COURSE DOUBLE OF £123

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30826, 11 August 1965, Page 4

COURSE DOUBLE OF £123

Macdonald and Malabar Lad returned £123 for £1 when they won the on-course double on the second day of the Grand National meeting at Riccarton yesterday. One hundred and twentythree 5s tickets were sold on the successful combination. Macdonald, a half-brother to the ill-fated 1964 Grand National Steeples winner,

John O’Groats, finished at a great rate for an impressive win in the Spreydon Hurdles. This was only his third start and his first win as a hurdler for Mr W. E. Hazlett. Ridden by M. J. Lawson, an apprentice in the Hillis stable, Macdonald made steady improvement from the ruck coming to the straight, but he gave Le Voleur and Robin Adair a good start from the home turn. Le Voleur’s chance looked bright when he shook off the attentions of Robin Adair, but he could not find anything extra when Macdonald charged forward on his right.

i Though attempting to shift i ground, Macdonald dashed away to win by two and a half lengths. Robin Adair was third in a gap of five lengths behind Le Voleur. Bandarshar. the leader for a time, tired to fourth and Silver Kingdom was fifth. The favourite, Gipsy Fire, finished seventh. He dropped out of contention after hitting the hurdle near the five furlongs, the one that also troubled him on Saturday. SECOND LEG Changed riding tactics appeared to help Malabar Lad to win the Sumner Handicap. He was ridden in a trailing position all the way to the

straight, took a short lead going to the furlong, and won by half a length from the stronglyfinishing Mon Amour. Mon Amour nearly justified his win favouritism and might have done so only for losing some ground early. He cleared the ruck with a powerful run in the straight, and got up to beat the long shot, Llanstar, by three-quar-ters of a length for second. Llanstar, which had been pacemaker, just saved third by a nose from Cumberland, which was behind the winner half-way through the race. Sir Guy, which made a bid for the lead outside the furlong, tired to fifth, narrowly beating Bushido.