Flemington hopes muted

Press, 12 September 1987, Page 36

Flemington hopes muted

NZPA correspondent NICK BROWN Sydney

The trainers of two top New Zealand candidates for the Melbourne Cup, Mr Lomondy and Royal Heights, are not expecting too much from their charges in the sAust2ol,ooo Craiglee Stakes (1600 m at Flem-. ington today. The Colin Hayes-trained Military Plume is a firm favourite to beat a crack-* field in the weight-for-age event after blitzing his rivals, including Our Waverley Star, when racing first-up in the J. J. Liston Stakes (1400 m a fortnight ago.

The former New Zealander, Our Waverley Star, which also resumed from a spell in that race in which he was a solid third, is up against Military Plume again today and his trainer, John Meagher, concedes that the Sir Tristram four-year-old still may have the edge. “Military Plume was more forward than my horse in the Liston and it looks like being the same on Saturday," Meagher said.

“But after Saturday, the scene changes and we will have no excuses in future.”

While Our Waverley Star and Military Plume are being prepared primarily with the SAustl million W. S. Cox Plate (2040 m in mind, the connections of Royal Heights and Mr Lomondy are looking at the double of the sAust627,ooo Caulfield Cup (2400 m and sAustl.2s million Melbourne Cup (3200 m Mr Lomondy, although an early favourite for both Cups, has been overlooked as a top contender today after his new trainer, Bart Cummings, said earlier this week that he was still short of a run.

Mr Lomondy, which won the Adelaide and Caulfield Cups last year, has finished eighth over 1400 m and seventh over 1600 m in his two Sydney starts since resuming.

Royal Heights, New Zealand’s top three-year-old filly, has returned to Australia as a strapping five-year-old mare. But Morrinsville trainer, Ross Douglas, said she has not settled down since arriving in Melbourne a fortnight ago.

Fields for the two feature races at Flemington today, both of which the New Zealand T.A.B. will be accepting bets on, are:

Jetbet: 10 Race <2O CRAIGLEE STAKES $200,000; 1600 m 1 253 Our ' Wavertoy Star 8 58.5 G. Hall 2 487 Mr Lomondy 6 58.5 C. Dinn 3 282 Dazzling Duka 1 58.5 W. Treloar 4 7111 Magic Konatav 2 58.5 G. Greskie 5 929 Fair Sir 4 57.0 D. Gauci 6 161 Military Plume 7 57.0 M. Clarke 7 310 Joindra 3 57.0 H White 8 7304 Dinky Ryar 5 56.0 T. Bartley 9 444 Royal Haighta 10 56.0 W. Robinson 10 2592 Society Bay 9 ' 54.5 P. Hyland Race 4-55 ASCOT VALE STAKES 1200 m; three-year-olds; $200,000 1 190 Kaapatad 11 57.0 M. Clarke 2 115 Prince Anton 1 57.0 H. White 3 941 Rancho Ruler 7 54.5 G. Doughty 4 418 Omnicorp 2 54.5 C Dinn 5 300 Cindy’a Appeal 10 54.5 G. Hall 6 113 Gold Trump 6 54.5 D. Gaud 7 1013 Disputed Pearl 5 52.5 P. Alderman 8 141 Hello Melbourne 9 52.5 S. D. Marshall 9 0011 Spacecraft 12 52.5 G. Willetts

10 036 Run Riot 8 52.5 W. Treloar

11 1309 Lonely Dreamer 3 52.5 S. Aitken 12 4 Kennedy 4 52.5 D. Triandafillou