On-Course Double Marine-Belgarah

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31276, 24 January 1967, Page 4

On-Course Double Marine-Belgarah

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON. Marine and Belgarah won an on-course double worth £72 3s for £1 at Trentham yesterday. There were 581 tickets on the successful combination.

Marine completed a double for the meeting, justifying strong favouritism for the Mungaroa High-weight with a narrow win. It was like the first day’s high-weight all over again, with H. N. Rauhihi giving Marine plenty of time to settle at the tail of the field before starting him on a big run. Yesterday he came later, and he did not find it as easy to establish his superiority, but he won by a neck from Diacol, which beat Miss Beatle by a nose. Glocca Morra, one of the South Island runners, was a weakening fourth after making a likely move into the lead from a handy trailing position near the home turn. The Riccarton-trained Cumberland was beaten off eighth. Stalled Off Belgarah stalled off a late challenge from Destriere for a narrow win at good odds in the Kaitoke Handicap. Belgarah, a brown filly by Rousseau’s Dream from the Aus-tralian-bred Rosebelle, led from outside the furlong and won by half a neck from the second favourite, Destriere, which had started her run from the back of the field.

Belgarah, a member of L. W. Ford’s team at Matamata, was the 9/11 favourite and paid £25 9s to win.

Destriere’s lack of early speed weighed heavily against him in a field of this size. His big run from the three furlongs carried him a length and a quarter clear of Bourbon Lass, which had the run of the race.

The favourite, Constellation, could make slight improvement from the turn for fourth.