Our Boyfriend’s chance brightens

Press, 7 May 1983, Page 21

Our Boyfriend’s chance brightens

By

W. R. CARSTON

the scratchings yesterday of Short Stops and Amrica from the Gloaming Stakes at Trentham today have strengthened the possibility of a victory for Our Boyfriend in the first leg of the Wellington Racing Club’s T.A.B. double. Short Stops, which would have been high on the list of popular fancies and might even have been outright favourite, will be conipeting closer to home. The Takan-ini-trained mare is also engaged in the Nolan Handicap at Ellerslie today. A steady downpour in Wellington on Thursday and the possibility of a heavy

track probably had a bearing on Amrica’s scratching. That could also have influenced Jimmy Didham to allow Double Trouble to drop out of the race, too, for he is next to useless unless the ground is flint-hard. But from all accounts the going at Trentham yesterday morning was no worse than easy and if the weather remains fine — there was sunshine and strong north-west winds there yesterday and the forecast is for similar conditions — the track could dry out considerably before today’s programme gets under way. Nothing has happened to change Fidji’s position as

pre-post favourite for the Cuddle Stakes, second leg of the double. The only additional scratching yesterday for the $22,500 feature was El Tilka, which was not expected to be one of Fidji’s formidable rivals. Although scratchings in most of the other events have done no more than reduce capacity fields to reasonable proportions the fields for the two events for jumpers are now a lot lighter than the club would have preferred. The Karori Hurdles is now a two-divi-dend event and there will be a win pool only for the Capital Steeplechase in which only four were left late yesterday.