Final Count By A Long Neck

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30973, 1 February 1966, Page 4

Final Count By A Long Neck

(From Our Own Reporter) NELSON. - Final Count from Chertsey and the Springston - trained ° Our Smokey were suc- • cessful in the on- *. course double at Nelson yesterday.

The combination was at lucrative odds. The holders of 19 5s tickets shared in a dividend of £259 14s for £l. Final Count, which lacked race form ■won the first leg. the Mapua "Handicap, at odds of 17/1. * Our Smokey was one of the -fancied runners for the Dovedale Handicap. That was not unexpected for it was his second mr in at the meeting. • Pinal Count shared the fourth -line with Becky Wyn until the home turn in the Manua Handicap. L. C. May brought him forward to challenge for the lead Inside the furlong and he ran on best to win by a long neck. Vantage, a good way back In 'the field five furlongs but and only seventh at the straight

entrance, ran tbe last furlong strongly for second. He beat Upright by a length and a half. Upright, third equal with Neon Evander until the home turn, outfinished Tobacconist, which received the run of the race, by half a head. Trafalgar, which was in the line behind the winner for much of the race, made ground for fifth Becky Wyn led In the others. The well-backed Snead was ninth at the finish. He struck bother, broke at the start and was always well out of his ground. RUN OF RACE Our Smokey received the run of the race until the half-mile in the Dovedale Handicap. He ran clear on the home turn and kept beyond challenging distance. Our Smokey won by a length from Warily, which had shared the third line around to the straight. In a hard battle for third. Constant Bay beat Singing Lad by a head. Neither had been far off the pace at any stage. The each-way favourite. Star Globe, made ground for fifth He reared at the start and was at the tail of the field half a mile out.

Hialea which made much of tbe pace was a weakening sixth and Surely Not, another which bad every chance, led in the rest. Lofty, the 3/4 favourite, choked and feU with a mile left. Young Morris, which had run

Moonlight Bay close in the corresponding event on the first day, completely outclassed his rivals in the Collingwood Handicap, for which he was the 3/4 favourite.

Young Morris improved from the third line to chase Moonlight Bay into the straight. He was brought out to challenge just inside the furlong and ran away to win by eight lengths

Moonlight Bay, which tried to lead for the last six furlongs, lost second to Wayren by a neck. Wayren was never far from the leaders and had been a clear third on the home turn. Fair May was fourth eight lengths away. MAJOR UPSET

Nocatchem, which finished last in both her races on the first day of the meeting, caused a major upset when she won the hiangahua Handicap for her Richmond owner-trainer, W. A. Cook.

Nocatchem, the fifteenth favourite of IS, paid £lO5 Ss 6d and £l7 8s for a win-and-place. In spite of her dividend it was a popular victory.

Nocatchem was near the leaders all the way. She came to the straight on terms with the pacemaking Vantage and was a clear leader from outside the last furlong. Nocatchem won* by half a length from Upright, another near tbe leaders. Stormwinner, also one of the long shots was a long neck away third. ;