N.Z. CUP TRIAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 276, 22 November 1943, Page 6

N.Z. CUP TRIAL

BATTLEDRESS WINS THE LEVIN HANDICAP McDonald memorial to TARA KING » (Special Reporter.) As a trial for the New Zealand Cup, the performance of Battledress in winning the Levin Handicap at Otaki on Saturday was outstanding. The five-year-old Posterity gelding had not W’on a race for nearly twenty months, since he won the Great Northern St. Leger, but he stripped in fine shape for this mile and a-half trial. The pace was not clapped on till more than half the journey had been covered, when Don Quex, the early leader, w’as joined by Piastre and The Monarch, with Classform, Battledress and Gladynev next. Battledress ran past the leading division crossing the top and entered the straight clear of Don Quex, The Monarch, Piastre and Classform, with Gladynev coming through on the rails. Battledress ran on for an easy win, with Gladynev beating his bracketed stablemate Don Quex by two lengths for second place. Classform was almost in line with Don Quex, and three lengths back were The Monarch and Piastre. In the McDonald Memorial, the open spirt, the Wanganui-owned Tara King provided an equally impressive Derby trial. After Whackie and Sterling Lad had set a torrid pace Tara King, who was well back early, came with a paralysing run which carried him to a two lengths victory over Theolateral, who beat Sterling Lad by a head, with Whackie only a head further back. Tara King’s double-figure win dividend came as a surprise after his Wellington Guineas success. Clarice, installed favourite, was a complete disappointment, beating only Blue Border home.

W. J. Broughton piloted three winners, scoring on Killeymoon, Hippodrome and Great Draw.

The meeting was held in fine weather and attracted perhaps the largest crowd seen at the Otaki course for many years, and the Levin Racing Club had the honour of being the first provincial club on the west coast circuit in recent years to enjoy a totalisator turnover in excess of £50,000. The amount handled was £51,657, as against £29,668 10s at the 1942 spring meeting, which was also held at Otaki. The track was in splendid order arid 'fast. Three of the events had to be run in divisions, the number of starters exceeding the "safety” number, and the schedule was about half an hour late. Results:— Maiden Race, of £150; ail 8.7; six furlongs.—-First Division: 2/3 Gold Quest (K. Carlyle) 1, 1/1 Pennyroyal (W. L. Aitken) 2, 5/4 Irish Chance (R. E. Hawkes) 3. Two lengths: three lengths. Hot Speech fourth. Time, 1.14. Second Division: 4/5 Social Climber (A. Midwood) 1, 21/20 Day Lighting (W. L. Reed) 2. 7/6 Martarma Rose (P. Spratt) 3. Two lengths; three lengths. Latin Bay fourth. Time, 1.15. Scr.: Misjudged, Typhoon, Platinum Wings. Brackets: Meermint and Gold Quest, Latin Bay and Pennyroyal, Social Climber and Bushcraft, Day Lighting and Gay March. Manakau Hack Hurdles, of £150; 15 miles.—2/4 Pompit 9.7 (R. E. Hawes) 1. 3/5 Valky’s Bov 9.0 (P. Brady) 2, 6/2 Vivid Night 9.11 (W. J. Stevens) 3. Scr.: First Role. Two lengths; length. Anglo-Irish fourth. Time, 2.47.

Weraroa Hack Handicap, of £150: seven furlongs.—l/1 Caithness 8.8 J. McFarlane )1, 3/3 Kingcraft 8.6 (A. Midwood) 2, 2/2 Black Plato 8.4 (W. J. Broughton) 3. Scr.: Sea Quex, Fort Royal. Solver. Blairichburn. Neck: half a length. Vera Lynn fourth. Time, 1.26 4-5. Levin Handicap. (Of £450; 15 miles.) 2/2— BATTLEDRESS, 8.11, N. Holland 1 1/I—GLADYNEV, 9.0', S. Waddell 2 1/I—DON QUEX, 7.13, A. Waddell 3 Also: 3/3 The Monarch, 5/5 Classform, 4/4 Alexcelia, 7/7 Piastre, 6/6 Foxcatcher. Three lengths; two lengths. Clasform fourth. Time, 2.36. Mako Mako Hack Handicap, of £150; six furlongs.—l/1 Killeymoon 9.4 (W. J. Broughton) 1, 2/2 Dungloe 8.8 (P. Spratt) 2, 4/3 Sunblaze 7.9 (S. Waddell) 3. Scr.: Corday, Vermette, Wee Bun, Black Plato, Sirneri, Sporting Style, Gold Quest. Length; half a length. Sir Wina fourth. Time, 1.14. Farcical was bracketed with Sunblaze. ■

Champion Hack Handicap, of £200; 11 miles.—First Division; 2/2 Ozel 8.3 (H. J. Lunn) 1, 3/7 Sovereign Lad 8.7 (J. Bowness )2, 10/10 Gynerio 8.0 (J. Williams) 3. Length and a-half; two lengths. Poutu fourth. Time, 2.7. Second Division: 1/1 Hippodrome 8.12 (W. J. Broughton) 1, 9/8 Alchemy 8.9 (J. Campbell) 2, 4/4 Metonymy 7.7 (J. Garth) 3. Neck; half a length. War Effort fourth. Time, 2.7 3-5. Scr.: Golden Acre, Tavern Light, Caithness, Sir Fox, High Morale. Bracket: Metonymy and Silver Foot. McDonald Memorial, of £300; six furlongs.—s/4 Tara King 7.4 (J. Garth) 1, 2/2 Theolateral 7.10 (W. J. Broughton) 2. 9/10 Sterling Lad 7.3 (V. Sellars) 3. Scr.: Rink. Two lengths: head. Whackie fourth. Time. 1.13.

Hokoio Hack Handicap, of £150: five furlongs.—First Division; 10/10 Phalaria 7.10 (S. Waddell) 1,7/5 Vermette 8.10 (W. L. Aitken) 2, 12/13 Kadina 7.7 (L. Ciutterbuck) 3. Four lengths; three-quarters of a length. Lady Nahleen fourth. Time, 62sec. Second Division: 3/4 Great Draw 8.3 (W. J. Broughton) 1, 4/3 Leybourne 7.7 (J. Forsyth) 2. 1/1 Dungloe 8.10 (P. Burgess) 3. Half a neck; head. Miss Wheriko fourth. Time, 61 3-ssec. Scr.: Ringcraft, Molly Martia. Sirneri, Sir Plato. Hikorangi, Irish Lighting. Platinum Wings, Crackerjack. Omahina, Golden Days. Brackets: Leybourne and Te Pourohe.