Riccarton sprint should go to Queen’s Pal’s challenge

Press, 9 December 1983, Page 26

Riccarton sprint should go to Queen’s Pal’s challenge

By

J. J. BOYLE

Queen’s Pal, winner of a sensational D.B. Galaxy Stakes at Riccarton a year ago, will return there as the likely winner of the Aitken Handicap, second leg of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s T.A.B. double today.

Queen’s Pal was one of three runners locked behind unopened starting gates in the 2000 m weight-for-age feature race a year ago. That started a train of events that proved to be something of' a nightmare for racing officials on the course.

The race was re-run about two and a half hours after its scheduled running, with only five of the origi-

nal 12 runners taking part. Queen’s Pal, the only three-year-old in the field, won comfortably by a length from The Dimple, another of the runners that had been left locked away in the starting gate in the contest that was declared no race. While Queen’s Pal reverts to sprinting today, The Dimple will be back for another try over 2000 m under

weight-for-age conditions at Riccarton. By way of homage to that great champion of the 19305, the club has named today’s feature race the Phar Lap “2000.” The Dimple’s elder halfsister, The Twinkle, won the corresponding race two years ago. The strength of the southern challenge this time will be boosted by Noble Jewel

and Sporting Show, both talented chestnuts from Otago. Every Show won the Churchill Stakes at 1600 m at the New Zealand Cup meeting. Noble Jewel showed a talent for 2000 m in running third in Commissionaire’s record-run Canterbury Gold Cup. Every Show was unplaced when favourite in the 2000 m

Blue Riband at Waikouaiti last January and was kept to shorter courses for the rest of his three-year-old programme. With another year on him, he might have gathered enough strength to make a good fist of a middle distance this time. But it is another question whether he will be up to giving the Riccarton three-year-old Gaffa 6.5 kg.