RACING SOFT TRACK FOR RICCARTON

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28258, 22 April 1957, Page 4

RACING SOFT TRACK FOR RICCARTON

Conditions Favour Grand Bank

Horses at ease under winter conditions have eeme into favour for the opening day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s autumn meeting at Ricearton today.

The track will be holding, and should brighten the chances of Copenhagen and Grand Bank, a favoured combination for the double, the Great Easter and Great Autumn Handicaps.

Copenhagen, one of nine Riccarton sprinters in the field, has made his mark in the strongest sprint fields when he has had conditions to suit him. The Members’ Handicap and the Jockey Club Handicap (twice) have been his main successes on his home track, and two earlier attempts at the Great Easter Handicap producd a third two years ago and a fourth last year.

Copenhagen will be ridden by A. J. Stokes, whose mount in the Great Autumn Handicap is Teaka, one of the early favourites for the second leg of the double.

Mighty Dollar, winner of the Members’ Handicap at Riccarton, also the James Hazlett Gold Cup at Wingatui, and the Thompson and Shorts Handicaps at Trentham, last season, will test Copenhagen if his performance matches his looks, and if he fulfils the promise of his recent efforts when he was below peak racing condition. Mighty Dollar has 9-3, and 51b more than Copenhagen, but has fared better in the barrier draw, and should handle the conditions just as well as the Riccarton sprinter. Royal Zorra and Lucrative, both from the North Island, are the only sprinters above Mighty Dollar in the weights. Yesterday a start for Royal Zorra was not certain because of the state of the track, but Lucrative is expected to start. Her latest form has been of a high standard, and she has raced well on soft tracks. The track conditions should also ■uit Fulgent, Teina, and Assembly, among others. Fulgent is owned by Mrs C. C. McCarthy and trained at Riccarton by her husband, for whom Kingship won this race two years ago. Fulgent will be ridden by C. McDonald, who won on Kingship, and also on Citril in 1949. Form On Soft Tracks Recent racing should have brought Teina and Assembly to their best. Both raced well on heavy tracks at the Grand National meeting last year. Teina beat all but West Indies in the Paparua Handicap, and Assembly was runner-up to Super Maru in the Selwyn Handicap. The distance in each case was seven furlongs. Form from the Grand National meeting is also expected to be of some value in the Great Autumn Handicap. Grand Bank won the Islington Handicap on a heavy track in August and he is expected to improve his record on the course in the £2OOO test for the stayers today. Grand Bank is a four-year-old Dogger Bank gelding from the Coronach mare Palm Bearer, which won the Great Autumn for Mr D. McFarlane in 1947. Grand Bank, a good third in the President’s Handicap at Trentham last month, has 7-8, and is 201 b below the top-weight Writer, and 61b below Jungle, and 31b above Teaka, which are expected to be his strongest opponents. Writer would have been best

served by a firm track, but his gameness should carry him into the finish. Teaka has done all his racing on firm tracks, but he handled the conditions well in his final trial on Saturday. Calcutta Sweep, Royal Warrant, and Cornflake were scratched yesterday for the Great Autumn. Strong Field Imitation is the pre-post favourite for the Champagne Stakes; but there seems little to choose among the majority of the 12 two-year-olds in the field, and betting will be well spread. There will be strong northern support, also, for Mindanao, a fast Dogger Bank filly from Hastings, and for Sharp, which sprinted attractively in her final trial on Saturday. Bow Tie, and to a lesser extent Black Star, will have strong southern support. Bow Tie, a son of Beaumaris, and winner of the Dunedin Champagne Stakes, will be having the toughest test of his career, but his form so far has been of a good standard, and has been a promising pointer to a very successful second season. Bow Tie will be ridden by C. McDonald, who has ridden three of the last five Champagne Stakes winners, and was also on the 1949 winner, Western Winner. Riccarton’s best may be Sarcelle, winner of the Pacific Handicap at Trentham last month. Northern Candidates Fuel and Juventas offer strong North Island opposition for the South Island fillies and mares in the Warstep Stakes, which will be contested for the first time today. Both shaped well in their final trials at Riccarton on Saturday, and can be expected to handle the going equally well under racing conditions. The change in the track conditions should also help lone, which raced well in heavy going in the North Island last winter. Treasure Pond, a winner over a mile and a quarter in open company at Oamaru last month, and Tripped, a consistent performer for Mr J. B. DouglasClifford in hack races lately, may be the best of the others. Merrimayes. which has shown her best form on firm tracks, may not run in the Warstep Stakes. There was rain at Riccarton early yesterday morning but the weather cleared later and was sunny in the afternoon. The outlook is for fine weather today.