Rochdale, Remarkable Veteran, Wins Easter

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31031, 11 April 1966, Page 5

Rochdale, Remarkable Veteran, Wins Easter

"The Press” Special Service AUCKLAND. Rochdale, a nine-year-old marvel, made history when he inched past Honestly to take the £5OOO Easter Handicap at Ellerslie on Saturday.

No horse of such advanced years had ever won the big mile; few have worn well enough to be a starter.

Yet Rochdale, giving away upward of half a stone to most of his younger opponents, outran them easily in the main and went within a fraction of the race record.

A chestnut gelding, by Alpheus from Fairy Treasure, Rochdale began racing as a November three-year-old. In the meantime he has been everywhere, from Melbourne to Brisbane in Australia and from Ellerslie to Riccarton in New Zealand. There are few big courses on which he has not left a good performance. With Honestly clinging to a slender lead, Rochdale and Tatu challenging and Pheroz Pride and Sobig storming through the inside; the last 50 yards of the Easter raised tremendous excitement. Honestly, in spite of all that her rider, D. J. Wyatt could do, faded at the last moment. Rochdale and his rider, J. S. Humphries, throwing everything into the finish, had the measure of Tatu and passed Honestly right on the post. Chantal, a clear favourite, came eighth and the bracketed horses Fairfleet and Wiri, which were next in favour, finished n nth and eighteenth respectively. Rochdale is owned by Mr L. N. Hodgson who races the geld ing along with others, in a partnership with the trainer W. Sanders. The £3200 for first on this occasion brought hist stake earnings in New Zealand to £23,885. He has also earned £BO5O in Australia. CLEAR TOO LATE A packed field of 24 horses went to the post for the big race and it was inevitable that several were unable to find a run Sobig was one which came clear too late. Devastation, the top-weight, could get nowhere near the inside from his wide barrier position. neither could Rainfall. Chantal had her chance and failed to run the race out She was tender afterward. On-course and T.A.B. bettors, together, wagered £212,090 !5s on he Easter, including £147.954 5s

on doubles, and the amount on ’ Rochdale was £18.179 103. ! The fastest part of the race was the first half-mile in a ; hectic 47 seconds. The winning ; gallop was Imm 35 l-ssec, a 1 fifth of a second outside My Call s race-record last y»ar. My

Call was also trained by Sanders. Conditions were very favourable, the weather being fine and sunny and the track in excellent order. The attendance was 24.429 compared with 23,386 last year.