Doradeb Wins 1st Leg At Long Odds

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30041, 28 January 1963, Page 4

Doradeb Wins 1st Leg At Long Odds

Confidently ridden by the 15*year«old apprentice, D. Doell, Doradeb brought off a major surprise in the Wellington Racing Club Handicap at Trentham on Saturday. Doradeb was the extreme outsider of a field of 18 and paid £5O 6s 6d for a win.

This was Doradeb’s first win for her Awapuni ownertrainer, Mr T. H. Knowles, since the spring of 1961 when she won a welter at Caulfield in Melbourne.

Doradeb won the Wellington Racing dub Handicap by a long head from Don Filou, and then there was half a neck to Conference. Those margins slightly flattered the achievements of the minor place-getters. Doell hardly moved on Doradeb from the furlong until just short of the post, but Don Filou was under vigorous handling same way up the straight. Don Filou was one of two runners for R. T. Cotier’s stable in the race. Summer Regent would have been another, and would probably have been favourite, but he injured a leg when being loaded on to a float ait Otaki on Saturday morning and was scratched at 9.40 am. Doradeb carried £1628 10s of the doubles pool of £106,862 15s. Expedite won the second leg, the Metropolitan Handicap, at false odds for a strong form runner. Holdens of 322 5s tickets on the Doradeb-Expeddte combination received £1194 15s for £l.

There were some fast gallops on a very firm track. The meeting ended in fine weather, and the club had good patronage to round off a highly successful meeting.

The attendance on Saturday was 13,500, compared with 13,400 last year.

Betting on the course rose b: £16,378 for the day, and

by £102,597 10s for the meeting. The total for this year’s meeting was £635,690 as against £533,092 10s.

The weather was wet on the second day of last year.

First Leg

Conference and Ruato ran together in the lead for a start in the Wellington Racing Club Handicap but Cool pulled so hard that his saddle worked forward and he was taken to the front at the nine furlongs. Cool led past the mile by a length and a half from Ruato. Gold Ruth was half a length back in third position, just ahead of Conference, Lavish Countess, and My -Contact (three wide).

There were no changes in the front bunch in the next half mile. Doradeb was then about five places and going easily, and the strongly-fancied Sybeau was badly placed on the inside about four places from the rear. Gold Ruth passed the weakening Cool on the home turn. Doradeb was then running up quickly into a challenging position, but Ruato was making hard work of it. Doradeb mastered Gold Ruth outside the furlong. Conference moved to second, and Don Filou was going on with a game run wider out.

D. Doell’s confident riding helped to make the finish closer than it would have otherwise been.

The consistent My Contact

ran his usual solid race for fourth and Windvale Lad made ground at the end for fifth in a gap of a length and a half. Next were Sybeau, Lavish Countess, Kingdom, Cool, Gold Ruth, and Ruato.

The last three, in a gap, were C opy Boy, Gay Defoe and El

Strong Finish

Expedite finished brilliantly from several places back for a good win in the Metropolitan Handicap. She passed Gymkhana inside the last furlong, and drew out to win going away by a length and a quarter from Sonare. Cabriere, Roodyvoo and Gymkhana were almost in line next.

Gymkhana dashed past Fair Symbol going to the five furlongs and led into the last half mile from Poet’s Pride, Roodyvoo, Sonare, Starborough, Fountainhead, and Expedite. Cabriere started a promising run wider out on the track when they came to the straight, but Expedite had easily the strongest finish, and she had the race won 30 yards from the post. Sonare lasted it out gamely for second from Cabriere and Roodyvoo. Gymkhana weakened to fifth a length ahead of Aurlette, Fountainhead. High Disdain (a slow beginner). Fair Symbol, Bellarook. Home on the Range. Astrid, Poet’s Pride, Funny Story. Royal Dee, Safe Harbour, and Starborough.