Fleeting Moment Beats Count Filou By A Neck

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30803, 15 July 1965, Page 4

Fleeting Moment Beats Count Filou By A Neck

(From Our Own Reporter)

TRENTHAM. The Fleeting Moment—Ron Taylor combination recorded a second notable win for the winter in the Parliamentary Handicap atTrentham yesterday.

Fleeting Moment’s win in the Dewars Gold Cup at Awapuni in June sparked off a demonstration, but his victory yesterday was well received.

Fleeting Moment was the horse most strongly backed io beat Kumai in the Parliamentary Handicap.

Kumai was an expensive failure—he finished ninth—and Fleeting Moment’s only serious rival near the end was Count Filou, which had won this race two years earlier.

Count Filou took a short lead near the home turn and appeared to have the face safely won at the furlong. It was late when Fleeting Moment drew level and there was some criticism of R. J. Skelton’s “quiet” style of riding on Count Filou in the last furlong. Skelton tried Count Filou with the whip a few strides from the post, but the veteran’s response was weak, and Fleeting Moment beat him by a neck. Owned in the Hawke’s Bay

by Messrs H. W. Blackmore and M. E. Tod and trained at Woodville by J. W. Harris, Fleeting Moment took 2.40 for the 11 furlongs. It was one of the slowest times on record, but the South Islanders, Conclusion and Good Abbot, took longer to win this race. Fleeting Moment was ridden by R. W. Taylor, who has had a most rewarding year. Aust. Triumphs Taylor achieved fame in Australia in the spring when he won the Melbourne Cup on Polo Prince and he was also associated with the champion three-year-old Empyreus. Blissful Lad ran up to his best middle distance form with a third in the Parliamentary Handicap. My Contact, third in this race last year, came fourth yesterday. Kumai had the odds against him from the start when he started to pull after starting towards the outside. He was taken over to the inside to make headway from the five furlongs to the three furlongs, but he was beaten on the home turn.

Fleeting Moment carried £22,407 10s of a doubles pool

of £162,292 5s compared with £41,812 carried by Kumai. Major Surprise Caballero, carrying 1308 5s tickets, sprang a major surprise by winning the Members’ Handicap, the second leg of the double. A distant thirteenth on the first day of the meeting, Caballero ran out the longer Members’ Handicap brilliantly and just beat Toureg. The Fleeting Moment-Cabal-lero combination returned £4lO 3s 6d for £l. Caballero could have been sharpened by some schooling over hurdles earlier in the week. There was nothing in his form on the flat to sug-' gest he would win in Metropolitan class at Trentham. Top Lad Heads Top Lad took over the pacemaking inside the first furlorig of the Parliamentary Handicap and went away to a lead of three lengths starting the last mf'le. Big Bi'l'l was alongside Red Shadow and then there was a gap of three lengths to the southerners, Myfilou and Golden Glen. Mantovani and Count FEou ran together in the next line. Kumai, which had pulled hard wide out early, was badly placed for a top-weight near the tail of the field, though he had Fleeting Moment behind him.

Top Lad led into the last five furlongs by two lengths from Red Shadow and Big Bill but he was beaten soon after. There were quick changes in the running near the three furlongs.

Count Filou was then making a sharp run on the outside to join the leading line. Kumai had been switched to the inside to make ground from the ruck and was handy, but hardly going well enough to hearten his backers. Count Filou ran into a short but what appeared to be a winning lead ori straightening up. He shook off the attentions of Mantovani and Big Bill near the furlong but could not find anything extra to cope with Fleeting Moment’s late challenge. Fleeting Moment had made a big run from the back oh the inside going across the top and he showed marked stamina to maintain it right to the post. Blissful Lad improved three places from the home turn for third three-quarters of a length back. It was a good run from well back in the field. My Contact, another well back early, was a creditable fourth a length behind Blissful Lad and Three Kings was fifth. Windvale Lad was the South Island’s best. He finished sixth. By A Head Caballero caught Toureg in the last few strides for a head victory in the Members’ Handicap. Caballero Was in the leading group in the first furlong but drifted several positions going to the five furlongs, where Maria Mitchell and Master Defence were contending for the lead and Gold Ruth, Colonial King and Waverley made up the second line. Maria Mitchell and Master Defence held a diminishing lead at the furlong. There they were being challenged by Colonia! King, Toureg, and Caballero Caballero came fastest and widest of all, and just caught Toureg. Colonial King, which was checked in his run when Caballero passed him, rallied again under a hard ride and beat Master Defence by inches for third.

Gold Ruth was fifth two lengths back and Mafia Mitchell tired to sixth ahead of Lady Dilemma, Arbelle, Careen, Laud, Foxy Boy, Waverley, That’s It and Advance General.