RACING Pharasal’s Margin Could Have Hardly Been Closer

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31549, 11 December 1967, Page 4

RACING Pharasal’s Margin Could Have Hardly Been Closer

Pharasal came strongly into reckoning for major races at the Dunedin Cup meeting with a narrow but meritorious win in the Hororata Cup on Saturday.

Pharasal caught Next Please in the last stride and was given a nose decision simply because there is no smaller margin than a nose. But it was the nearest thing possible to a dead-heat, and the judge, Mr M. Mace, had to call for a second print before settling for Pharasal.

The Riccarton apprentice, G. R. Gullery, who had his hopes of winning on Next Please dashed so late in the race, had better fortune in the second leg, the Gordon’s Gin Handicap. Gullery rode Pango to one of the easiest wins of the day to complete a double worth $76.55 with Pharasal

Pharasal won the Fendalton Handicap, of one mile and a quarter, on the second day of the New Zealand Cup meet-

ing, but when tried at a mile and a half in the Metropolitan he was badly checked and lost all chance.

On Saturday he was having his first start since the New Zealand Cup meeting, and his win, his second as a five-year-old brought his earnings for the season to $3310. Pharasal, a member of J. C. Tomkinson’s team, was ridden by A. J. Stokes. Dogged Finish Much of the merit of Pharasal’s run was his dogged effort to pick up a length and a half in his successful chase after Next Please in the last furlong and a half. Pharasal, which carried $7036 of the double pool of $68,017, was the third favour-

ite, but Millie Small and Segundo had all but dominated betting on the race. Millie Small, whose two good races at the New Zealand Cup meeting, made her one of the top prospects, carried 13,998 tickets on the double. Segundo carried 12 827 Millie Small was one of the first beaten, dropping right out in the straight to finish last.

Segundo appeared to find a mile and a quarter too short. He made ground hte for sixth, but far behind Pharasal and Next Please, which had dominated the finish.

Seminole, last year’s Hororata Cup winner, was third this time, but it was an improvement on anything she had shown earlier in the season. El Beka, one of the outsiders of the field, improved several places for fourth and Sir Limond was fifth. Unchallenged Pango, a close relative of the brilliant two-year-old Weenell, brilliantly overcame a slow start to win the Gordon’s Gin Handicap by the wide and handsome margin of four lengths. Pango recovered quickly in the first furlong, and dashed through to trail Tumble and Mister Bud. It was clear a furlong out that, short of a sensational collapse, she had the race safely won. By this time the hot favourite, Empire King, had moved to second but for every two strides forward he appeared to be trying to take one stride towards the inside rail.

J. R. Dowling had made every effort to avoid trouble for rival runners on Empire King, but he was on a tiring horse near the end, and he

would have lost second to Manana in another 50 yards. Manana ran fairly close to the early pace, but drifted out to second last. He was not far behind Empire King on the home turn, but seemed unable to take advantage of a wide gap, and did not make much headway then until switched wider out in the straight. Danny Kaye, another solid finisher, was a respectable fourth half a length behind Manana and a length in advance of Totara Lad.