REWARD FOR CAPRONELLA OUTSIDER WINS AT HASTINGS

Wanganui Chronicle, 23 April 1947, Page 3

REWARD FOR CAPRONELLA OUTSIDER WINS AT HASTINGS

Hastings has proved a lucky track for Capronella, for on Saturday she won her third race of the season there, taking the, honours in the principal event, the. Te Mahanga Handicap, and returning her supporters a dividend well into double figures. Last spring she won the two main races at the Hawke’s Btty meeting, so the adage about “horses for courses’’ could well be applied to the aged Kincardine mare.

On the opening day of the recent meeting Capronella was a contestant in the Hawke's Bay Cup, but she was involved in the sensational smash when Matador fell and brought down Nightfee, Capronella and Dark Morning. Saturday’s success came as some compensation for that fall.

In the Te Mahanga Handicap on Saturday Capronella carried 7.5 but she was one of the outsiders of the large field. However, the honours of the race were definitely with her, for she had to overcome early difficulties by finishing with a sustained run over the last three furlongs to outstay another moderately-fancied candidate in Cinna Bay, who was also responsible for a game effort after not being too well placed in the early stages. The favourites, Paganini and Perfect Peace, the latter looking a little jaded after her recent hard racing, flattered their supporters by being well placed to the home turn, but they dropped out over the business end. Capronella received the worst of the start, and going out of the straight was at the tail of the field. Delinquent and Matador sharing the lead, with Mesalliance, Morehu Park. Perfect Peace, and Paganini well placed. Travelling along the back Delinquent was showing out from Mesalliance, Matador, and Perfect Peace, with Morehu Park and Silver Rod heading the others. Mesalliance, Perfect Peace, and Silver Rod closed on the leader passing the half-mile, while Capronella was working forward from the rear. Mesalliance and Delinquent were first to give way among the leaders, and Silver Rod was actually the first to straighten up for the run to the judge, with Capronella and Cinna Bay (wide out) challenging strongly. Maintaining her run, Capronella drew to the front at the distance, and holding off Cinna Bay, went on to score m convincing style. Silver Rod, displaying his best form for some time, battled on to be a good third, with Perfect Peace weakening into fourth ahead of Pola (finishing on), Paganini, Delinquent, and Seropuri. * Last September Capronella carried 7.0 and won the T. H. Lowry Memorial, with Catterick Bridge and Carnfortli dead-heated for second. A week later she had 8.4 in the H. A. Russell Memorial and finished on well to win from Catterick Bridge and Cinna Bay. The value of her form pay be gathered from the fact that Catterick Bridge went on to win the New Zealand Cup and return, incidentally, a sensational dividend. Capronella’s three successes at. Hastings this season have added £1397 10s to her stake-winnings. In all Capronella has won £4097 10s .n stakes.