Pukekohe conditions should suit Admiral Blair

Press, 2 August 1985, Page 11

Pukekohe conditions should suit Admiral Blair

Special correspondent Auckland The severely testing conditions, now certain, allow Admiral Blair and Koiro Corrie May some chance of reverting successfully to 1600 m at the Franklin Racing Club’s meeting at Pukekohe tomorrow. Both horses, on reasonably good or even soft footing, would need rather more than 1600 m to be anywhere near their best —2000 m or perhaps further. But the way the track is going to be, and with the long run home that Pukekohe provides, the Shearwalk Handicap might well turn out to be sufficient for them. Koiro Corrie May and Admiral Blair are inclined to begin slowly but they usually stay well. Admiral Blair, last time, came home in great style to win a 2000 m race at Te Awamutu and he was an impressive finisher when winning earlier over the same course, on June 15. Koiro Corrie May ended her run a fair way out at Te Rapa last Saturday, before finishing third behind Joal and Stylish Dude. It might be later in the spring before she is right back to her best but her chance this time has to be respected. The one Admiral Blair, Koiro Corrie May and all of them might find hardest to beat is So Regal, which has been racing so well one grade below this company, in class two. From seven starts this time in, since the end of April, So Regal has collected two wins and a second, third and fifth placing, all in his last five runs. So Regal ran on strongly when a winner at Paeroa some 10 days ago, the last time he raced, and he finished well the time before to beat all except Forty

Thieves at Ellerslie, also over 1400 m. As a concession to this tackling class one, So Regal is down skg in the Shearwalk Handicap from the 55.5 kg he carried at Paeroa. He seems to be in his element on heavy tracks. He will probably manage the conditions tomorrow much better than most of his opponents.

Glenstrae is on a run of form that will bring him a following. Residue, judged by his last-start second placing behind So Regal is at least a lightweight prospect and Balanchine, if back to the form she showed last spring, would almost certainly be in the money. Balanchine began last season with four straight wins, one of them at the

expense of Jolly Jake. It was disappointing when she then lost form, her last two runs were better but she has to improve further if she is to make an impression in class one. Noble Encounter won each of her last three races so it will be a notable success, indeed, if she take the second leg, the Allegra Park Stud Handicap.