Twickenham Has Won 15 Races

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30957, 13 January 1966, Page 4

Twickenham Has Won 15 Races

IFrom the Australian Racing Correspondent of “The Press’*] SYDNEY. Geldings race on and on sometimes, but seldom do they continue to improve like Twickenham, winner on Saturday of the Rosehill Handicap (10f.).

Twickenham, now trained by the former New Zealander. Harold Riley, is rising eight years. He has won 15 races and Saturday’s success was his first at 10 furlongs. In fact most of Twickenham’s racing has been in sprints, although as a three-year-old he won at nine furlongs, suggesting that a bit of distance might suit him. He is bred to go a journey for he is by Timanova (imp) from Taurangi, one of the best racing mares New Zealand has seen, and certainly one of the outstanding broodmares of the post-war years. Timanova was a middledistance runner himself, but he sired staying stock. Taurangi won from five furlongs to 11 furlongs in her record of nine successes. She also was second in a New Zealand Cup (2m). Her real value, however, has been as a brood mare, for she has had a succession of winners, which, between them, have amassed something like £50,000 in stakes. One of Fastest Taurangi was sired by Beau Pere (imp) from an Austra-lian-bred mare, Barbacan,

which was by Top Gallant (imp) from Columbia (imp). Top Gallant was one of the fastest horses ever imported to Australia.

In England he equalled a world record of the time by carrying 9-0 and running 10 furlongs at Newmarket in 2min.

In Australia he won the Futurity Stakes, beating Fuji San and Manfred, and in his day also finished in front of horses like Heroic, Valicare. The Night Patrol. The Hawk, and Amounis. How racing would boom if it could get together a collection of talent like that! Twickenham has had several changes in stables but his present trainer, Riley, has done best with him. Earlier in his career Twickenham suffered a good deal from rheumatic ailments. Riley’s handling seems to have conquered that trouble, for in November Twickenham won three races in as many starts, in December he had :wo unplaced runs, and now in January he has had two wins in succession, making it five wins from seven starts in just about 10 weeks.