 m oh January 29. The UDC Finance Handicap. first leg of the Wellington Racing Club's T.A.B. double tomorrow, offers an opportunity for Amrica to break through for a wellearned win on the course for the powerful Verner stable. Amrica was quick enough and versatile enough to beat a good field of sprinters fresh up at Hastings last spring. A win at a middle distance has eluded her in the meantime. but there have been one or two near misses, and they have held out hopes for a rewarding autumn campaign for last season's Manawatu , Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes winner. Amrica, with her 53kg. is 3.5 kg below the top weight. Kiwi, and 2.5 kg below Stylish Dude, her conqueror in the Summer Handicap on the second day of the Wellington Cup meeting. Stylish Dude beat Amrica

by a length in the Summer Handicap but the Takanini mare will meet him I.skg better this time. Kiwi is up 6kg on the weight he carried to a brilliant win in the Wellington Cup. The Waverley stayer failed at weight-for-age in his only start since his cup triumph, but he gets relief on scale weight for this, and could prove a worthy top weight. Langtry showed sure mastery of 2200 m in winning the feature race at Woodville on February 19 and will be one of the better regarded Central Districts representatives. Interesting young runners for Waikato stables will be Bold Supreme, Alloy, and Rosetown Lad. Rosetown Lad won the Wellington Derby then ran second in the Trentham Stakes in January before returning to the Waikato where he failed at weight-for-age at Te Rapa. Bold Supreme was first and Alloy third when they met at 2030 m at Matamata, a race in which Alloy was seeking his third' successive win.

Bold Supreme won over 1600 m in class 2 as the mount of the Canterbury apprentice. Danny Frye, a week before his Matamata victory, and his purple patch might not have ended vet.

When he was campaigned at Trentham in January. Bold Supreme made a very good try at winning the 1600 m Douro Handicap. But he, like the others, could not live with Clear Gold, which rallied brilliantly after an early check and beat Bold Supreme by three lengths. Clear Gold has won again at his only start in the meantime and from his place in the lower half of the handicap, he should be one of the stronger chances in a field lacking quality in depth.

Our Flight will come in for much attention in this, probably her final race before she is taken to Sydney for rich three-year-old races.

This will be her first start since she ran third in the New Zealand Oaks, and a fresh approach could well be rewarding. One of the problem horses

further down in the weights is Hikotere, which was in devastating form last autumn and won the corresponding race brilliantly in a field that appeared to be stronger than this one. Hikotere's latest race form has been nothing to enthuse over, but he has pleased in his training since his most recent race, which was over 1200 m. Idaho's Gift, an impressive winner at his last two starts, is top weight for this one, but is not set an all-too-formid-able test with 55kg. One of those wins was a weight-for-age at Te Rapa. Super Tai, next in the handicap, is also a recent winner at weight-for-age. and before that he was fourth behind the brilliant McGinty in the George Adams Handicap at the Wellington Cup meeting. Ruvain and Spasiba will come in for lots of northern support after placed runs behind Ringtrue at this distance at Ellerslie last week, and a fair case could also be made for II Vento in an even-looking field.