Slatey Proves Too Good For Hurdles Field

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29800, 17 April 1962, Page 4

Slatey Proves Too Good For Hurdles Field

(from Our Oum Reporter! NELSON, April 16. Slatey, which was tried unsuccessfully on the flat in the Nelson Cup on Saturday, showed his appreciation of the soft ground when he outclassed his rivals in the Beehive Hack Hurdles at Nelson today. Slatey put a big break on the others early in the contest and kept well beyond challenging distance in the run home.

The favourite, Heythorpe. and the top-weight. Van Da Hum, led the chase after Slatey in a gap of about eight lengths on the home turn, but neither could make any impression in the run home. Van Da Hum was the best of Slatey’s rivals, but was nine lengths from the winner at the finish. Prince Command, fourth and about 16 lengths from the lead at the half-mile, made ground steadily to catch the trailing horses at the straight entrance and fought on gamely for third a neck behind Van Da Hum. Heythorpe weakened to fourth three lengths back. Then then? was a long gap to Royal Gothic and Packwood. Coral Ring crashed heavily at the first fence and knocked the two inside panels flat. R. L. Browning, the rider of Coral Ring was sent to hospital with a suspected fractured collar bone. The horse was not injured. Obscure Wins Obscure, a strong finisher for third on the first day of the meeting, gave his maiden rivals a good start and a beating in the Trial Stakes, for which he was the favourite. Obscure lost three lengths at the start, and Puff also dwelt slightly. Kabram, Redstan and Lucky View were first out, but at the end of two furlongs Puff went forward quickly to lead. Obscure followed her up and was three wide alongside Kabram and Lucky View at the half-mile. Obscure joined Puff in front as they ran to the straight. He mastered Puff at the furlong and won by half a neck from Robin Adair, which came from near the tall of the field. Puff was a short neck back third. Then there was three parts of a length to Mimette, which could not get clear from a trailing position in the last furlong. Redstan was half a length back fifth and shaded Kabram and Golden Syrup. Lucky View was close up, and clear of Delyric. Keen Finish Ross completed a double for the meeting when he beat French Tray by a long head in the Richmond Hack Handicap, for which he was the 2/1 favourite. Ross worked into a clear lead early, but at the end of two furlongs Royal Appeal, which had lost three lengths at the start, dashed around the field to join him. These two were closely followed into the last three furlongs by French Tray. King Panair, and Gay Fiancee. Royal Appeal came to the end of her run early in the run

home and Ross still held a slight lead from French Tray at the furlong.

When W. D. Skelton on French Tray realised he was making little impresston with the hands and heels half a furlong out he went for the whip. French Tray responded gamely but Ross was always in command and looked as if he could have widened his winning margin. King Panair was a weakening third four lengths back and Red Jimmy came from near the tail of the field for fourth three-quarters of a length behind him. There was a short gap then to White Cloud, which was followed in by Gay Fiancee. Sigurd, and Royal Appeal. Confirmed Form Taxman improved on two minor placings on the first day of the meeting, to win the Murchison Hack Handicap convincingly from the two-year-old. Copper Joy. It was a four-horse race after Belle Lamour and Diamond Princess were left at the start and Lucky View drifted back quickly into a long gap. Copper Joy sped to the front and was followed to the straight by Taxman. Glissader and Chief Order. Taxman closed on the pacemaker early in the run home and mastered the Awapuni filly a furlong out. Although Copper Joy fought

back gamely under the topweight of 8-11 she was comfortably held to three parts of a length. Chief Order was a battling third a length and a quarter back. He beat Glissader by two and a half lengths. Then there was a long gap to Lucky View and another to Belle Lamour. Convincing Win Baron’s Craig was compensated for a nose defeat in the corresponding race on the first day when he beat the hack stayers convincingly in the Tahuna Handicap, for which he wts the each-way favourite. There was much merit in the winner's effort, for from the five-furlong peg to the straight he raced three wide. However, he was probably getting into the better going on the home turn.

French Tray, which had worked into a clear lead six furlongs out, still set the pace ag they ran to the straight. Alloa, Wyebank and Baron’s Craig made it a line of three behind him then. The closest of the others were Totara Lass and Ghana. The second favourite. Blue Fort, had drifted to last with Glendale in a long gap. French Tray came to the end of his run soon after straightening up, and Totara Lass worked through on the inner to lead into the last funong from Alloa Baron's Craig and Obscure, which had improved quickly from mid-field Although Obscure maintained his run it was not quite good enough to peg back Baron's Craig. Half a length separated the winner and runner-up. and Totara Lass was two lengths back third. There was a similar margin then to Alloa and half a length to the fast finishing Blue Fort, which was followed in by Zayton and Ghana. Second For Day Ross gained his second win for the day and came through the meeting unbeaten in three starts when he outran the hack sprinteis over five furlongs in the Farewell Handicap. Ross carried the top-weight of 9-6 into the lead past Avast and Taxman just Inside the last furlong, and maintained a powerful run to beat Avast by naif a neck.

Avast had tried to lead for the last three furlongs, and Ross had run on the outer of Gay Fiancee in the third line to the straight.

Nimbus Cloud improved four places from the furlong to add to a spectacular finish. She finished wide out for third, a head behind Avast. Red Jimmy, one of the slowest beginners, came fast from the rear for fourth a long head back. There was a small gap then to the weakening Taxman, which had the run of the race to the stright He was followed in by his stablemate, Gay Fiancee, and Glancing.