Queen’s Pal will be Orari attraction on Monday

Press, 24 September 1983, Page 28

Queen’s Pal will be Orari attraction on Monday

By

W. R. CARSTON

If Queen’s Pal comes up with one of her peak runs at Orari on Monday that should be adequate to give a victory in the South Island Thoroughbred Stakes.

This $12,000 weight-for-age 1400 m race for fillies and mares is the second leg of the Geraldine Racing Club’s T.A.B. double. On records alone, Queen’s Pal should dominate betting although she lacks racing since April. In only 18 starts this talented Wingatui mare has won ten and only twice finished out of the money. Queen’s Pal was one of the South Island’s top ranked three-year-olds last season. Her 15 starts yielded eight wins and the last four were at consecutive starts.

Her lone victory at less than 1600 m last season came at Orari. That was in the Geraldine Challenge Stakes, her third race in her second season and run over the same distance as Monday’s contest.

Although Amacola and Beauzia are the only laststart winners among Queen’s Pal’s rivals, it .is generally expected that her two strongest opponents will be Sea Princess and Pidgeon’s Blood.

Sea Princess, the winner of the South Island Thoroughbred Stakes last year, made a promising start to a fresh campaign at Washdyke last Saturday. The speedy Amberleytrained mare was the best of the talented Clansman’s rivals in the Woodfields Stakes.

The Gore-trained Pidgeon’s Blood has not been able to improve on minor placings this time up but as the winner of her first three races from only six starts last season she must be regarded as one of the brighter hopes in Monday’s field.

Luck of the running in what is almost certain to be a capacity field for the DB Geraldine Cup is likely to

have a major bearing on the outcome of the first leg of the T.A.B. double. If the "breaks” go the way of Noble Jewel and Sporting Show, which should both have benefited from recent racing, then the thick end of the $4OOO prize might go to Otago but they are certain to get more than token opposition from the in-form Riccarton stayers, Pamdora, Silver Print and Upper Cut, and the Amber-ley-trained Sir Ashley. EARLY SELECTIONS 11.10: Final Surge, Bright Water, Sovereign’s Will. 11.45: Valigma, Johnny’s Pal, Captain Baines. 12.20: Smart Bijou, Arloo, Accelerate. 12.55: Buffy Beaufort, The Gables, General Beaufort. 1.30: Sea Poppy, Marche Noir, British Blue. 2.05: Noble Jewel, Sporting Show, Silver Print. 2.40: Every Show, Landofair, Astral Row. 3.15: Queen’s Pal, Sea Princess, Pidgeon’s Blood. 3.50: Tirana, Red Consul, Royal Sceptre. 4.25: Donizetti, Sea Fort, lanrflRace 6 2.5 T.A.B. DOUBLE T.A.B. QUINELLA DB GERALDINE CUP $4000; 2000 m 1 1028 Noble Jewel 2 57.0 Third start this time up, and could be close to the level of fitness he showed when campaigning successfully last autumn. Muddling pace of Washdyke race last week was against him. L. Didharn. 2 4600 John Peel 17 56.5 First start since May. More seasoned runners preferred. 3 0001 Pamdora 20 56.0 Surprise winner fresh up at Timaru. Has good record on this track, and worth considering for this. J. Oakeshott. 4 9084 Sporting Show 8 56.0 Fair run in wfa sprint at Timaru. Going into his third race on this campaign, and could go close here. 5 0050 Five Over Five 15 55.5 Was resuming when he tired after pacemaking at Timaru. M. Burnett. 6 0190 Kopara 6 55.5 Failed fresh up against metric milers at Ashburton. 7 9073 Flying Ribot 5 55.0 Veteran, but showed some sparkle when 3rd behind Pamdora at Timaru. C. Dowling. 8 2037 Silver Print 7 54.5 Respected on his 3rd behind Charles Beaufort at Oamaru two starts back. Did not gallop with the same confidence when left with rails run in the pack at Timaru. J. Dowling. 9 0211 Sir Ashley 19 54.0 Brilliant finisher for sprint win at Oamaru, and win against metric milers at Ashburton. One of top chances. B. Smith.

10 1000 Jo Megs 10 53.5 Veteran likely to be tested at this level. Failed at Timaru after disputing the lead.

11 5735 Up the Creek 4 53.5 Worth second thought after useful run at Timaru. Third the time before was behind Sir Ashley at Ashburton.

12 5639 Handsome Heir 13 53.0 Solid run for 3rd in Charles Beaufort’s Ashburton Cup before failing at Timaru. Not the worst. D. Walsh. 13 9309 Syrie Boye 9 53.0 Weak finisher over 1600 m at Oamaru last start, but could be more seasoned for this. 14 0331 Upper Cut 18 53.0 Not running. 15 9254 Beach Bird 3 52.5 Back to middle distance after some useful sprint performances. Worth second thought. R. Starr. 16 0808 Goucho 11 52.5 Veteran. Others preferred. P. Atkinson. 17 3015 Julie’s Boy 14 52.5 Followed up 1600 m

class 3 win with useful effort for sth in Ashburton Cup. G. Davison. 18 1900 Lancaster 1 52.5 Form so far this season not encouraging. R. Bruce. 19 7174 Mon Anchor 16 52.5 Ashburton Cup fourth holds out some hope for this. 20 4530 Marotiri 12 52.5 Resumed promisingly with 3rd 1600 m Riccarton, August 6, but failed in second start that meeting.

Race 8 3.15 T.A.B. DOUBLE SOUTH ISLAND THOROUGHBRED STAKES $12,000; weight-for-age; 1400 m 1 0217 Auditory 4 56.0 Racing short of her best distance. Win two starts back was over 2000 m at Riccarton. 2 1555 Nottingham Belle 3 56.0 Fair run 1600 m Ashburton last time, but sharper run would be needed to win this. T. Matthews. 3 0704 Our Hope 8 56.0 Fair run in class 3 at Timaru. This harder.

4 1362 Sea Princess 1 56.0 Runner-up to brilliant Clansman wfa 1200 m at Timaru. Top chance here on that run. B. Smith. 5 5976 Sukerbefle 9 56.0 First start for season. Others preferred. 6 0405 Whirl 7 56.0 Has fair ability as sprinter, but has not shown she is wfa material. D. Walsh. 7 5581 Amacola 2 54.5 Last-start win was in class 4 at Ashburton. C. Dowling. 8 9131 Beauzia 5 54.5 Easy winner 1200 m class 3 Timaru last week. G. Davison. 9 3336 Pidgeon’s Blood 6 54.5 Did not show enough against Ashburton sprinters to rate winning chance. J. Dowling. 10 1111 Queen’s Pal 10 54.5 Has been away from racing since autumn, but runs at trials could have fitted her adequately for this. Was top South Island three-year-old filly last season. R. McAra.