RACING Even Chance First Of Four Winners From Riccarton

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

RACING Even Chance First Of Four Winners From Riccarton

Even Chance started a grand slam for Riccarton stables when he won the Wattie Gold Cup at Wingatui on Saturday. His winning lead was followed in the next three races on the card by Master Sheeny, Allegretto, and Tumble.

The Riccarton three-year-old Master Sheeny, came up with an encouraging Dunedin Guineas trial when he won the Trial Stakes No. 2. This followed a close second in the John Grigg Stakes at Ashburton earlier in the week.

Allegretto was made a short-priced favourite for the Suburban Intermediate Handicap after a promising firstup fifth at Ashburton and a Tood eallop with Even Chance last Thursday. He was left in front early, and Sailor’s Flight and Blue Stephan came at him with doteed challenges in the straight, but he ran it out well enough to complete a double for the P. H. Jones stable.

Tumble, owned by Mr J. B Douglas-Clifford, a consistent supporter of the Dunedin club, and trained at Riccarton by R. Preece, made the other open sprinters look an ordinary lot in the Telegraph Handicap, second leg of the T.A.B. double. Tumble is a stablemate of Roman General, which missed first place by inches in the opening race on Saturday, the Trial Stakes No. 1. Well Ridden Helped by skilful handling by G. W. Mein, Even Chance handsomely justified firm favouritism with an easy win in the Wattie Gold Cup Handicap. Even Chance was favourite after an impressive win in the Ashburton Cup a week earlier. He will attempt to complete ,a hat-trick by winning the Grandstand Handicap on the second day of the Dunedin meeting next Saturday.

Mein eased Even Chance's task by finding a rails run for the Red Mars gelding while the pace was slack and while several of his rivals out in the open were pulling hard. There was not much room on the inside for Even Chance near the home turn, but he was running well enough to take the gap quickly when going after the pacemaking Bellbridge. Even Chance had the race won a furlong out. Fieldmaster restored interest in the finish when he came fairly strongly down the outside, but he was unable to put Even Chance to the test and went under by a length and a half. Encouraging Although well beaten, Fieldmaster improved on anything he had shown earlier in the season, and it now seems likely that the 1965 New Zealand Cup winner is in for another good season. Had he shown such a flash of form earlier in the season it is possible he would have been taken to Australia for the Melbourne Cup. Fieldmaster is trained by B. T. Jones, a brother of Even Chance’s trainer. Bellbridge did not do at all badly for third in this, his second start for the season, and after being left with the pacemaking. He was half a length better than Castle Gregory. Jester Jinks, a stablemate of the winner, ran very keenly in a gap behind Bellbridge for a good way. then weakened to fifth. Flying

'York, another to pull hard, finished sixth. Powerful Run Tumble looked ready for anything in a keen preliminary for the Telegraph Handicap, and his strong gallop

in the lead from the five furlongs quickly had the others in trouble.

The 6/7 favourite of nine, Tumble paid £l5 14s 6d and completed a £45 2s 6d double with Even Chance when he came home unchallenged with

two lengths and a quarter over Combination. In a tight finish for the minor places Belltana shaded Pharasal and Azir. Pharasal, the second favourite, was having a battle with Belltana for second until fairly close to home; then Combination pegged them both back. Summer Magic led for a start, then was eased to allow Tumble to go ahead. He showed nothing in the straight and as a favourite’s run his seventh was one of the most disappointing of the day.