Riccarton s Prince Command First In Beaufort Steeples

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

Riccarton s Prince Command First In Beaufort Steeples

Prince Command achieved the unusual in winning the Beaufort Steeplechase at Riccarton yesterday. He became the first Riccartontrained horse to win a major cross-country race on the course for many years.

Mr J. A. Fowler’s King’s Command gelding had earned this win after a second in the Grand National Steeplechase last Saturday.

This was only his sixth race over country, but he has won three times in that role, and he should take that record a good deal further. He is trained by G. R. Felling, who took him over after he ran fourth in his first steeplechase at the Ashburton winter meeting in June. Prince Command jumped to the front at the first fence yesterday and went away to a fairly long lead about halfway through the race, but the race produced one of those good finishes that is making the present meeting a notable one.

Hanut ran Prince Command to a neck, but the Riccarton horse still won handily.

John’s Mistake was a length back third. Count Lin, the only other starter, and the favourite, ran off at the third fence, the second of the kennels double. In doing so he dropped his rider, A. K. Lawrence.

Spectacular Leaping

When Count Lin went out of the race and Prince Command, with some spectacular leaping, went out to a lead of six lengths going down the back the last time, few could have predicted such an interesting finish. But Hanut cut fairly deeply into Price Command’s lead going to the second last fence, and John’s Mistake, whose jumping had been patchy, got closer going to the last fence, which he jumped alongside the North Island horse. Hanut made a game run and nearly drew level with Prince Command but K. Quayle rode the Riccarton-trained gelding fairly confidently with hands and heels for a neck victory. Honours Go South Tidal Rip capitalised on some indifferent jumping by the win favourite Goodbye to win the Hunt Cup, in which he was top-weight and the third favourite.

The winner and runner-up are from Gore stables, Tidal Rip being trained by E. A. I Winsloe.

J. H. Hely tried for an all-the-way win on Goodbye, but this Kurdistan gelding surrendered his lead and nearly went out of the race after a bad jump at Cutts’s. Chartlea Park was then left clear in front, but he put in a bad jump at the post and rails at the end of a round. R. O. Cairns recovered cleverly, but the Callander

gelding had come to the end of his'run. Kurdle led after the kennels double, but Goodbye and Tidal Rip passed him and raced to. the second last fence on terms. Goodbye landed awkwardly, leaving

Tidal Rip clear, and he widened his lead to five lengths from the last fence home.

Goodbye, under vigorous handling, beat Heroia by a length for second. Then there was a gap of five lengths to Arc Flight, which made a stayer’s run from the back. Fire Bar and Kurdle were

the next home. His Command lost his rider after a round, and El Toro was pulled up when well beaten.