RACING FINAL DAY OF C.J.C. MEETING

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28262, 27 April 1957, Page 7

RACING FINAL DAY OF C.J.C. MEETING

Rhythmonic Favoured In First Leg

Rhythmonic, winner of his last four races, one of them in open company, is in high favour for the Sockburn Handicap, the first leg of the double at Riccarton today, when the Canterbury Jockey Club will hold the final day of its autumn meeting.

Rhythmonic, the only three-year-old in the field, will be tested by some dogged if not brilliant stayers, but he has achieved his recent victories, ineluding the Riverton Cup last Saturday, like a very good galloper, and today it may be a case of youngest being best.

Tess dropped out of the Sockburn Handicap field, leaving 15. Shoal and Writer are left at the top of the handicap, both with 8-10. Writer won this race with 8-8 last year, and 8-10 should not stop him from running soundly. But his chance would have brightened if the track had been firm.

Shoal, Grand Bank, Jungle, and] Humber Hawk have already been) it gtake-earners at the meeting, and h the race has taken on additional E interest with the Wairarapa n winner, Finito, in the field. fi Interest in th£ Great Autumn t< Handicap,’ the corresponding race on the first day, was maintained v light to the end, and something F equally good should be provided fi today. a J Grand Bank, Jungle, and Hum- f< ber Hawk won the first, third, n end fourth prizes respectively in t the Great Autumn Handicap, Grand Bank carrying 7-11 J, in- teluding 311 b over-weight The minimum was 7-5. n There is a 7-0 minimum for the v Sockburn Handicap, in which I Grand Bank has 8-2, with R. W. T Gould again his rider. Jungle took third place from s Humber Hawk in the last few strides of the Great Autumn Han- r dicap. He got up with a solid * run—an encouraging pointer for another test over one mile and a half today. Jungle will be ridden by either G. W. Mein or E. G. Low, and Humber Hawk by the Riccarton apprentice, B. W. McDonald. Mein f rode Humber Hawk in the Great Autumn, and also in the Temple- 1 ton Handicap on Tuesday. 1 Fuel in Second Leg 1 The decision to start Fuel in the Waltham Handicap, and not j the Challenge Stakes, will have an influence on doubles betting L today. The Waltham' Handicap is the second leg of the double, and « Fuel is one of the brightest form ’ ‘ prospects. j The Hastings-trained Defaulter mare has had tw’o strenuous races this week in winning the Templeton Handicap and running second 1 to Juventas in the Warstep Stakes, but if she is not jaded she will j take beating. Fuel has 8-4, 91b less than the Invercargill-trained Nairn Bridge. ( winner of two of the three mile ( races at Riverton, and second in ( the other. Nairn Bridge will be ridden by < the former Riccarton jockey, F. : H Skelton. ( Riverton form could be of further value through Ben Ledi, a 1 winner over six furlongs at the southern meeting on Monday. 1 Ben Ledi, a strong galloper on rain-affected tracks, will be ridden by H. T. Anderton, son of the four-year-old’s Wingatui trainer. H. A. Anderton. W. D. Skelton, Rhythmonic’s rider in the Sockburn Handicap, will ride Palace in the Waltham. Palaces fourth in the Templeton Handicap on Tuesday showed he was near to wanning form, and , his chance wall brighten if the track dries further today. Unless there is more rain, starts for Skylight and Rise and Shine are likely. Both dropped out of the Great Easter Handicap be T cause of the track conditions, but they have ability on firmer going. If started, Rise and Shine will be ridden by A. H Eastwood. Otherwise Eastwood will ride Nasib. Challenge Stakes Success has eluded North Island gallopers in the Challenge Stakes since 1953, Impress’s year, but there will be strong northern competition in the sixty-fifth contest today. Royal Zorra, Hot Drop, and Imitation are three good North Island gallopers in a field of seven. Although he finished ahead of Royal Zorra in the Great Easter Handicap, Hot Drop will not find it easy to repeat that feat today. Royal Zorra may be tested more by Mighty Dollar, which has improved steadily with each race during the autumn and showed dash in his trial on Thursday. Imitation, a hardy Trenthamtrained two-year-old, outclassed the others in the Autumn Nursery Handicap on Tuesday, when he carried 9-1. He was third, and a fast finisher, when tested over seven furlongs in the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes at Awapuni last month, and should test the older horses with 7-4- Imitation has 31b more than the Washdyke two-year-old. William Paul, but W. D. Skelton will probably have to ride the Panair colt at about 51b or 61b overweight. It will be William Paul’s first test over seven furlongs, but he has shaped like a future stayer, and ran but six furlongs strongly in running Mindanao to a nose in the Champagne Stakes last Monday. Imitation was third in the Champagne Stakes, two lengths behind William Paul. The Two-Year-Olds

Champagne Stakes form is expected to be of some value as a guide to the Richmond Handicap. Sarcelle and Sharp, fourth and fifth in the two-year-old classic on Monday, should play big roles in the finish. Any drying in the track will help Black Star, which was one of the first beaten in the Champagne Stakes. It was nothing like one of his best runs. Black Star is bracketed with All Fair, a fast Fair's Fair gelding, but not an easy youngster to ride All Fair showed speed in the Autumn Nursery Handicap, but ran to the outside of the track - coming to the straight. The shortest-priced favourite in the minor races on the programme will probably be the Wingatui-trained Great Sensation.

This four-year-old Cassock gelding was much too good for the hack sprinters in the Papanui Handicap on the first day of the meeting, and a rise in the weights from 7-8 to 8-4 is hardly expected to halt his winning record. Santee, one of three reserves, was scratched yesterday for the Peerswick Hurdles, but a capacity field seems likely. Native King and Sir Gerald are the logical form horses, having filled the minor places behind Lo Night in the hurdles on Tuesday. Gay Tommy was scratched yesterday for the Merivale Handicap. Masai and Steadfast, already minor place-getters at the meeting, will form a powerful bracket with Fleur, and will be heavily supported. But there are other form horses in the field, among them Sun House, Dart Away, Iroquoi. Tamarisk, Neptune’s Pride, and Maracaibo, and this race should produce keen competition.