Uncle Alex could outclass rivals

Press, 31 January 1986, Page 21

Uncle Alex could outclass rivals

By

G. K. YULE

Enough has been seen of the three-year-old, Uncle Alex, to suggest that he could be more than a match for his older rivals in the D.B. Nelson Cup at the Nelson Trotting Club’s meeting at Richmond Park tomorrow.

No horse of this age has been successful in the event since Montage came out on top 20 years ago. Few three-year-olds have contested the event during that period as usually there has been a richlyendowed race for them on the programme. Uncle Alex, a stylish winner at the expense of some useful three-year-olds at the Amberley meeting last Saturday, will meet stem opposition from some dour staying types, but he could well rise to the occasion. His part-owner and trainer, Jack Rogers, who has a high hit rate with the small team he trains near

Westport, won this race in 1979 with Bamboo.

John Rogers, a nephew of the trainer of Uncle Alex, has hit the headlines with a vengeance with the five-year-old, Steven John, in the past four weeks or so.

He won at Westport, Reefton and Greymouth, adding $lO,OOO bonus to the stakes he earned. Then, last Saturday, he crossed to Rangiora where he showed his Coast successes were no fluke by winning the Amberley Cup in convincing style. He will encounter a big rise in class at Richmond, but he is the type to

survive a gruelling 3100 m better than the majority of the field.

Michael de Filippi, the usual driver of Uncle Alex, will be replaced behind that horse by Anthony Butt as he has Art Mac Faber in the field. Art Mac Faber has raced to good purpose in recent months and he looks capable of a big run. Radiant King, from Blenheim, is another promising type sure to show up, while Fredericton, World of Fame, Andronicus and Aran Blaze by no means exhaust the possibilities in an even field.

Scratched: Pinnacle. Race 6 D, T 2.5 D.B. NELSON CUP $7300; C 3; 3100 m 1 7700 Del Haven IW. McCallum It Weak form background. No appeal. 2 8410 Bogart Command 2. . D. Hamilton It Won in the mud on the second day at Westport last month, but failed at Reefton. Rough chance at best. 3 0512 Omanu 3R- Higgins It Won mile race at Addington on January 22 and then bold finisher for second to Early Riser over 2600 m on Tuesday. In form and by no means out of this. 4 1415 Art Mac Faber 4 M. de Filippi It Seldom guilty of a bad race. Stays well and sure to be thereabouts. 5 8401 Mac's Gift SR. Morris It Sprint winner at Reefton on December 30. Sharp rise in class, but could battle into the finish. 6 4003 Radiant King 6S. Miller it Has not raced since third to Nardinskl over 2600 m at Addington on November 15. Promising and must be one of the better chances.

7 4291 Uncle Alex 7 A. Butt It Decisive winner at Rangiora last week. Impresses as a stayer and form in age group good enough to give him a great chance of winning. 9 7150 Lordshipman 9 M. Perriton It Won Westport Cup on heavy track. Stout stayer well up to this class and must at least be considered. 12 3132 World of Fame 12 . . .G. Thompson It Ran Steven John to half a length in Amberley Cup last week. Racing consistently and looks a leading contender. 13 1111 Steven John 1 J. Rogers 10 Unbeaten in four starts since December 26. Grand staying run to win the Amberley Cup last Saturday. Rugged stayer sure to be close up. 14 0908 Streets Ahead 2 .... J. Thompson 10 Form background only fair. Hard to recommend. 15 7000 Jovial Jan 1 T. Craddock 20 Latest efforts most disappointing, finishing well back at Addington on Tuesday. No appeal. 16 Mark Antony 2 M. Pash 20 First start for more than three years. Others preferred. 18 4680 Select Wave 1 R. Dunn 30 No danger in Timaru Cup at latest start. Strong stayer capable of showing up. ' 19 3158 Andronicus 2 K. Vincent 30 Set a stiff task from this mark, but has been racing well enough to be an outside chance if the pace is a muddling one. 20 6806 Aran Blaze 3 1. Cameron 30 Latest racing has been in much stronger company and some of his efforts have been fair. Could be a place chance at best. Emergency: Mark Antony. Scratched: Rapa Eagle, Counsel Bay, Hamy’s Pride.

Race 8 D, T 3.15 PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE CO. PACE $4000; C2; 2400 m 1 1905 Lord Mills IS. Miller It Fair run when fifth at Reefton last time out. Not too consistent. Take on trust. 2 0600 Dslwyn Lots 2M. de Filippi It Rather out of form and hard to recommend. Has shown ability at times though. 3 992 Aran Sounder 3 M. Edmonds It Bold finish for second to Ashley Lobell In sprint at Washdyke on January 18. Must be considered on that run. 4 221 Tim’s Mate 4R. Austin It Good winner at Greymouth on January 4. Could be too slick for this lot. 5 1380 Gillie’s Girl SM. Pash It Form too mixed to recommend with any confidence. 6 0004 Woodsey 6G. O’Reilly It Made pace and held on for fourth to Adioo Omahae on Tuesday at Addington. Best run for some time and should again be hard to beat. 7 3829 Go Duke 7 M. Perrlton It Failed at Rangiora last week after some good efforts on Coast holiday circuit. Not the least of the chances. 9 0045 Nathan Tryax 9J. Curtin It Has gone the occasional good race and could be an upset chance. 10 7004 Swift Hurricane 10J. Hislop It Fought on for fourth in Amberley Cup. Goes the occasional good one and is due for a win. 11 2738 Gleniti 11 It Fair run when eighth behind Adioo Omahae at Addington on Tuesday. This could be 12 6526 Themlea 12J. P. Smolensk! It Just struggled when sixth in Amberley Cup. Better than that and must be given a chance in this field. Scratched: Cool Scotch. Race 9 3.50

Jetbet: 7 Race 1 11.5 GLOBE TAVERN PACE $3000; CO; 2400m 1 Dainty Dish 1 It 2 0 Nibble Knight 2. . . . It 3 5332 Game Turf 3 .... W. Hill It 4 50 Young Vic 4 . C. de Filippi It 5 5602 Rising Moon 5 . . . . . . N. Berkett It 6 0560 Jason MacFaber 6 . . . . . .R. Dunn it 7 8044E- High Dam 7 . . . . M. Pash it 8 0002 Taxing 8 ... J. Curtin It 9 0622 Stephen Tryax 9 . . . It 10 0049 Sea World 10 . ,M. Perriton It 11 Johnny Bogart 11 . Gerard O’Reilly It 12 0506 Irish Byrd 12 .M. Smolensk! it 13 9037 Ngaru Nui 13 It 14 0860 John Lea 14 It 15 Flying Arra 15 . M. Edmonds it 16 2830 Armbro Castle 16 . . . T. McMillan It 17 7646 Energy King 17. . . . .M. de Filippi It 18 4790 Good Reward 18 . . . . . W. Forsyth It 19 0052 Miss Falcon 19 ... . . . . R. Morris It Emergencies: Dainty Dish, Irish Byrd, Nibble Knight, John Lea. Race 2 11.40 REDWOOD CATERERS TROT $3000; CO; 2400m 1 Don’t Forget 1 . . . . . T. McMillan It 2 7395 Kale’s Baby 2 . . . W. Walsh It 3 0094 Highland Byway 3 . . . . . R. Morris It 4 2238 Gentleman Jack 4 . . It 5 0 North Beach 5 . . . . . . . P. Young It 6 506 Lady Chimes 6 . . . . ... J. Curtin It 7 Pilch Dark 7 .... A. Butt it 8 6 Whistling Willie 8. . . . D. Hamilton It 9 Royal Di 9 . C. de Filippi It 10 Moana Monnaie 10. . B. Hill It 11 0540 Repus Pride 11... . . . . . R. Cleal it 12 00 Special Day 12 ... . It 13 Hit Tune 13 ... J. Hislop It 14 0400 Going On 14 It 15 4330 Ali 15 . . I. Cameron It 16 0600 Delevision 16 . .M. Perriton It 17 6060 Just A Natural 17 . . . . . .R. Dunn It 18 Milford Ace 18 ... . . M. Edmonds It 19 0034 Graceland 19 .... N. Berkett, iun. it Emergencies: Delevision, Milford Ace, Special Day, Hit Tune. Race 3 12.15 GOLDSMITH JEWELLERY PACE $3500; Cl; 2200m 1 0300 Plover 1 . . I. Cameron It 2 0901 Joker Jack 2 B. Hill It 3 7818 Laylum 3 .... A. Butt it 5 0548 Lauder Bogart 5 . . . . D. Hamilton It 6 0120 Gilston Charm 6 . . . . . . .M. Pash it 7 9000 Worth Something 7 . . C. de Filippi It 8 5527 Daisy Dene 8 It 9 0040 Cool Flyte 9 . . M. O’Brien It 10 2414 Legal Lea 10 ... J. Curtin It 11 9390 Never Guess 11. . . . . J. Thompson It 12 5130 Shirl’s Lord 12 ... . . J. Smolensk! It 13 1560 Timely Rule 13 ... . . . W. Forsyth It 14 10 Kaye Doolan 14. . . . K. McCormick It 15 8180 Friendly Lord 15 . . . K. W. O’Reilly It 16 2940 Chummy 16 .M. de Filippi It 17 1503 Here Comes Duke 17 . . . .R. Dunn It Emergency: Worth Something. Scratched: Nortap, Matador Boy. Race 4 12.50 JAMES O'CONNOR MEMORIAL PACE $3000; CO; 2400m 1 Submissive 1 . . . . B. Kerr It 2 996 El Draco 2 ... J. Curtin it 3 00 Cotton On 3 . . . P. Young It 4 872 Berkett 4 . . N. Berkett it 5 06 Knight Brandon 5 . . . C. de Filippi it 6 6 Westbury Lass 6 . . . it 7 3675 Underworld 7 . . T. Thomas It 8 6303 Super Save 8 .M. de Filippi It 9 0002 Major Padero 9. . . . . .M. Perriton it 10 Maida Chance 10. . . . . M. Edmonds It 11 4862 Hurry Home 11 ... . . . I. Cameron it 12 7943 Farmer’s Pride 12 . . D. Broadhurst it 13 8043 Dynamic Beat 13. . . , . . K. Vincent It 14 5003 Index 14 R. Cleal It 15 4 April Byrd 15 , K. McCormick It 16 5 High Alba 16 , . D. Hamilton It 17 832 Muscadine 17 A. Butt It 18 2000 Scanlon 18 . . . . W. Walsh It 19 6400 Varinia 19 . . J. Smolensk! It Emergencies: El Draco, Knight Brandon, Cotton On, High Alba. Race 5 T 1.25 PRINCE ALBERT HOTEL PACE $3000; CO; 2400m 1 6 Rebecca MacFaber 1 ,W. McCallum It 2 77 Timely Patron 2 . . B. Hill It 3 0000 Never Been Seen 3 It 4 8235 Menorlue 4 . . . K. O’Reilly It 5 0644 Idle Thoughts 5. . . . . M. Edmonds It 6 El Fashion 6 . . . I. Cameron It 7 3982 Vonnie’s Charm 7 . . . C. de Filippi It 8 Timely Armour 8 . . M. Pash It 9 3345 Toby Bay 9 . . . K. Vincent It 10 5359 Skywalker 10 ... . . ,G. Thompson It 11 4800 Black Mariner 11. . . . .M. Perriton it 12 Armbro Padero 12 . it 13 Courtesy Boyden 13 G. Hunt it 14 7772 Local Lea 14 ... . R. Cleal it 15 Ministress 15 . . . ■ . . . . P. Young it 16 4503 Noble Report 16 . . . .M. de Filippi it 17 Some Partner 17 . . . .M. Smolensk! It 19 7542 Sycamore UR. . . . B. Kerr It Emergencies: Timely Patron, Armbro padero, Some Partner. .

Race 7 2.40 T.N.L. FREIGHTING HANDICAP TROT $3500: Cl: trotters; 3100m 1 0012 Game Sparkle 1 . . Gerard O’Reilly it 2 3147 Dougal's Delight 2 . . . D. Hamilton It 3 0064 William Gold 3 . . . . K. W. O’Reilly It 4 5 Some Event 4. . . . . . C. de Filippi It 5 9080 Gee Dee 5 It 6 0712 Top Girl 6 M. Pash It 8 0005 Cotton Mill 8 . . . . . . . . P. Young It 9 4221 Sloe Lea 9 .... J. Curtin It 10 8610 In The Pink 10 . . . . .M. de Filippi it 11 5840 Etoile 11 A. Butt It 12 99 Don Crockett 12 . . It 13 1309 Pseudo Del 13 . . . . . . . R. Morris It 15 7109 Mias Tennessee 15. . . J. Smolensk! It 17 4011 Manana Lodge 2 . . B. Kerr 20 18 2571 Regal Rebel 3. . . . ... I. Cameron 20 191118 West Ham 1 .... S. Miller 40 20 0078 Supreme Time 2 . . . .W. McCallum 40 Emergency: Supreme Time. Scratched: Boford, Captain Grattan, Doncella.

ERIC PERCY PACE $3000: CO; 2400m It 1 749 Lord Christopher 1 . . . M. Edmonds 2 4 Tumahu Tiger 2 . R. Dunn It 3 2898 Marmbro 3 R. Austin it 5 60 Railroader 5. . . . . . . C. de Filippi It 6 08 Sarasota 6 . . .M. de Filippi ;t 7 08 Calthorpe 1 ... . B. Hill it 8 7540 Danny Dunlee 8 . . . K. W. O’Reilly It 9 95 Stanley Thorpe 9. A. Peter It 10 482 Hobart Patron 10. P. Young it 11 2309 Calico Gali 11. . . J. Burgess It 12 9953 Dejeuner 12. . . . T. Butt It 13 0805 Doe’s Del 13 . . . J. Rogers it 15 6420 Kuini Tama 15 . . . . . . T. Thomas It 16 Snow Camo 16. . it 17 0000 True Reward 17 . . . .W. McCallum it 18 622 Stan Evander 18 . . . . .M. Perriton it 19 740 Rachel Way 19 . . . . .M. Smolensk! it Emergencies: Doc’s Del, Snow Carno. Scratched: O’Toole, Citizen Kane. Race 10 TF 4.25 TENDERKtST PACE $3500; Cl; 2200m 1 3472 Sinclair Lord 1 . . . . . C. de Filippi It 2 5103 Safecracker 2. . . J. Curtin It 3 5600 Mystery Affair 3 . . . . T. McMillan It 4 9313 Special Miss 4 . . . . . D. Hamilton It 5 3589 Polite 5 B. Hill It 6 5807 Magic Dragon 6 . . Gerard O’Reilly It 7 1573 Natty Gee 1. . . . . . . . N. Berkett It 8 1 Viewfield Prince 8 . . . .1. Cameron It 9 70 He’s A Man 9.. . . . D. Broadhurst It 12 4100 Foulden Peer 12 . . . .M. de Filippi it 13 7108 Gillie’s Lass 13 . . . . K. W. O’Reilly It 14 7404 Janizary 14 ... . P. Young it 15 09 Jdani 15 . . . M. Edmonds It 17 9100 Reinemaster 17 . . . . . ,F. Williams It 18 8448 Tiny Lord 18 . . . T. Butt It Scratched: Enticing, Dark Man, Illingworth.