SMOKE RING COMPLETES GREAT TREBLE

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30511, 5 August 1964, Page 4

SMOKE RING COMPLETES GREAT TREBLE

Narrow Win In G.N. Hurdles

Smoke Ring, one of the strongest favourites in the long history of the race, carried his army of backers through in the Grand National Hurdles at Riccarton yesterday.

He courageously carried top-weight of 11-0 to a half-head victory over Golden Melody after one of the most interesting Grand National Hurdles contests for many years.

This was his seventh and greatest win one that made him the second horse to win the Great Northern, Wellington Winter Hurdles, and the Grand National Hurdles in one year.

Bought for 85gns three years ago, Smoke Ring has now earned £8450 for Messrs M. C. Conway and S. G. Jones.

Smoke Ring carried £55,009 15s of the total of £131,901 15s invested on the race. He dominated the wagering on the double, carrying £43,855 5s of the pool of £101,398 15s. He paid £1 12s to win and £1 4s 6d carrying £7726 of the £15.011 10s win pool and £3428 10s of the £15,492 10s place pool. N.Z. Cup Start Smoke Ring will not race again at the meeting, but he will be brought back to Riccarton for the New Zealand Cup in November. His next start will probably be against hack stayers at Avondale.

"Smoke Ring’s great jumping won the race for him,” said his rider, B. L. Hillis. “He didn’t jump the one near Cutts’s very well, but he kept out of trouble and he put a big one in at the last.” Hillis, who returned north last evening after this, his only ride at the meeting, said he thought Smoke Ring had a bit left at the end, but this had been probably his hardest race as a jumper. N. C. Treweek, who rode the runner-up. Golden Mel-

ody, said he had high hopes at the last jump, but he knew then that Smoke Ring would be very hard to beat "Smoke Ring was just ‘trotting’ then,” Treweek said. “I might have beaten him if he had not been able to get a run through on the inside. I had to bring the mare three wide to get a run, and that must have counted for something. What a great race!”

“My fellow was going really well at the last jump but he had nothing left when he landed,” said Cretan’s rider, R. A. Jenkins.

Harlech’s rider, P. K. Cathro, said that the Hastings jumper jumped poorly and hung badly during the race. He pulled Harlech up before the last fence. Always Close Up Golden Melody and Cinnaman drifted to the tail of the field at the start, and Bador and Smoke Ring led Harlech and Cretan in the run for positions. Smoke Ring put in a fine jump and led for a bit, but Harlech went ahead after the second hurdle, and the favourite dropped into a trailing position on the inside.

Harlech led the field through the straight for the first time by two lengths, though he gave a little ground by not jumping straight Smoke Ring, To Reign, and Chef made a line

behind the leader, and the others also ran in close order.

Tilly Light joined Harlech in the lead at the end of a round. Hillis kept Smoke Ring about a length and a half back on the inside, and he had Chef and Cretan on his right To Reign and Captain Morgan were next in a short gap. Tilly Light shook off Harlech in the next furlong, and Smoke Ring moved to second without having to leave the rails. Cretan went forward to join Smoke Ring. Tilly Light held his lead around the home turn, but Smoke Ring was galloping strongly just behind him, and Cretan and Golden Melody were making ground wider out.

A length would have covered these four horses at the last hurdle, but Smoke Ring made the best leap and gained a short break on Golden Melody. The rangy chestnut could not quicken appreciably when Golden Melody came at him inside the last furlong, but Hillis did not show signs of great anxiety and kept him going with hands and heels for his narrow and notable win.

Cretan tired from the last fence and was three lengths back third and three lengths in advance of Tilly Light. There was a bigger gap to Captain Morgan, the best of the South Island horses. Then came To Reign, Bador, and Chef.

Harlech dropped right out, and did not jump the last fence. Cinnaman dropped his rider with about a mile to run.