Bonecrusher camp confident of Australian Cup win

Press, 9 March 1987, Page 30

Bonecrusher camp confident of Australian Cup win

NZPA-AAP Melbourne The champion galloper, Bonecrusher, looks to have the group one Australian Cup (2000 m at Flemington today at his mercy, but leading trainer, Colin Hayes, is not conceding defeat with his Melbourne Cup winner, At Talaq. "Bonecrusher is a very formidable opponent and I’m not going to say At Talaq can beat him, but At Talaq is fit and well and ready to run a great race,” said Hayes.

Bonecrusher and At Talaq have clashed only once to date and that was in the weight-for-age Underwood Stakes (2000 m at Caulfield last September, with Bonecrusher scoring by l‘/ 2 lengths. "At Talaq has acclimatised fully now and he is a better horse than he was in the spring,” said Hayes.

“And he didn’t have a great run when Bonecrusher beat him in the Underwood.”

Hayes used top New Zealand sprinter Courier Bay to take a line through the two outstanding performers.

"Courier Bay beat Bonecrusher in the Lion Brown Sprint while At

Talaq beat Courier Bay in the Futurity, if that means anything," said Hayes. "And neither At Talaq nor Courier Bay were suited by the heavy track in the Futurity.” Hayes said Bonecrusher’s winning time of 1:33.98 in the Flying Mile (1625 m at Avondale at his latest start on February 28 was insignificant because the race was timed from a moving start at the 1600 m point. "At Talaq is in there with a chance,” said Hayes. The trainer has a good record in the Australian Cup having won it three times with Bush Win (1974), Dulcify (1979) and Spectrum (1983). Trainer, Bart Cummings, who has won the event an amazing nine times since 1968, hasn’t a runner this year.

Meanwhile the Bonecrusher camp is confident its champion will add the Australian Cup to his tally of seven group one wins. The four-year-old PagAsa gelding, which arrived in Melbourne on Thursday by air freighter, has settled in well at Bob Hoysted’s Mentone stables. Trainer Frank Ritchie

is looking forward to seeing the chestnut race today. “Fve always thought Flemington would suit Bonecrusher,” said Ritchie.

Ritchie said he was sure the gelding had made a full recovery from the virus that almost killed him in Japan. Trainer, Rick HoreLacy, will have a vet inspect top mare Canny Lass before making a final decision on whether she will run in the Australian Cup. Hore-Lacy and jockey Greg Hall were quite satisfied with the mare’s Race 1 5.0 TF AUSTRALIAN CUP $251,000; 2000 m 1 16 At Talaq 1 58.0 M. Clarke 2 4153 Dynasty Prince 2 58.0 B. Watt 3 0330 Eye of the Sky 10 58.0 4 416 Foxseal 5 58.0 5 1970 Keeper* 9 58.0 6 41 Bonecruaher 8 58.0 G. Stewart 7 4243 Ima Rod Man 3 57.0 8 18 Sir Luatrioua 7 57.0 9 3462 Celtic Heir 4 56.5 10 1236 Canny Law 6 55.5 G. Hall 11 5714 Travel Light 11 55.5

sixth placing behind outstanding sprinter, Placid Ark, in the Newmarket Handicap (1200 m on Saturday. Hall will ride HoraLacy’s other acceptor, Foxseal, If Canny Lass does not start.