Cuss going for second Winter Oats tomorrow

Press, 13 July 1984, Page 30

Cuss going for second Winter Oats tomorrow

From J. J. BOYLE

Wellington Cuss goes into the race as a form runner for his bid to win his second Winter Oats at Trentham tomorrow. The Levin stayer is something of a personality horse for his distinctive style of front-running with head carried very low and a good case can be made for his winning again with less weight than he carried last year.

Cuss won the Wellington Racing Club’s feature last year with 54. This time he has 53.5, but if his weight does not seem likely to be a factor his closeness in the weights to Greek Meer could have a big bearing on the result. Greek Meer was two lengths better than Cuss when they filled theminor berths behind Gaimoss in the Parliamentary on Wednesday. The Stratford-trained chestnut lost little mana for his failure to capture his second win for the meeting. Gaimoss got the last run at Greek Meer in that race and the result could have easily gone the other way if there had been another horse in the field to put pressure on Cuss up front.

Saddlelight is an< interesting newcomer at the meeting with the Avondale New Zealand Handicap as his lead up. This Haweratrained Shahram gelding was down the track at Avondale but won at Hastings the time before and was third behind Cuss and Honorville in the Winter Oats last year. Gaimoss and Mardel boosted the record of their sire, Moss Trooper, with their wins on Wednesday and there would be no long odds about their chances of effecting a noteworthy quinella. Another durable female in the field is the Paddy Busuttin-trained Lady Gemma, which might lack the spark of brilliance that distinguishes a top stayer

from a run of, the mill performer, but appears to be capable of managing any of the longer distances. She is by Oncidium’s halfbrother Serenader, and might be the hopeful for her powerful stable in the New Zealand Cup in November. Bracken Ridge and the Wingatui-trained Vrinsk are expected to be the top contenders in the Kia Ora Handicap, second leg of the T.A.B. double. Outright will complete a

spectacular treble for the winter if, as expected, he wins the Wellington Hurdles. He has already won the Waikato Hurdles and Great Northern Hurdles, the Ellerslie race by the wide

margin of five lengths. Last year Floodlight sought the same treble and gave it a good try. He carried off the Waikato and Wellington Hurdles but was beaten into fifth in the Great Northern.