RACING Cheyenne’s Record Mile At Wingatui

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29398, 28 December 1960, Page 4

RACING Cheyenne’s Record Mile At Wingatui

Only a neck separated Cheyenne and Great Sensation at the end of a mile in the James Hazlett Gold Cup at Wingatui yesterday. Cheyenne whs the winner, turning the tables on the good Wingatui galloper. When they met in this race a year ago Great Sensation beat Cheyenne by half a length.

Cheyenne gave Riccarton stables another good win at the meeting. This was his third victory this season for his Riccarton owner, Mrs L. K. Page, the others being the Winter Cup on his home track and the Pearce Handicap at Trentham in October.

Cheyenne’s Imin 37 l-ssec was the fastest mile ever run at Wingatui.

Cheyenne went one-fifth of a second faster than the previous record-holders, Magic Carpet, Zingabo, and Ark Royal.

Cheyenne, a seven-year-old gelding by Cassock from Manahau, has been trained for all his racing by V. D. Clutterbuck, and has been ridden in his important victories by W. Hanlin.

The second choice in a threehorse field, Cheyenne carried £lOO7 10s, and Great Sensation was first choice with £1134 10s. Great Sensation gamely tried to recapture his lead when Cheyenne passed him in the straight, but found the task just beyond him.

Cheyenne might not have managed to win if he had been left in front early in the race. He started to pull when Great Sensation went alongside him for a time. But he settled quickly when Skelton sent Great Sensation into a clear lead between the six furlongs and the five.

Great Sensation started the last five furlongs with a lead of two lengths on Cheyenne, and then there was a length and a half to Bellarook.

Great Sensation’s lead was reduced to a length on the home turn, and a moment later Cheyenne was being brought alongside to challenge.

Cheyenne went ahead strongly in the lead, but Great Sensation rallied when Skelton- went for the whip, and was going slightly faster than the Riccarton chestnut at the end.

Bellarook struggled in three lengths and a quarter back. They ran the last half-mile in 48 3-ssec. Cheyenne, a rather unlucky fifth in the Publicans’ Handicap on the first day of the meeting, will not race again until the Wellington Cup meeting next month.