Paquito and Count Cavour—- and the Auckland Cup

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 846, 14 December 1929, Page 16

Paquito and Count Cavour —- and the Auckland Cup

Veteran is Mildly Fancied

Faquito, the Auckland Cup favourite, was associated with Tcheka in a six-furlongs gallop yesterday morning at Riccarton, and he acquitted himself satisfactorily, telegraphed The Sun’s Christchurch correspondent last night. Previously he had shown slight soreness after working, but he appeared to be quite all right this mornFrom a time point of view there was nothing outstanding about his performance, but he worked most pleasingly, and could have improved on his 1.17 2-5 had he been asked. Count Cavour was restricted to steady work, with a sprint home over the last three furlongs. He left that distance behind in 38 1-5, revealing plenty of dash. Paquito has got through a lot of serviceable work since his return from Victoria, and after his spring campaign in the Commonwealth there can be little wrong with his condition. The Thurnham gelding is at present at the head of the quotations for the Auckland Cup, and as he beat all but Nightmarch in the Melbourne Cup, the public is quite justified in placing him in that position. According to New Zealanders who were present at the Sydney and Victorian spring carnivals, the form of the handicap performers in Australia this year is lamentably weak. Possibly this is so. A striking instance of the inferiority of Sydney handicap form was given by Concentrate. He was credited with running a really good race in the A.J.C. Metropolitan,

| but when he came to Riccarton for the Xew Zealand Cup he was beaten a long way from home. Still. as Paquito ran a very close third to Loquacious and Nightmareh in the A.J.C. Metropolitan, and then defeated the crack three-year-old Phar Lap (he was beaten himself by Nightmareh) over two miles in the Melbourne Cup. with 8.5 on his back, his form must be accepted as excellent. Of course, the Melbourne Cup was a much slower-run race than the New Zealand Cup. in which Chide established a fresh rcord for the race, but time is not always a good criterion. The probabilities were that, had a fast pace been set, it would have suited Paquito just as well as the others, for seemingly he is a sound stayer. Should Paquito continue to train on satisfactorily in the meantime, he must have excellent prospects in the Auckland Cup witl) 8.1 to carry. Count Cavour has done a lot of work since the Cup meeting, on which he appears to have thrived. Indeed, in the space of a few weeks, he has made remarkable improvement, and he has # begun to firm for the Auckland Cup.* This morning he worked slowly on the plough, and then sprinted home ’the last three furlongs of his work very smartly, and was going on well at the end. “The Count” has such a rare record in connection with the Auckland Cup that it would be unwise to overlook him this year. It is believed that his connections fancy his chance, and the fact that C. Eastwood will pilot him will not militate against his prospects.