GALILEE COMPLETES CUPS DOUBLE

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31206, 2 November 1966, Page 4

GALILEE COMPLETES CUPS DOUBLE

Cummings Again Saddles First And Second (From J. J. BOYLE, racing editor of “The Press”) MELBOURNE. The Adelaide trainer, J. B. Gummings, wrote another brilliant chapter into the record book when he saddled Galilee and Light Fingers to fill the first two places in the Melbourne Cup yesterday. Last year the New Zealand-breds, Light Fingers and Ziema, had the finish of the great Flemington race to themselves, Light Fingers winning by inches.

Yesterday she bowed out most courageously to her younger and less heavily-burdened stablemate, Galilee. The Waikato-bred bay charged past the little chestnut in the last furlong and won going away by two lengths.

He is the first since Even Stevens, another New Zealand horse, to win the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in one year. Galilee has also now completed a brilliant treble the Toorak Handicap and the two cups in one year. In doing so he has shown a brilliant combination of speed and stamina. Now there is unbounded interest in his young English-bred Trelaw-ney-based sire, Alcimides, which, with only two full seasons, has sired winners of the Sydney Cup, A.J.C. Derby, V.R.C. St. Leger and the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups. Galilee’s brilliant feat also brought added lustre to the Limelight family, which has been established in Canterbury for many years and has been responsible for top-flight winners, notable among them being Fox Myth and Sometime. Light Fingers, in running

second yesterday, established herself as one of th l best mares ever to ra-c in Australia. She will remain in Australia for another 18 monthr and will then be returned to hen Te Awamutu owner-breeder, Mr V. F. Dawson, and be mated with Galilee’s sire, Alcimides. Galilee cost 3750gns at the National Yearling Sales at Trentham, and has already made a spectacular return. He is owned by Mr and Mrs M. Bailey, of Adelaide, who had tantalising glimpses of spectacular racing success last year when their Ziema ran second in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, as well as the Moonee Valley Cup. Galilee has been ridden in all his major wins by J. Miller, who was severely reprimanded by the stewards of the V.R.C. for his handling of the four-year-old in the MacKinnon Stakes on Saturday. Miller was Ziema’s rider last yenr when nosed out by R. Higgins on Light Fingers in the Melbourne Cup. Yesterday the positions were reversed. “He was always going well

and it was only a matter of getting a break to win,” Miller said after the race. Cummings was his usual cool self, but said he was pleased with Galilee’s win, everything having worked out well after Monday’s inquiry into the MacKinnon Stakes. ‘Fantastic* Run Light Finger’s rider R. Higgins, said the little mare had “put in a fantastic run.” “1 had all the breaks and thought I had it won at the furlong, but Galilee went past me as if she was tied to the fence.” The Sydney jockey, G. Podmore, who rode the third horse, Duo, said the pace suited his ho-se and he had a beautiful run. Thee up field went to the post in bright sunshine. They could not have asked for better footing and the time of 3min 2L9sec was up to average. The pace was slack for a start, but quickened when G. F. Hughes took Terrific into the lead near the six furlongs. There was a buzz of comment from the crowd as Ter-

rific, which had been the ‘ early favourite for the race, continued to lead nearing the home turn, but he was under close attention from Duo and also had Aveniam, Light Fingers and Tea Biscuit close behind him. Tobin Bronze, which had pulled hard early, was already ' beaten and Prince Grant was near the end of his run. Alaska was making a run wider out, although not finding anything like the speed being shown by Galilee. What appeared likely to be a race at the two furlongs changed to something like a walk-over in the final half furlong. It was all Galilee and much of the remaining interest was whether Light Fingers would last for second and so “quinella” the cup for the Cummings stable for the second successive year. The Hotham Handicap winner, Aveniam, was a good fourth, fairly close behind Light Fingers and Duo. Gala < Crest, which had been heav- i ily backed since the rain at i the week-end, was fifth, again 1 clearly eclipsed by his Caul- • field conqueror, Galilee. Tea Biscuit was sixth. This 1 showy son of Dalray could , not manage two miles after ' being in the race at the two i furlongs. Gatum Gatum, one j of the veterans of the field ,

and winner of the race three years ago, ran respectably ' for seventh. Royal Coral , came from the back for eighth, out-finishing the New , Zealand pair, Alaska and Terrific. Prince Grant tired to eleventh under his 9-1. “He ran about as good as I thought he would,” said Prince Grant’s jockey, G. Moore. “He was gone at the half-mile.” Clipjoint showed nothing and was fifteenth to finish. The race was run before a crowd of 82,200. The first half-mile was run in 50sec, the first six furlongs in Imin 17sec, the first mile in Imin 41sec, the mile and a half in 2min 31sec and the mile and three-quarters in 2min 565 sec. The New Zealand sire, Test Case, was represented by his first winner when Quezette won the Mimosa Stakes, the first race on the programme. Quezette finished gamely for W. A. Smith and won going away in the event for two-year-olds. Quezette is from Quorn Vale, a sister to Quenby Hall, the Waikato Steeplechase I winner, and a half sister to I the good Canterbury jumper, Bandarshar, which won the I high-weight event at MotuI karara on Saturday. I Result:—

MELBOURNE CUP, 60,000 dollars; 2m. 11/2 GALILEE M L. and Mrs Bailey’s b g by Alcimides—Galston 4yrs S-1S J. Miller 1 12/1 LICHT PINGERS W. J. and Mrs Broderick’s ch m by Le Filou— Cuddlesome syrs 9-1 R. Higgins 2 10/1 DUE Mesdames J. North and J. Osoux, J. North and K. Kerr’s b h by Double Bore—ln Harmony Syrs S-l G. Podmore S Others in finishing order:— Aveniam. Gala Crest. Tea Biscuit, Gatum Gatum, Royal Coral, Alaska, Terrific, Prince Grant, Bore Head, Dignify, Trevors, Clipjoint, Cobpelius, Mystic Glen, El Gordo, Tobin Bronze, Beau Royal, Red Brass, Winfreux. Two lengths: half head. Time, 3:21.0. Trainer: J. C. Cummings, Adelaide. The first and second horses were bred tn New Zealand. WESTLAND RACING CLUB (Inc.) HOKITIKA SUMMER MEETING SATURDAY AND MONDAY NOVEMBER 10 and 21, 10H NOMINATIONS for all events CLOSE with the Secretary on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER S, 1966, at 4 P.M. P.O. Box 113, phone 724, telegraphic address “Races.’’ Programme in “Calendars" of October IS and 26, 1966. —Advt.