RACING SECOND SUCCESS IN WHYTE HANDICAP

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31108, 11 July 1966, Page 4

RACING SECOND SUCCESS IN WHYTE HANDICAP

Maria Mitchell’s Smooth Display (Prom Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON. Maria Mitchell won her second Whyte Handicap at Trentham on Saturday with a smooth display of front running on a saturated track.

After the race her Taranaki part-owner and trainer, Mr F. M. Walsh, was pleased he had been unable to book the little grey to the syndicated stallion, Agricola, next season.

“If they had accepted the booking Maria Mitchell would not have been racing today,” Mr Walsh said on Saturday. Mr Walsh also failed to get his mare booked to Fair’s Fair, but whatever happens meanwhile, Maria Mitchell

will go to the stud next year. She had her 32nd start for the season on Saturday and has now earned £9375—-a spectacular return for the 130 gns she cost as a yearling. Maria Mitchel) was one of a few sired by El Mughar. This imported horse was in the North Island for a time, and then went to Southland, but his fertility rate was so poor

—about 3 per cent—that he was gelded and was tried as a show jumper. Maria Mitchell was the 5/2 favourite for the Whyte Handicap and paid £8 10s to win. Her rider, L. K. Tinsley, was thrilled with the five-year-old’s winning gallop. “She glides over that slushy ground,” Tinsley said.

Inside Bid

Maria Mitchell’s gameness shone through when she faced solid challenges from Mukupal and Lei and later Queen’s Poet in the last two furlongs. At the end she had a neck to spare from Queen’s Poet, which beat Mukupai by half a head. Beaten Off Lei narrowly beat Rainfall for fourth, but the others were beaten off. The result of the Whyte Handicap was a triumph for females which finished first, second, fourth and fifth. Clipjoint went close to completing a double for the females in the Stewards* Handicap. The Ellerslie-trained four-year-old was caught in the last few strides by David Jeff, the mount of the leading jockey, R. J. Skelton. Clipjoint, in her first run after a spell, pleased her Ellerslie trainer, M. B. Ritchie, who will take her to Australia with Terrific for the big cup races in Melbourne in the spring. David Jeff was the outstanding hack at the Wellington winter meeting two years ago, and Clipjoint was not disgraced in going under to a mudlark of his qualities.

R. J. Skelton rode David Jeff well back, but brought him forward with a splen-didly-timed run for victory, which completed a double worth £7O Is for £l. Tickets held on the successful combination totalled 7850.

Rainfall, Wiri, Careen and Sparkling Maid were the slowest from the stalls in the White Handicap. Maria Mitchell, nippy as ever, took a short lead in a few strides and Muktipai’s "mystery rider", F. H. Skelton from Riccarton, had the Levin gelding trailing immediately. Cantus, Lei and Princess Taiaria stayed handy. Princess Taiaria went forward on the outside by about a length to join Mukupai and in a perfect position to continue her run after Maria Mitchell. But in an interesting

battle that developed about a furlong and a half out, last year’s Whyte Handicap winner showed the strain of a hard race on a deep track.

Mukupai made his bid On the inside, and got within half a length of Maria Mitchell, but the final threat to the Taranaki grey came from Queen's Poet Maria Mitchell met gameness with equal gameness and class which carried her to a neck victory. Mukupai saved third from Lei. Rainfall came to the end of a likely run just inside the furlong and finished fifth. She was clear of Princess Taiaria, which tired badly in her run and finished just ahead Of Laramie. Wiri, the each-way favourite, was struggling a long way ! out and finished ninth. Shakes tailed badly early in the race iand never recovered. N. East(wood could not account for i this run, and the Pictavia gelding hardly blew after the race. It was almost as if he had not raced at all. The Riccarton-trained Time And Time raised the hopes of his backers in the Stewards’ Handicap when he moved easily to a challenging position behind Dunraven, Master Defence and Monetary about half-way. But when be got into heavier ground in the straight he struggled vainly to hold his position, and faded. Manana made a bid to save the day for supporters ■of the Riccarton bracket, but was beaten into fourth by David Jeff, Clipjoint and Feurig. Clipjoint dashed through from the middle of the field to lead into the last furlong. She-appeared to be running strongly enough to win with something in hand, but ducked in more than once when B. F. Andrews applied the pressure, and just failed to last the distance in the face of David Jeff’s late challenge. Dogged Finish Feurig was alongside Clipjoint at half-way and finished doggedly down the outside to beat Manana by inches for third. Manana appeared to be hampered when Clipjoint shifted ground ahead of him.

Dunraven and Master Defence were almost in line with Manana and clear of Time and Tide, which, in turn, was clear of +he others, led in by Toureg and Kintyre. Kintyre did not produce one of his usual free gallops, and it is thought he ricked a joint in a gallop on Thursday.