Four colts dominate Derby

Press, 16 April 1979, Page 14

Four colts dominate Derby

NZPA Sydney Today’s $204,000 A.J.C. Derby is shaping as a battle between four colts which already have Derby wins to their credit. Dulcify, which won the Victoria Derby, Kankama. winner of the Australian Derby, Regimental Honour, winner of the West Australian Derby and the New Zealand entrant Holy Toledo, successful in the Wellington Derby, are the principal contenders. This year’s Derby will be run for the first time in the autumn which takes much of the guess work out of the event. While the previous Derby winners engaged will attract their fair share of admirers, the Randwick crowd will undoubtedly focus more than normal attention on Holy Toledo and in particular his jockey, Linda Jones. Linda Jones rode Holy Toledo to victory in the Wellington Derby and the young stayer gives the champion woman jockey her best chance of opening her i account in Australia. Holy Toledo has been in train-’ ing for the Derby since last. 1 spring, but has been taken along! quietly since arriving in Aus-; trail a. He ran a great trial for today’s race in the Canterbury Guineas, in which he was third to Bed Nose and Brandy Sipper. He was slightly disappointing in the Rosehill Guineas and finished eighth to Dulcify, but bis trainer Bentl Madsen is sure to have him “cherry ripe” for the event. The Australian Derby winner, Kankama, may well be the hardest for Holy Toledo to beat. Kankama may have presented the Victoria Derby to Dulcify when his connections decided to miss that race and run the colt in the L. K. S. Mackinnon Stakes on the same day.

Kankama ran third in the Mackinnon, a better effort than any of the other runners have achieved in open company. The colt previously won the Geelong Derby Trial, a traditional Derby lead-up and then went on to win the Australian Derby in Perth last December. Kankama opened his Sydney account with a seventh to Dulcify in the Rosehill Guineas at his second start this preparation and has progressed well since. Dulcify has earned his position at the head of the betting on the Derby but at 6 to 4 does not represent good value. His form is hard to fault with wins in the Australian Cup at Flemington in March and a resounding win in the Rosehill Guineas on March 31.

If Dulcify can hold his form he will be the one to beat but most of the other runners are improving and will keep Colin Hayes’s colt in their sights all the way. 5 p.m. (N.Z.) —

A. DERBY $204,000; 2400 m 1 0112 Dulcify (11) 55.5 B. Thomson 2 1107 Kankama (14) 55.5 R. Skelton 3 0167 Regimental Honour (15) 55.5 P. Moran 4 3320 Hauberk (10) 55.5 G. Willetts 5 3033 Holy Toledo (2) 55.5 L. Jones (A) 6 6304 Gondolier (8) 55.5 K. Harrison 7 3250 Brandy Sipper (6) 55.5 R. Selkrig 8 0020 Cafe (7) 55.5 W. Harris (A) 9 1583 Double Century (9) 55.5 R Mallyon 10 0071 Career (3) 55.5 M. Johnston 11 7402 Down The Aisle (4) 55.5 P. Cook 12 5809 March To Glory (13) 55.5 P. Cuddihy 13 9329 Boldpasser (1) 55.5 J. Miller 14 9025 King's Ideal (16) 55.5 J. Duggan 15 1110 Take Notice <5) 55.5 G. Robson (A) 16 4200 Lord Folkestone (20) 55.5 K. Langby 1" 7166 Underproof (12) 55.5 M de Montfort (A) 55.5 18 1535 Scomeld <l5l 53.0 Emergencies:— 19 1330 Sufimle <l7l 55 5 R. Lang 20 7211 Blarney Prince (19) 55.5