Grand Frere Threat In Major Events

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31921, 24 February 1969, Page 5

Grand Frere Threat In Major Events

The Southland gelding, Grand Frere, showed he is going to be a prominent contender for major honours among the two-year-olds during the remainder of the season when he outstayed his rivals in the Timaru Nursery Stakes.

Grand Frere created a ; good impression a week earlier when he beat all but Sam Tryax at I Addington Raceway and his win was not a surprise. He was the 3/2 favourite!; and paid SB.BO for a win.l. Rossini was a commanding', odds-on favourite, but the best he could manage was fifth i. after losing much ground at;! the start. ; Grand Frere will race next! at the Wyndham meeting I, next Saturday, to be followed:, by the New Zealand Welcome j Stakes at the Addington Easter meeting and the New Zea-| land Sapling Stakes at Ash-J burton on May 31. I. The Forbury Park Trotting H Club earlier this month i' thought so little of Grand j Frere's strong form back-;' ground at trials that they !

. eliminated him from the For-1 bury Futurity Stakes. l< Trained at Edendale by A. It L. Milne, who bred him, Grand Frere is a gelding by i the U Scott horse. Quiet i I Water, from Petite Soeur. I ; Petite Soeur was loaned to i ! Milne by Mr G. C. Cruick- 1 ! shank, of Invercargill, a mem- c jber of the- executive of the 1 I New Zealand Trotting Conference. Milne mated her with I ! Quiet Water, a stallion he has t -had on lease. Quiet Water is 1 'to be sold at auction in In- I vereargill next month. s The Southland reinsman, H. ii W. Skinner, drove Grand/ Frere. He had him in the first; I three or four all the way and/ Ihe was close to Direct Return c -racing to the straight, with f iFortunate, Fantastic and Boy v Friend almost in line with a 'them and Walk Alone drop-lc ping away next. Rossini was!l imaking ground further back!a 'without looking a threat. 11

I Grand Frere was soon clear land he was not seriously tested to win by two lengths. Fortunate, a good fifth at Addington a week before, was prominent all the way. He held on for second, a length and a quarter in front of Fantastic, which will be one of Grand Frere's rivals at Wyndham next Saturday. Direct Return was a length back fourth, with a nose to the favourite, Rossini, which lost 50 yards at the start. Boy Friend was beaten off sixth, ahead of Bravine, which is booked to race at Hutt Park today. There was considerable skirmishing among the nearcapacity field over the first furlong. Sydney James, Bravine, Old Time (which fell after a furlong when his overcheck broke), Jet Power, Eden Pal, Prince Onyx, Vivacious. and Loyal Dollar all lost ground.