N.Z. Cup And Stewards Will Form First-Day Double On C.J.C. Opening Day

Wanganui Chronicle, 2 November 1950, Page 3

N.Z. Cup And Stewards Will Form First-Day Double On C.J.C. Opening Day

(By

“KESTREL.”)

The Riccarton Racecourse will be the scene, on Saturday, of the first £lO,OOO race of the current season in the Dominion, when the New Zealand Cup will be the feature event on the opening dav of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Centennial carnival.

Further importance will attach to the New Zealand Cup as it will be the first leg of a totalisator double, those with doubles tickets on the winneer having to select the winner of the Stewards’ Handicap, which carries a stake of £2OOO.

As with the majority of important races in New Zealand, on metropolitan courses as well as at provincial centres, the New Zealand Cup has had its ups and downs. It has attracted good fields and bad, and it been won by “duds” as well as by the best handicappers of the day. One would have to go back many years to find a direct Wanganui interest in the big Riccarton two-miler. Halberdier, who won in 1902, was owned by Mr B. T. Bennett, then resident in Patea though later he made his home in Wanganui and raced, among others, that useful 'chaser Khartoum. It was in 1909 that Lady Lucy carried to victory the colours of the late Fred Tilley, whose training establishment at Fordell turned out its full share of handicap winners. Lady Lucy was destined to go the way of all horseflesh during an illfated tilt at the Australian turf.

Mr S. J. Gibbons, of Marton, provided the 1920 winner in Oratress, who was the dam of the 1928 winner, Oratrix, the latter carrying the colours of Mr R. J. Murphy, who won again in 1935 with Cuddle and in 1944 vtith Kevin. It was in 1940 that Taurangi, raced by the late Mr W. McA. Duncan, ran Serenata to a neck in record time for the two miles. Taurangi was a half-sister to Coral Arc, who is engaged in Saturday’s field. Since Serenata’s success the winners have been as follow: —Happy Ending (1941), Royal Lancer (1942), Classform (1943), Kevin (1944), Golden Souvenir (1945), Catterick Bridge (1946), Beau le Havre (1947), Sir Garnish (1948), and Excellency (1949).

Some topnotchers are included among New Zealand Cup winners, the number including Warstep (dead-heat with Indigo in 1914), Sasanof and Nightmarch, both Melbourne Cup winners prior to scoring at Riccarton, Count Cavour, Cuddle (twice Auckland Cup winner). Golden Souvenir (who just missed carrying off the N.Z. Cup, Auckland Cup and Wellington Cup treble) and Beau le Havre. HIGH-CLASS FIELD It appeared likely that the £lO,OOO stake offered for the Centennial Cup would attract a field of the highest class, and this is borne out by the acceptance list, for few of the leading handicappers are missing from the capacity field engaged on Saturday. Of the 95 horses nominated the acceptance was made for 27. Of these six were balloted out after one had been eliminated as a dual acceptor, the safety number being 19. Florida has since been scratched, allowing Night Rider to enter the field, and Boost, one of those balloted out, has also been withdrawn. For starters] on the day a final payment of £25 is! due at the post. Best of his age last season and leading stake-winner Beaumaris was assured of topweight, and at 9.5 he has lib less than Nightmarch carried to victory. The records are against a horse carrying 9.0, though Beau le Havre had 9.3. However, Beaumaris is an outstanding horse, his successes last season including the New Zealand Derby and the Churchill Stakes at Riccarton, the Clifford Plate and th* G.N. St. Leger at Ellerslie, the Wellington Cup and the Awapuni Gold Cup. He has proved his abili'L: to stay out the two-mile journey, and his feat in winning the Harcourt Stakes at weight-for-age at Trentham last Monday week suggests that he is strung up to concert pitch for his most important engagement. Robin’s Reward is one of the hardiest horses racing, and his ability to stay has been proved by his successes in the Wanganui Cup and the Mana- I watu Cup. In all he has won 18 ! races, and he was finishing on strong-1 ly in the Harcourt Stakes at Trentham. Though he is certain to be running on at the finish, it is difficult to see him conceding weight to some of those lower down on the list. Like Beaumaris, Tiger Tan is trained at Riccarton and has also been a New Zealand Derby winner. His j other wins in New Zealand—he has . raced in Australia —include the Met-| ropolitan Handicap at Riccarton (a dead-heat) and the Islington Handi-1 cap, as well as the Wellington Cup ; in January of last year. He is bred I on staying lines and at 8.10 is well' placed to add to an already outstand- 1 ing record. Calibrate represents the best of the Auckland stayers, though so far this season he has failed to reproduce the form which enabled him to stand out at Trentham last January, when he I won the Wellington Racing Club and ] the Summer Handicaps after having been found ineligible for the Welling-I ton Cup. He finished fourth in the Auckland Cup and was third in the Great Autumn at Riccarton. Aj the I Banks Peninsula meeting last Satur-| day he was not at home on the turn-; ing Motukaraka track, but the long 1 straight at Riccarton should be in his ( favour. He had only one race at Trentham, where the mile of the | Wainui Handicap was far too short for I him. Calibrate has a handy weight l at 8.7. On the same mark is Jamell, a five-year-old gelding by Nightly from Palantua, winner of the New Zealand 1 Cup in 1933. Jamell has won up to a mile and three furlongs, and his successes include two highweight events at Riccarton and the Otago Handi- I cap and the Otago Hunt Tally-Ho Handicap at Wingatui. In all he has won nine races, seven of them last I season. i Pierre has failed to win this sea-’ son, and most of his successes have’ been over distances in the vicinity of a mile, including the York Handicap at Ellerslie, the Pearce Handicap nt \ Trentham and the Great Easter and • Waltham Handicaps at. Riccarton. I How ho will faro over two miles remains to be proved.

The Laird looked like developing into a useful handicapper in the early stages of the current season, winning at Foxton and Carterton. He had been under a cloud since he raced at Trentham, where he did not have the best of runs, but has worked well since arriving at Riccarton. Renowned drew attention to her chances when she scored a brilliant win in the Wellington Handicap at Trentham three weeks ago. She has shown stamina in running out her races solidly, giving proof of this I when she finished third in the New Zealand Cup last year. This is not surprising as she is a daughter of that 'great mare Cuddle, winner of the 11935 N.Z. Cup. I Biassed is one of the plainest horses ito win important handicaps, but his performances belie his looks. He is [trained at Awapuni for the Hon. W. IS. Goosman and won the Winter Cup |at Riccarton, as well as the Masterton Handicap, in itself a good test for the New Zealand Cup. Signify will be one of the favourlites, in spite of her defeat at the Banks Peninsula meeting last Saturday. She was rather unlucky in the Wainui Handicap at Trentham on the first day, and her success in the Pearce Handicap last Monday week was achieved in solid fashion. Last season she won the Hawke's Bay Cup, running on at the finish of the mile and three furlongs. Signify is by Contact out of Gratify, a daughter of Hauteur, dam of Calibrate, who is also by Contact. She has 8.0, which is a handy weight for the New Zealand Cup, and her connections are confident that she will be hard to beat.

0111 l CUIUULCI. VI UIC lull trained candidates is Coral Arc, who is a proved stayer, having been second in the Auckland Cup and fourth in the Wellington Cup. He is a wininer of the Wellington Handicap, run J over a mile and a-half, and also deadiheated for first in the Metropolitan , [Handicap at Riccarton. Coral Arc is by Coronach from Barbacan, dam of Taurangi, runner-up in Serenata’s . lyear. He ran two good races at the recent Trentham meeting, beating all but Renowned in the Wellington Handicap and finishing fourth in the HarI court Stakes. Unsoundness prevented Ihirn from taking a high place among ,| the handicappers two years ago, but he appears to be quite sound again. | Paddy Joe is the sole Wanganui rei presentative. He has won eight races, including the Foxton Cup and the Manawatu Winter Cup, but he does not appear up to the calibre of the opposition. Night Owl finished fifth in the New Zealand Cup last year and has won in all 11 races. These include the Ranfurly and D.J.C. Handicaps at Wingatui. St. Bruno is a New Zealand Derby winner and has also won the Riverton Cup twice. He might prove one of the likely South Island lightweights. Lord Revel has put up his best performances at Ellerslie, having won the St. George’s Handicap (twice), the Queens Plate, the Easter Handicap and the Nathans Memorial. Kosher, another of Coronach’s progeny, won the Oamaru Cup and also the Wingatui Handicap at the D.J.C. meeting. Langham won the Wellingjton Racing Club Handicap at Trenifham in January of last year, and ran i good races there at the recent fixture. Earldale has been a winner at Hastings over a mile and three furlongs. He will carry the colours of J. L. Muir, trainer of Biassed. Night Rider is another on the minimum at. 7.0. He is by Nightly from Judy O’Grady, and his best performance ( I was a third in the Members’ Handicap at Gore. Last season he had [several placings in 21 starts, biq his 'only success was in the Ruapehu Hack j Handicap at Trentham in January. I It is as open a field as could be i wished for a £lO,OOO stake, but at this I stage Beaumaris, Signify and Coral I Arc make most appeal. Auckland Scratchings AUCKLAND, Last Night (PA)—The ■ following additional scratchings have ’ been posted for the Auckland Racing I Club’s mid-spring meeting on Saturday:— I Alison Cup: Putea, 2.25 p.m. today. | Melrose Handicap: Becca Town 9.35 la.m.; Ruling Credit, 2.25 p.m.; Tide 'Lad, 2.30 p.m. Tuesday. Cambria Handicap: Lafayette. 11.35 ! a.m.; Gay Salome, 4.5 p.m. Tuesday, i Takapuna Handicap: Gay Treasure, ■ 11.45 a.m. today. I Tiri Hurdles: Skymaster, 12.20 p.m. today. Milford Handicap: Clay Piper, 11.35 a.m. Tuesday. I The scratching of Putea in the Alison Cup allows Censor, who was originally balloted out, to re-enter the field. Trotting Fixtures I Invercargill T.C.: Oct. 28, Nov. 4 ; Wellington T.C.: Oct. 28, Nov. 4 i Oamaru T.C : Oct. 23, Feb. 3. NZ. Metropolitan T.C.: Nov. 7, 10 and 18 Geraldine T.Cj Nov. 2j. New Brighton TC.: Dec. 2. I Wyndham T.C.: Dec. 2. Taranaki T.C.: Dec 2, 9. 1 Waimate TC.: Dec. 9.