Prince Callan By Nose

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31187, 11 October 1966, Page 4

Prince Callan By Nose

Prince Callan and Avobelle won an oncourse double worth £73 Is 6d for Riccarton stables at the North Canterbury Racing Club’s meeting at Rangiora yesterday.

There were 86 5s tickets on the Prince Callan-Avobelle combination. A nose and half a head separated Prince Callan, Not Guilty and Ronrico in the first three places in the first leg, the Cust High-weight. There was a length and a half to the fourth horse, Next Please, but this three-year-old might have come out on top with a clear run from the home turn. Ronrico tried for an all-the-way win, but Prince Callan was taken forward to trail early in the race, and never allowed the Washdyke eight-year-old to get far away from him. When Not Guilty joined in wider Out there was no room left for Next Please to get away from the inside for a challenge. Prince Callan just lasted it out, and won at good odds after a Geraldine Cup fifth at his previous start. Avobelle, a half-sister by Avoeat General to the speedster Rondabelle, showed much

ability to beat some smart hack sprinters in the Oxford Hack Handicap. The North Island jockey, W. D. Skelton, who had won i a maiden race on Avobelle at ithe Geraldine meeting a fortnight earlier, allowed the I three-year-old time to get bal- ! arced before sending her on a big run after the leaders. Avobelle had to come four wide to challenge for the lead on the home turn, but ran it out solidly and won handily if only by half a neck from the top-weight, El Beka. El Beka and Omasong also came from well back for the minor places. Sir Limond was a fair fourth, and Research was a creditable fifth after missing the start from the inside. NOSED OUT D. N. Hadfield attempted to win the Okuku Hack Handicap on Gunga Din with a sharp run into a clear lead near the three furlongs. His move looked likely to pay off at the furlong, but Blind Date j fiinished fast to nose him out I in the last stride.

Blind Date, a half-brother to the promising three-year-old Next Please, had a good run in a dawdling race. He was in the middle of the field at the seven furlongs, but was not far from the lead on the home turn. Gunga Din trailed from the start until he was taken to the lead. He finished three lengths and a half clear of Royal Master, which had the run of the race against him. Coral Prince weakened to fourth after being responsible for much of the pacemaking. Gold Marc, the second favourite, ran a very ordinary race for seventh. Tsunami ran keenly close to the lead to the home turn, then drifted out into the middle of the course. He finished fifth.