Clansman will be on trial for historic w.f.a. race

Press, 29 February 1984, Page 39

Clansman will be on trial for historic w.f.a. race

By

J. J. BOYLE

Clansman will.be on trial for the weight-for-age Awapuni Gold Cup when he runs in the first leg of the Wellington Racing Club’s T.A.B. double on Saturday.

He will be one of two last-start winners — Noble Boa is the other — to represent South Island

stables in the $25,000 U.D.C. Finance Handicap on Saturday. Both horses looked well when they worked at Riccarton yesterday. Neither was called on for anything strenuous. Clansman will be taken north today with his three-year-old stablemate, Gaffa, which will get a

rewarding opportunity to improve his good record at 1600 m in the $40,000 2ZB Golden Mile on Saturday. No riders had been engaged yesterday for Clansman, Gaffa, and Noble Boa. Clansman’s trainer, Dave Kerr, expects Ali Robinson will be committed to The Dimple, as he was when the

Southland mare finished second to the Riccarton horse in the D.B. Galaxy at Wingatui last week. Clansman rounded off his work on the plough at Riccarton yesterday by sprinting 600 m in 37.45. Gaffa led Captain Baynes by a length and a half finishing 800 m on the plough in 51.85, the last 600 m in 38.85. Noble Boa was restricted to striding work on the plough. His Wingatui trainer, Arthur Didham, will take him north by air tomorrow, and hopes to engage a Central Districts rider for the Sydney-owned Noble Bijou gelding.

Noble Boa is a last-start winner at Invercargill. Before that victory he finished fourth behind Clansman over 2000 m at Riccarton after being held up for a run at a vital stage of the race.

Noble Boa, on his previous campaign at Invercargill, narrowly beat the Ric-carton-trained veteran Miles Better in the Invercargill Gold Cup. He will again have Miles Better as one of his rivals at Trentham on Saturday.