First Sovereign for Winter Cup

Press, 17 June 1983, Page 16

First Sovereign for Winter Cup

Special correspondent Auckland First Sovereign is being prepared for the Winter Cup at Riccarton, before embarking on a spring campaign in Melbourne. The three-year-old made a quick return to winning form at Ellerslie last Saturday, winning the Winter Handicap in his second race back from a four-month spelL He had finished second over 1300 m at Pukekohe on June 1 and many form students ignored his chances next time, as often horses fail to sprint well second-up and, furthermore, the Winter Handicap was over only i 1200 m. < “He spent a few days on ’ the owner’s farm after Pukekohe,” said his Te 1 Rjpa trainer, Royce 1 ing, yesterday. “Just enough < to freshen him.” (

Dowling said First Sovereign’s programme for the rest of the month would be races over 1300 m at Pukekohe next Friday and 1575 m at Ellerslie on Wednesday, June 29. “Through those ones all right, I’ll be thinking about the Winter Cup. I’d like him to go some way towards qualifying for Melbourne.” The colt is nominated for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and has the breeding to be good, being by First Consul from Gay Sovereign, a Sovereign Edition mare whose wins included a weight-for-age 2000 m race at Avondale. He is raced by his breeders, Messrs Jim Chiongbian, of Manila, and Vic Johnson, of Glenbrook. Kirrason, which was forced to miss the Great Northern meeting because of injury, might yet get his chance at a big steeplechase

this year. One of Colin Jillings’s team at Takanini, Kirrason cut a foot just before the Great Northern meeting and had to be let up for a time. The gelding is again working along regularly and Jillings is hopeful, after giving him a run on the flat, of having him rady for the Radio IZH Inter-Island Steeplechase at Paeroa on July 22. If successful in the Paeroa race, Kirrason will probably be taken to Riccarton for the Grand National in early August. The horse does not like very heavy ground and Jillings considers Riccarton is likely to suit him more than anywhere else during the rest of the winter. Then again first place at Paeroa has vyth it a $lOOO travelling subsidy to the Grand National.