SLIGHT DISABILITY DID NOT DIM SKILL

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31144, 22 August 1966, Page 4

SLIGHT DISABILITY DID NOT DIM SKILL

Although still hampered by a slight disability, R. Young showed that he has lost none of his skill as a driver when he resumed at Addington Raceway on Saturday after an enforced spell of six months.

Last February Young broke an arm in a race smash. The

fracture has knitted, but because of the arm’s long period of inactivity the contracted muscles still prevent it from straightening completely. Young did not manage to ; drive a winner on his first day back on the job but he missed first by inches with two of his four drives and was third and fifth with the others Young’s first two drives of the day, Courtier and Adorato, were both beaten by half a neck. Courtier tried hard to justify his favouritism for the Templeton Handicap and [ might have done so had he I not been forcbd to go three ! wide to join the leaders on [the home turn. Templeton Handicap honours went to Admire, which saved valuable ground all the wa. with an inside run close to the lead. It was fairly late in the race when a gap alongside the rails came, but when it did he forced his way through to confirm he had held the form which had given him Kurow Cup honours the previous week. The Templeton Handicap was the first leg of the double for course patrons only on the first day of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s national meeting. £34 Double The second leg of this; double, the Four-year-old Stakes, was won in style by Atanui. Although Mrs W. T. I Lowe's Light Brigade mare was the each-way favourite she paid £5 16s 6d and £2 5s 6d for a win-and-place and £34 19s 6d for £1 with Admire in the double. Atanui, which had com-| pleted her three-year-old season with two wins and a second, improved from a handy position to chase Maida's Song into line and outfinished the pacemaker to win handily; by a length. Ranganui, which cost Messrs N. D. Bateman and G. [ Thomas 130gns at the dis-] persal sale of the late Mr W.' E. Desmond’s racing stock, returned his Christchurch owners more than his purchase price when he won the Maiden Handicap. Ranganui tracked the pacemaker, Lanah, to the straight' and outran the favourite ini

the last furlong to win by half a length. Johnny Gee improved an outstanding record for his Templeton owner-trainer, W. R. Butt, by winning the Intermediate Handicap at fairly cramped odds. “Hat-Trick” Johnny Gee improved from the third line to take the lead early in the run home and clearly outstayed Towser to win by a length and a half. This was his third successive victory and his fourth from his last five starts. Epona, the beaten favourite in the Kurow Cup the previous week, produced one of her best staying runs to win the two-mile Ribbonwood Handicap narrowly, but well, for her Blenheim owner, Mr L. Law. Except for a short time early, when she disputed the pace, Epona ran midfield for much of the race. In the run home she finished wider and faster than anything else and was actually going away by a neck at the line. A whip lying on the track a yard or two short of the winning post could have cost Adorato victory in the August Handicap. R. Young brought Mr and Mrs A. Spark’s Adorian gelding forward from the third line to master the pacemaker. Flight Adios, inside the last furlong. But a few strides from the post Adorato skipped and hesitated when he saw the whip on the track and Mitcham, finishing at a great rate on the outer, got up to beat him narrowly. Mitcham is raced by Atanui’s Ashburton trainer, W. E. Lowe, but she is prepared for him by C. S. Donald at Belfast. The Donald stable was also represented by three minor place-getters at the meeting. TRIALS AT METHVEN TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 19M NOMINATIONS close Today (Monday), at 5 p.m.. for Qualifying Trials, details Calendar. August 10. Mid-Canterbury Owners' and Breeders' Assn. L. E. CARTER, Secretary, Box 10. Phone 5770, Ashburton. —A4vt. I