Count One Brilliant In Mile

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30267, 21 October 1963, Page 4

Count One Brilliant In Mile

Count One showed i exceptional front-run-ning ability to beat a strong field of milers in the Wainui Handicap at Trentham on Saturday. He shook off the attenttoris of Tara's Pride early in the rim home and won by a length and ■three-quarters from Gold Ruth. Tara’s Pride just lasted it out for third from Blyton, Tyrol, and Harvest Moon. Count One is a nuggety four-year-old entire by Count Rendered, trained at Matamata by T. C. Aicock for Mr G. H. Millington, who is in ill-health and was unable to see the race. Aicock brought him to Trentham with high hopes of winning the Thompson Handicap last March, but the ground was not to his liking, and he was one of the first beaten. Count One had firm footing on Saturday, and his strong gallop in front had all the others in trouble outside the furlong. Gold Ruth's second confirmed her liking for Trentham. and she will be much in demand when she is step-

ped up to a middle distance later a»t the meeting. Tara's Pride ran fairly keenly alongside Count One coming to the home turn, but could not find anything extra when it came to racing in earnest. Blyton was not disappointing. She made ground from the ruck for her fourth, but there was no faster finisher that Re-echo, which “walked” from hiis starting stall, yet finished seventh, just beating Riccatiton's Shakes. Last-Stride Win Smoke Ring confirmed that he is the hurdling “find” of the season by winning the Glen Hurdles, for which he was , favourite, at Trentham last : season. | His performance was marked Iby stamina, more than anything else, but also by efficient jumping. The strong pace appeared to have the long-striding Ascot Lad gelding struggling near the three furlongs, but he kept jumping cleanly, and his stamina brought him into contention near the end. With his last long stride he nosed out Chef, which had mastered Tilly Light only a moment earlier It looked like Tilly Light’s race when the grey came to the front early in the run home, but he did not run it out like a stronger stayer and ran down I the last hurdle.

Lord Erin made a run alongside the inside rail for fourth a length ahead of Cinnaman, which was going well with a chance until he had to be checked to keep off the heels of one of his rivals at the last flight. Flockhart was a fair sixth but the others were well beaten. Brilliant Challenge Garnet Queen brilliantly won th e Wellesley Stakes In the colours of Mrs G. W. Smith, wife of the Ally’s Takanini trainer. Garnet Queen finished brilliantly down the outside and though Inclined to run greenly she drew out quickly to a winning margin of a length and a half over Starlit, which appeared to have the whole field in trouble at the furlong. Garnet Queen was ridden by the Riccarton horseman, A. J. Stokes. She is a neat brown by Pundit from Naheed. a three-quarter sister to the brilliant Tauloch. Starlit was in front inside the first furlong. The others cut into her lead when she drifted out towards the middle of the track after leaving the five furlong chute, but her sharp turn of speed kept her nicely clear going te the last furlong. Night Life. Fairford and Rio, the closest to the leader at the two furlongs, could not make an impression, and Garnet Queen made them look slow when she dashed forward on their right. She put Starlit away in a few strides. Ferragamo was a fair third half a length behind Starlit. Rio plugged on for fourth and the next best were Night Life and Fairford. • Seventh was the best Sobig could manage. The favourite was struggling to keep up in about the third line when the race was only half over. Alaska Impresses The light-weights. Money and Alaska, had the finish of the Heretaunga Handicap to themselves-

Money was left in front when the tearaway pacemaker Eulo King stopped in a stride before the home turn and she lasted to win by half a length from Alaska which came from the back with a rush.

Alaska broke through from his stall and romped away riderless before the race. He was caught before he went far, but tailed off from the start and looked hopelessly out of it even on the home turn. .

Alaska was clear of Courageous, which led the chase after the winner into the last furlong. The second favourite, Vinesse, was a fair fourth, just beating Shady, but the others were beaten off. The Riocarton-owned and trained Item was not far from the lead on the home turn but wilted when called on for something extra and finished eleventh. Favourite Unlucky Royal Duty was beaten for the first time in four starts in the October Handicap, but he looked a good thing beaten. He lost two lengths at the start, and it was late before he found racing room, yet he was third in a nose and a head finish. The winner was Velvet, which came to the front from a handy position going to the furlong and showed gameness in a sustained battle with the iong shot. Three Kings. Velvet, a three-year-old filly by .Gabador from Kilmarnock. Is owned by Mr W. M. Angus and trained by K. Couper. This combination had much success with the Someo mare, Moy. A. T. Jones had Velvet well placed from the start. They were about four places back at the half mile and worked closer to the leaders, Corbassiere, Conspirator. and Llanmeter, near the home turn.

Three Kings finished doggedly on the outside, then Royal Duty joined in with a rails challenge to make it one of the best finishes of the day. Dhuran was fourth, but beaten off in a gap of four lengths. Llanmeter tired Jo fifth and Corbassiere to sixth.