SOUTHLAND CONTINGENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26474, 30 May 1947, Page 5

SOUTHLAND CONTINGENT

DUNEDIN WINTER MEETING ERISKAY SHOWING FORM Special to the Daily Times INVERCARGILL, May 29. Southland stables will be strongly represented at the opening of the Dunedin winter meeting on Saturday. With only reasonable luck the southerners should collect a good portion of the stake money on offer, with the prospects of Eriskay, Geniality, French Knight, Siegtone, Lisheen. Nigger Lad, Sea Power and Salad making most appeal. French Knight stands out out among the hack steeplechasers. In his last four starts he has been twice placed over the Riverton country and twice over the Washdyke course. He is-only a four-year-old, but an accomplished young jumper. Eleanor Star is a reliable jumper, but his form this season has not been equal to that he showed last winter, when he was consistently placed. Court Talk beat the hack steeplechasers In runaway style at Riverton and he will not be without prospects.

Some interest will be shown in the form of Geniality in the Otago Steeples, in which he will be bracketed with Irish Wit. Geniality has won his last three starts over the Invercargill brush steeplechase course. Irsh Wit has had a good amount of racing and he will appreciate almost two stone off his back compared to the weight he carried at Tlmaru. Eriskay will be Southland’s main hope in the Birthday Handicap and it would not be surprising to see her made favourite on the day. She is one of the few of the field to show any form beyond a mile and a-half, and she will be .better placed in the weights than she has been for some time. Her two Washdyke failures will be disregarded as she may have required the racing to bring her to her best. Sea Power has had a sharp rise In weights and with 9.3 he has the hardest part to do to give Eriskay 71b. He has worked particularly well at Riverton and win come in for solid support. Pride of Mossbum has not shown any form for some time and San Quentin is too unreliable to have any faith In.

Several useful Southland sprinters will contest the Winter Handicap. Pensacola may not be at his best as he has done very little fast work since he pulled up badly in the Riverton Cup. He is to rejoin R. Wilson’s Riccarton team after the meeting and ail going 'well he will be raced at Trentham in July. Good Cast has appeared only twice this season without showing up, while Crinkle and Solver have little to recommend them. Although her best form has been shown over further ground Salad has been working well at headquarters and It .would cause no surpjlse to see her making a forward showing. Sterling Lad Is always a possibility, particularly on an easing track. On Riverton form, when he scored a runaway win from a good class field, there will be good reason to respect him. Soft Light, Nigger Lad and Bonny Royal appeal as the .best of the Southland hack sprinters. Soft Light has been working in her best style and with the sting out of the going she can be counted on to give a good account of herself. Nigger Lad was very backward when raced at Easter, but he will strip a greatly Improved horse this week.

Siegtone, who has previously raced well at Wingatul and has recently shown that she is not far from her best, will be in favour in the hack distance races. She is right at home under winter conditions, and the mile and three furlongs in the St. Clair Handicap will play right into her hands. Norse Lass recently beat a good field of hack milers (including Detain) at Invercargill and on that form she cannot be counted out. Her stablemate, the three-vear-old Sir Raimond: has been a long time justifying the high opinion held of him. Nor’wester and Lough Allan have shown little recent form.