AUCKLAND TRIALS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31153, 1 September 1966, Page 5

AUCKLAND TRIALS

Mister Chips In Fine Win "The Press” Special Service AUCKLAND. W. K. Gee made a successful debut as an amateur trainer at Alexandra Park on Tuesday when Mister Chips gained a stylish win in the feature event at barrier trials held by the Auckland Trotting Owners', Trainers’ and Breeders’ Association. Until last year, Gee had trained professionally for 25 years. He took out an amateur licence recently to train Mister Chips, whom he will race in partnership with Mr R. Scaglione. Mister Chips was second last in the seven-horse field after a furlong. He came fast wide out nearing the home turn and easily took the measure of the pacemaker, Great Adios. Viking Water finished solidly for third and Neat (going strongly) was a close fourth. John Dee, Full Sovereign and Thunder Royal followed at intervals. Great Adios set a slack pace for the first mile but the last half-mile was done at a hectic rate. Mister Chips cut out this section in Imin 0 l-ssec, the last quarter in 30 2-ssec. Gee and Mr Scaglione were delighted with the performance. They said that Mister Chips would have two more runs at matinees at Pukekohe on Saturday and at Alexandra Park on September 10 before competing at the Auckland meeting, which opens on September 17. Great Adios, having his first outing of the season, went boldly. His trainer-driver. R. P. Norton, said afterwards: "I was very pleased, especially as I did not push him. I will definitely take him to the Wellington meeting now.” Full Sovereign will also compete at Hutt Park. Plans to race Neat at Hutt Park have been dropped. Instead, he will run at the Pukekohe and Kumeu matinees. He pulled up well on Tuesday and gives every indication of standing up to another preparation. The main trial for trotters was won impressively by Single Cash. He finished with a great burst and won going away by half a length from Fair Song. Falmoth was a creditable third, well clear of Kema Sarbi, which broke when leading about 100 yards from the finish. Single Cash trotted the mile and a half in 3min 21 4-ssec. the last half-mile in Imin 4 4-ssec, the final quarter in 32 3-ssec. The most excited men at the barrier trials were Mr R. M. Baker and his private trainer, L. Purdon. Goodray, the stable’s first representative at a meeting, won the parade for two-year-olds by 12 lengths. He probably would have won by more if Purdon had urged him along. Goodray racefi away to a long lead in the middle stages of a run over six furlongs and none of his rivals looked like getting anywhere near him. A colt by Goodland from Flying Jill, Goodray looks like being hard to beat in the first two-year-old race of the season at the MorrinsviUe meeting on September 27.