Friendly Tom Atones For Last Start Error

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31168, 19 September 1966, Page 4

Friendly Tom Atones For Last Start Error

Friendly Tom, an unpredictable but very capable pacer whose erring ways had cost his young Ashburton trainer-driver, G. A. Laing, a £lO fine three weeks previously, made amends for the error with a brilliant winning run at Addington Raceway on Saturday. Friendly Tom, which is I raced in partnership by Miss B. Jarman and Mrs R. E. | Laing, outran annd outclassed i his rivals in the T. E. John- [ ston Stakes. His Winning mar- | gin of seven lengths was by !far the biggest seen at Addington Raceway this season. Friendly Tom spurted from the pack into a clear lead with two furlongs to run and it was all over then. Epona, which had been in close touch with the winner throughout the race, took up [the chase early in the run I home but made little impresIsion in the last furlong. [ Ulove, which was far back and pocketed on the inside I half a mile out, ran it out well for third once she found racing room in the straight. ’ Ulove was two lengths from [ Epona and a little more than a length ahead of Frosty Heather, one of the runners [ close to the pace all the way. The warm favourite, Vani tage, was sixth. He failed to [quicken after being in and out of the trailing position j but never farther back than i second equal until the home [turn. Slow Off Mark Bright Enterprise overcame -a slow start to win the Pacific Handicap in style for Mrs V. and Mr R. E. A. Gillman and confirm the value of his fast-finishing second on the course at his previous start. Bright Enterprise galloped off the mark and had only one runner behind him when the field settled down. But R. Young brought him forward steadily while the pace was slack and he led momentarily after five furlongs and a half. From that point onward he received a good run to the straight and clearly outstayed the others to win by a length. Richard Hanover, which had shared the third line with Bright Enterprise from the mile until the home turn, lasted for second by a head from the faster-finishing favourite Atanui. Atanui, like the winner, lost I ground at the start. But ' whereas his driver took advantage of the slow early pace she was kept well back in the

field until fairly late in the race. Her determined late run wide out gave her third by a length and a half from Waitaki Smoke, co-leader with Inquisitive Lad on the home turn. On-course Double The Pacific Handicap was the first leg of the on-course double. The second leg of this double, the Bowhill Stakes, resulted in a first-up win for the season for Cathpete. Supporters of the Bright Enterprise-Cathpete combination received £63 13s for £l. Cathpete was away smartly from the outside of the front line, went clear at the end of a furlong, and was not headed after. He won handily by a length from Happy Wanderer, which tracked Cathpete right through the race. Proudly, third equal to the straight, was a length back third, half a neck ahead of Spry, which had run in the line behind her to the straight. Backers of the favourite bracket, Nocatchem and White Smoke, had their hopes dashed when the latter dropped out from a handy position early in the run home and Nocathem was still hopelessly pocketed towards the rear and on the inside two furlongs out.

Once in the clear Nocatchem finished at a great rate for seventh, two places ahead of her bracketed-mate. Confident Driving Although involved in a I fairly tight finish L. R. Clark drove Logan Count with the greatest of confidence to win the Shirley Handicap from Madam Scott and Summit Talk. The margin between these three was half a neck each way. Logan Count began well from the back mark of 48 yards, but he had to try hard three wide on the Showgrounds bend the last time to work up to Madam Scott and Del Reno, behind the pacemaking Dim View, half a mile out. When Dim View broke starting the run around the home turn Madam Scott and Logan Count were left in front and led the improving Summit Talk into line. A furlong out it looked as if Logan Count would be in for an easy win, but he was allowed to coast along and Madam Scott, making a renewed bid on the inside, was gathering him in quickly again in the last few strides. Melissa, one of the early breakers —and there were six of those, trotted a solid race for fourth once she settled to her task. One For Gore The Gore-trained Scott’s Song, which had won impressively and recorded the fastest time in the elimination heats last Thursday week, confirmed the worth of that run by leading for the last eight furlongs and a half of 13 in the Maiden Event. Scott’s Song won by a length, but he would not have been disgraced if he had been beaten. At one stage early in the race, while trying to reach the front, he was racing five wide, and that was on the first turn. The best of Scott’s Song’s rivals was Roydon Frost, which improved- from midfield to take up the chase inside the furlong, looked as if he might peg the winner back a bit closer to home, but then came to the end of his run. Solo Flight, another in midfield half a mile out, outfinished Mokoreta by a head for third, but was two lengths from Roydon Frost.