Dunedin Cup has change of date

Press, 21 September 1984, Page 32

Dunedin Cup has change of date

Special correspondent Dunedin The Dunedin Gold Cup will be returned to the Otago Racing Club’s February meeting this season after being held in December for about 40 years. The Dunedin Guineas is being switched to December next season. The Dunedin Cup has been run on the second day of the club’s December meeting. The decision to revert to the position before 1943 was made by the club with regard to the number of feature races in the Christ-mas-New Year period. The DB Galaxy Stakes will be discontinued as a feature race at the club’s February meeting. The Galaxy Stakes has been run at Wingatui since 1979, the winners being Yipp’s Secret, Little Brown Jug, The Fantasy, Joyarty, Mary Wake and Clansman. Sponsorship for the series has expired. The Dunedin Guineas will be switched from the club’s spring meeting to December next season. The move has been considered for some years and has the support of owners and trainers who have difficulty preparing horses for the event. Rainaffected tracks have also affected the quality of the field. The Dunedin Cup will carry a stake of $21,000, the same as last year. It will be run on the second day of the February meeting. The feature race on the first day is the sponsored $20,000 White Robe Lodge Handicap. It is hoped the White Robe Handicap on Saturday, February 16, and the Dunedin Cup on Tuesday, February 19, will attract North Island runners. Arrangements are in hand for the Australian jockeys, Peter Cook (Sydney), Bob Skelton and “Midge” Didham (Melbourne), to ride at the Otago meeting in February. Didham and Skelton were formerly based at Wingatui. Racing will start at 3 p.m. each day in February. An open handicap over 2200 m will replace the Dunedin Cup on the December programme. The club might consider reintroducing the Otago Handicap, the main race previously run at the December meeting. The James Hazlett Stakes and Champagne Stakes will remain feature races at the meeting in December. Both were run in February before the 19405. The O.R.C. has been reeling from loss to loss (last year $87,298 after following $21,535 for depreciation) and it is to be hoped the moves will be a financial success. The Dunedin Cup has a history dating back to 1874 and includes many famous names among its winners including Advance, Warstep, Nightmarch, Golden Souvenir, Great Sensation and Palisade.