Trainer’s Double, Rider’s Treble

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31584, 23 January 1968, Page 5

Trainer’s Double, Rider’s Treble

(From Our Own Reporter» WELLINGTON. The Matamata trainer, L. W. Ford, brought off a notable training feat at Trentham yesterday by saddling Udare and Cobbler Lane to win the T.A.B. double.

Supporters of the Matamata stablemates received a double dividend of $192.85. Udare just failed to last two miles and was fourth in the Wellington Cup on Saturday. but he had fairly handsome compensation by winning the Seventh Asian Racing Conference Handicap yesterday. Only 50 minutes earlier, Ben Lomond had joined three others as a New Zealand re-cord-holder for a mile and a half, but in running 2min 27 sec Udare beat the record by half a second. Udare won in a spectacular finish with Arnie, Jen Hai and the unlucky favourite, Fairfleet. D. A. Peake found a splendid run for Udare, and this carried him far along the road to victory. Aqua Pura carried the field along at a great rate, leaving Amie with a trailing run and Udare nicely placed in the next line. R. J. Skelton had also found a rails position for Fairfleet, but when there wasl a rush from the back to improve positions on the home turn the favourite became jammed behind two walls of horses. Tatau was one of the horses which had to be taken wide on the home turn. He made a run to the leading line outside the furlong. Jen Hai also joined in towards the middle of the course, and Fairfleet, which was still on the inside a furlong and a half out, had to be taken widest of all in her late bid

to save the day for her backers. It was a vain bid, but a meritorious run.

Tatua weakened to fifth and Sir John was sixth after having been alongside the winner for a good way. Ariosto, one of the long shots was seventh and Palisade carried 9-5 to a highly creditable eighth. J. R. Dowling was in trouble on Palisade at several stages of the race. He got the big Ruthless gelding over to the rails near the mile, but lost ground soon after, and became more awkwardly placed when a few of his rivals dashed forward wider out going to the half-mile. Empyreus and Fremont were the next home behind Palisade. The second favourite, Country Girl was beaten well out and finished 16th.

TREBLE FOR PEAKE Cobbler Lane, one of the failures In the Telegraph Handicap but a winner at her three previous starts, finished brilliantly for a handy win In the Metropolitan Handicap. This completed a double for the Ford stable and a hat-trick for the Takanini horseman, D.

A. Peake, who had won earlier on Udare and Bywon.

Peake’s performance was one of the best seen at Trentham for many years. Peake lost a chance to become a leading New Zealand apprentice when he broke a leg at Tauranga earlier in his career.

Notable achievements on his record last season were wins in the Auckland Cup (Royal Sheen), the Auckland Easter Handicap (Valiant Rebel), and the Wellington Telegraph Handicap (Serena). Cobbler Lane was one of the slowest away in the Metropolitan Handicap, and few of her backers could have felt confident at the half-mile, where the favourite, Barellan, was bounding along in front at a pace which appeared to have most of his rivals in difficulties.

Barellan charged around the home turn with a lead of two lengths over Miss Mod and to all appearances had the race safely won. But he showed no resistance when Kathey’s Son ranged alongside going to the furlong. Kathey’s Son did not hold her lead long.

Cobbler Lane moved to third going to the furlong and went through with her run to win going away by three-quarters of a length.

Honour Me was a fair third. The Riccarton entrant, Billy Joe, came from the middle of the field for fourth ahead of the weakening Barellan and Middy.