RACING £458 RICCARTON DOUBLE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29271, 1 August 1960, Page 4

RACING £458 RICCARTON DOUBLE

Nose Victory For Cheyenne

Cheyenne was tested to the utmost, but his class and gameness gave him the narrowest of wins in the Brabazon Handicap at the Christchurch Hunt Club’s meeting on Saturday.

Cheyenne has not been the luckiest of horses, but when fit and running on tracks to his liking he has taken high ranking amongst New Zealand milers.

His win on Saturday was his second for the season for Mrs L. K. Page. He is trained by V. D. Clutterbuck, and was ridden by W. Hanlin.

Blonde Sprite ran Cheyenne to a nose, and these two Riccarton-trained galopers finished beyond challenging range of the others.

Cheyenne’s win raised hopes for a local victory in the Winter Cup this week. He has 8-5 in the £l5OO mile race, a race he won two years ago with 8-6.

Cheyenne accelerated quickly from one of the inside stalls and was left to do the pacemaking. Blonde Sprite was alongside him from the five furlongs, and their sustained duel in the straight was exciting. Cheyenne was second favourite, and Blonde Sprite was fourth choice. The Brabazon Handicap was the second leg of the double. Holders of 357 5s tickets on the Silver Wood-Cheyenne combination received £458 9s 6d for £l. Ravelston was the favourite each way with 889 tickets, but carried eight less than Cheyenne on the course. Any price was going to be a good price on the double after the surprise win of Silver Wood in the first leg, the Camla Hack Handicap. Silver Wood carried £934 of a doubles pool of £59,509 ss. She was the 12/13 favourite and paid £3O 19s for a win—her second win for her Blenheim owner, Mr J. A. Fowler. Silver Wood was in front from the start She had enough at the finish, but won by half a length, a lead that was being quickly reduced. Silver Wood is trained at Blenheim by R. B. Taylor and was ridden by the Riccarton jockey, P. J. Kempton. The meeting was held in sunny, spring-like weather on an easy track. On-course the totalisator handled £55,195 10s compared with £42,646 last year. Long Shot’s Win Silver Wood led almost from the start in the Camla Hack Handicap, the first leg of the double. He came to the last furlong with a fairly wide lead, but he shortened stride close to home and only managed to cope with late challenges from Medbury and Cheroot Gambol was almost up in line for fourth in an interesting finish. Dotterel was alongside Silver Wood in the lead for a time, but dropped back beaten on the turn, leaving Silver Wood clear of Gambol, Haughty Lady, Safe Harbour. Cheroot and Medbury. Medbury and Cheroot made determined runs on the inside inside the last furlong, and nearly managed to bridge a fairly wide lead held a little earlier by Silver Wood. Medbury beat Cheroot by half a neck for second, and Gambol was a head back. Sir Pedro, the each-way favourite, made a little ground for fifth in a gap of two lengths. He was checked near the home turn. Gladwyn was sixth after having every chance. Next were Bodkin, Safe Harbour. Ashleigh, Omaha, Flagon and Haughty Lady.

Flagon drifted to the tail of the field inside the first furlong. Safe Harbour, Ops, and Bodkin were slow away. Only A Nose Cheyenne and Blonde Sprite ran together in the lead to the straight in the Brabazon Handicap, and their strong gallop kept them clear of the others. There was only a nose between them, Cheyenne getting in the deciding stride. Glenrowan drifted to the tail of the field from the start, and Marsana and Revolver were also slow leaving the stalls. Cheyenne led from the start and Blonde Sprite ran up quickly to join him. They started the last five furlongs just in front of Search Warrant, Kinsimm, Ravelston, Matauwhi, Shangri-La, and Compensate.

Matauwhi made a run fairly wide just behind Cheyenne and Blonde Sprite on the home turn, but he did not go on with it. None of the others could get up to Cheyenne and Blonde Sprite closer to home. But it was an exciting twosided finish, Cheyenne getting there by the narrowest margin. Ravelston was two lengths back third. He ran a sound even race close to the front, but could not quicken enough in the straight.

Kinsimm was a length and a half back fourth, just ahead of Shangri-La. Revolver, last near the home turn, came strongly on the outside for sixth. Then there was a neck to Matauwhi, half a length to Believe Me, a length and a half to Glenrowan; then Search Warrant, Marsana, Ben Ledi, Compensate, and Nairn Bridge.