Form Reversals In Double

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31276, 24 January 1967, Page 5

Form Reversals In Double

(From (£° wn mortar) I Bllington. i one °f the I flopZthe Wellington narrowly beat id favourite njre in the £3OOO gnmer Handicap at Ant ham yesterday. - Mie backers of the most fanMd runners had another setMck when the three*year-old ■arellan brilliantly won the ■etropoiitan Handicap to complete a double worth £llO 0s for £l.

Barellan, fourth when favourite in the Wellington Stakes on Saturday, was a luke-warm fourth fancy this time, and he came back to a mixed reception after winning by two lengths from the top-weight, Tara's Pride. Honestly is raced on lease by Mrs M S. O'Brien from the Pirongia studmaster, Mr J. L. Macky. The five-year-old Le Fllou—Contrive mare Is a sister of Gay (Later Bon) Fllou, winner of a Wellington Cup and several other good races. Honestly's weak run in the Wellington Cup was out of character. She was unplaced in the Auckland Cup but had no luck in the running. Her latest win before yesterday was four starts back in the weight-for-age Thames Valley Stakes.

Honestly was ridden by D. J. Wyatt, who kept her forward of the middle of the field but appeared to have heavy work ahead when Udare held to a handy lead going into the last furlong. Udare finished gamely when challenged, and it might not have been possible to beat him if C. Underhill had found a trailing run for him a little earlier In the race. Udare was taken away from the rails near the half-mile to force those behind him over more ground, and he passed Sir Barton to go clear early in the run home. Honestly, fifth on the home turn, also passed Sir Barton outside the furlong, and her dogged challenge Just paid off. Cassarook was the South Island's

best. He held fourth place from outside the furlong, lasting the race out a little better than Court Belle. Court Belle started from the outside, but R. J. Skelton took her over behind the field and forward to a good position on the rails about the middle of the field. Lucky Rebel failed to quicken from a forward position and sixth was the best he could do. A scorching front-running gallop by Rarelian had most of his rivals in trouble three fur. longs out in the Metropolitan Handicap, the second leg of the double. In this, his ninth win for the season, the Te Awa-mutu-trained High Rank gelding sped over seven furlongs in Imin 23sec. Barellan won eight of his first 10 starts this season, but his form slumped late in the spring and he was very disappointing in his only appearance at the Auckland Cup meetlnlut there was no doubting the brilliance of his return to form yesterday. He was in front after a furlong and scampered away to a longish lead on the home turn, where Kintyre, Royal Chase, Loch Nagar and Aqua Pura, the closest to

the leader, were making no impression. None of the others back in the pack was going better than Tara’s Pride, but R. J. Skelton had to wait for a run and to steer him away from behind a line of horses. Tara’s Pride was fast closing Barellan’s lead at the end, but the three-year-old had it safely won by two lengths. Home On The Range, eighth at the half* mile, ran the race out fairly strongly for third, and Carlsberg, the second favourite, was the next best. Captain's Command, the eachway favourite, showed nothing and finished 14th. Middy was beaten off ninth, Loch Nagar was 10th and Lisa 13th.