Attractive feature races at Wellington

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 31

Attractive feature races at Wellington

Special correspondent Wellington A couple of feature races, the Wakefield Challenge Stakes and the North Island Challenge Stakes will attract most attention when the second day of the Wellington Racing Club’s autumn meeting is staged at Trentham this afternoon. And it will be afternoon. In true shades of Australian metropolitan midweeks, the programme gets underway in the afternoon and finishes before five. The Wakefield is for two-year-olds, the North Island Challenge Stakes is run under weight-for-age conditions, while the double races are the Boulcott Handicap and the Valley Handicap. At $22,500, the Wakefield is the richest race and’ it will be run over 1400 metres, a distance yet to be tried by these youngsters. It is also the T.A.B. trifecta race.

The field is not a large one and the prime prospect may be a filly. Princess Dram. By the successful Chequers Stud stallion, Vice Regal, Princess Dram is trained by Neil Bradley at Hawera and she comes into this race with just two starts.

At 49.5 kg she has little weight, which may compensate her somewhat for hav-

ing to run out 1400 metres. Fillies have a good record in the race. Between 1978 and 1982, Tang, Judena, Glamour Bay, Bound to Honour and Romantic Bay all won. Last year, the “boys” grabbed the first three placings. The two starts for Princess Dram came at Hawera at the end of January in a minor event when she ran 1100 metres in Imin 5.5 s and won by 10 lengths. Bradley rated her highly enough to have a crack at the best fillies in the Matamata Breeders Stakes early last month and it was only late in the race that Vin d’Amour, the .favourite, beat her by half a length. David Walsh will ride her again today. Kingdom Bay won the Evergreen Stakes here in January with 55kg and he is up 3kg because of his stakes record. Noel Harris will ride him. Since Wellington, he has raced once for a good fifth at Ellerslie. The left-handed going here should suit him better. Fothers failed by only a nose to win the Eclipse Stakes at the expense of Silverello at Ellerslie. The son of Taipan has not had much luck so far, so he looks due to get a big one soon. ■ Black Arrow and Natural Star are visitors from Ric-

carton. Black Arrow won a couple before coming north. He beat all but Sterling Exchange at Awapuni and then failed at Ellerslie. He can do better.

Natural Star beat Sterling Exchange and was third in Silverello’s South Auckland Breeders Stakes. He was second here on Saturday and with 51kg comes in on a handy weight. Jim Cassidy will ride him. Illa Marie has won once and is running her races out well enough to be considered for this one.

The crack filly Burletta looks sure to be a shortpriced favourite for the North island Challenge Stakes. The winner now of the Wrightson Filly of the Year series, she will be having her second run since a short spell. After an easy win in the Ladies Mile, Burletta had a few days in the paddock before coming back to run on late for third in a top class sprint field in the Members Handicap. Under the weight-for-age scale she comes in with 52 and Jim Cassidy returns to ride her. Glenside is the other class runner in the field. He resumed in the Orient on Air NZ Stakes day at Ellerslie and did well to get fourth. It was his first run since a second behind Pin-

son in the Nathan Handicap at Rotorua last October. Reutemann is an interesting newcomer to weight-for-age company. He has been patiently cared for by the trainer Don Sellwood and has won four of his last five. He was third two runs back in the Visitors here and then won a Cl at Hastings.

The Boulcott has drawn an even lot and the result takes on added significance for the first three home miss out on the ballot box for the Chalmers Stakes on Saturday and the winner is not subject to a rehandicap. Gossip, a four-year-old mare from the Hammersley stable, looks the leading light. By Moss Trooper, she has won four on end, her most recent win coming at Riccarton last month in the CJC Breeders.

Lu, a lightweight from Te may not be out of the while compromise, Demolition, Beau Charade and Steel King have prospects. The Valley is a class II race to be run down the chute where Validity, a recent winner at Te Rapa, then badly checked when third in the Orient, has a royal chance. However, she will face a strong test from Vai Roona, a speed merchant from Levin, which will be facing her toughest test to late.