Canterbury Belle on target for rich races

Press, 3 February 1986, Page 33

Canterbury Belle on target for rich races

By

J. J. BOYLE

“She’s on target,” a well-satisfied Dave Kerr said after Canterbury Belle, the star of his Riccarton team, made something of a romp of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s South Island Thoroughbred Stakes on Saturday.

The immediate targets for the brilliant four-year-old are the Cambridge Stud International at Te Rapa on February 11 and the Air New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie 11 days later.

Then, all going well, Canterbury Belle will be flown to Sydney for rich weight-for-age races in March. She advanced her earnings past $400,000 with her ninth victory on Saturday. Almost certain to be on her Sydney programme are the $lOO,OOO Rawson Stakes (200 m at Rosehill on March 8 and the $500,000 Bowater-Scott H. E. Tancred Stakes

(2400 m a fortnight later.

Canterbury Belle showed easy mastery of 1800 m in Saturday’s race, running the distance in 1:49.57, which is within a second of the New Zealand record.

Grant Cooksley, saw nothing to concern him in two side glances up the straight and had her nicely "cuddled” as she finished the race three lengths and a quarter in advance of Ten Winks, winner of the race last year.

After following Milly Molly Mandy through the opening 1000 m in 1:2.2, Cooksley allowed Canterbury Belle to range up on the outside, then cruise to the front early in the run home.

“She still pulls a bit in behind, but when she went to the front she dropped the bit and loafed,” Cooksley said later.

With gentle persuasion mainly through hands and heels, Cooksley reminded Nick and Carrol Wigley’s

star that her workpiece was not completed, but there was nothing to concern him near the end.

With that fluid lengthening of stride that distinguishes the greatly talented from the run-of-the-mill, Canterbury Belle handsomely supplied confirmation of what appeared to be so easily predictable.

Ten Winks rallied after getting into a tight spot near the 1000 m to shade White Lip for second. Canterbury Belle’s third four-year-old appearance and perhaps her last on her home track was the main reason for Grant Cooksley’s flying trip from Auckland for Saturday’s racing at Riccarton. But the cool, skilful northerner picked up more than fringe benefits as well.

Canterbury Belle gave Cooksley his third win on the programme. Double Bank brought the tally to four when he found just enough to beat the top

weight La Pomme by a nose in the Craven Plate, second leg of the T.A.B. double.

Cooksley’s other winners were Tuahiwi Girl and Samuelle. Besides, he partnered Beau Magnum and Eggnog for seconds and Red Briar for a third.

Red Briar’s third was in The Carbine for two-year-olds, but it was a race dominated by the first two, Waipuna and the hitherto unbeaten Crystal Brook.

The Tauranga-owned Crystal Brook finished at a great rate from far down the field, but Waipuna had gained a substantial break early in the run home and lasted for a fast diminishing win margin of a neck. Waipuna is trained at Ashburton by Jim Lalor for Mr Jack Litten, who has had a successful association with standardbred racing but is also an enthusiast for the thorougbred and imported Waipuna’s maternal grandsire, Aristoi.