Big Sprint To Gay Gauntlet

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31725, 8 July 1968, Page 5

Big Sprint To Gay Gauntlet

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent) / BRISBANE.

The Sydney galloper, Gay Gauntlet, starting at 25/1, won the $29,000 Doomben Ten Thousand, Australia’s richest sprint, by a nose in a thrilling finish at Doomben on Saturday. Gay Gauntlet, once given up as a hopeless crock, got up in the last stride to win narrowly from Academy Star (10/1) with the local three-year-old, Dual Control (25/1), a neck away third. The heavily backed Sydneytrained favourite, Cabochon, ran the most disappointing race of his career to finish tenth in the 18-horse field. The former New Zealand mare, Unpainted, turned in a sound trial for next -Saturday’s Doomben Cup when she came from last at the halfmile to finish seventh, less than a length from the winner.

Gay Gauntlet’s victory gave the Aboriginal jockey, D. McCarthy, his first win for three and a half months. The finish to the race, run over seven furlongs less 68 yards, had the crowd on its toes and a head was the biggest margin between any two horses in the first 12 home. Baguse and Prince Medes, which was bred in New Zealand, dead-heated for fourth, a head behind Dual Control. The time for the race was 1:19 3-5.

Gay Gauntlet, a five-year-old entire by Red Gauntlet, showed great promise as a sprinter when young but broke down badly in the off foreleg and for a time it was feared he would never race again. He was given to T. O’Leary to train, because he swims his small team a lot at the Sydney waterside suburb of Brighton.