Hong Kong Cup beckons St James

Press, 6 September 1989, Page 47

Hong Kong Cup beckons St James

By

DAVID McCARTHY

The Hong Kong Cup instead of the Caulfield Cup could be a preference for St James after the gelding’s winning response to a skilled ride by Grant Cooksley in the Ashburton Cup yesterday.

Cooksley, who flew down especially to ride St James, and help assess his spring prospects for owners Reg and Chris Richards and trainers Tony and Lyn Prendergast, was left to decide his own race tactics and determined the van would be as good as anywhere as St James fought for his head early. The skilled Cooksley hands soon had him settled in front and thereafter came a stylish display of judgment of pace from the Takanini maestro which saw St James just hold out a late charge from Red Hawk with Exchequer, the unlucky

runner, putting up a fine effort for third. Cooksley was associated with St James on several occasions when the horse was trained in the north. He won the Anniversary Handicap at Trentham on him last March. He had been tentatively booked to ride St James in Melbourne but the horse’s reluctance to settle yesterday may have scuttled his Caulfield Cup hopes.

Instead the $400,000 Hong Kong Cup on December 18 is looming as an attractive alternative.

The 1800 m race, open to selected New Zealand horses which have not won a race rated higher than Group Three, is looking for an international flavour with the expenses of selected runners met. Cooksley feels the solid pace of the top Hong Kong races would be more suitable for St James than the hurlyburly of Caulfield and is prepared to ride

the horse there if he is selected. St James’s connections have made application to the New Zealand agents for the Hong Kong Jockey Club for more details on the race and have indicated their interest in being accepted for it. St James went into yesterday’s race unproven at 2000 m and while there may have been some substance in claims that the Cooksley reputation rather overawed some of the other riders in the race, the horse saw it through well. The win makes Cooksley, a relatively rare visitor to the south, one of the most successful riders in the Ashburton Cup in recent years. He won on Hide The Loot in 1985, while other brief visits to Canterbury have produced feature wins such as Oak Vue’s New Zealand Cup of 1986, Gaffa’s Two Thousand Guineas win in 1983 and Cure’s One Thousand Guineas in 1986.

Red Hawk finally came in from the cold with his run after a disappointing 12 months. He was held up for a time across the top but came fast once balanced.

Exchequer, three wide in the midfield throughout, was also trapped behind Narrative and was giving the leaders a handy start at the 350 m, finishing strongly. He had not helped his chances by running keenly when the pace eased before the 800 m, at which point Cooksley applied the pressure from the front. Innocent Victim, given a nice run by Larry Cassidy, fought well for fourth and the topweight, Polacca, was a game fifth. St James, which won the Grigg Classic on the course as a three-year-old, has now won 10 of his 33 starts and his stake earnings have topped $116,000.