RACING Luck changes when owner returns to Australia

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32614, 24 May 1971, Page 8

RACING Luck changes when owner returns to Australia

Mr A. I. Milne returned to his home in Surfers’ Paradise recently with hopes that his absence from the scene of his racing operations would bring a change of luck. It did. ,

Mr Milne, a former Southlander with motel interests in Australia, was in New Zealand for much of the spring and summer while his three-year-old, Stormy Seas, was assembling a list of minor platings.

“If you go back to Australia we’ll have a change of luck,” Stormy Seas’s trainer, R. Pankhurst, advised his owner, half in earnest, the other week.

And the luck changed in the Waimate Cup on Saturday in the chestnut’s first attempt in a middle distance handicap since he ran second to Princess Mellay at Wyndham a week before the last New Zealand Cup.

Princess Mellay went on to win the New Zealand Cup, but Stormy Seas was unable to do himself justice in the New Zealand Derby because of a slight injury. H e was back to sprinting a few weeks later and while assembling a record of two seconds and five thirds over short courses in summer and autumn programmes he left the impression that his loss of early speed should encourage a switch back to a middle distance. NEAR THING It was a near thing for Stormy Seas in the Waimate Cup. He was tested to the utmost by Mr D. W. J. Gould’s great battler, Time and Tide, which went within a whisker of completing a double in the race. G. W. Mein had Time and

Tide in a splendid position with a clear, steady run behind the pacemaking Empire King almost from the start. But J. D. Pankhurst also had Stormy Seas poised in the right place to get the last run, and it just paid off. Everything depended on the nod of the head, although Time and Tide’s rider had felt certain close to the post that he was about to be beaten by a wider margin.

Jay Ribbon, Time and Tide’s conqueror in the corresponding race at Riccarton four days earlier, came with a rush from -the back, but

failed to get to the veteran Empire King which filled third place at long odds. The Gore-trained Redlo and Atomic Flight were expensive failures, finishing fifth and seventh respectively. Redlo was left out in the open in the line behind Time and Tide and ran much too keenly for the comfort of his rider, E. J. Didham, or his army of backers. Atomic Flight was slowest away, and could make only plodding progress round the outside on the small track.

The blazing turn of early speed by the nuggety Riccar-

ton front-runner Just Ace seemed likely for a time to turn the second leg, the President’s Challenge Cup, into a procession. When he came to the straight out by the best part or five lengths Just Ace appeared to have enough “steam" left to last it out comfortably. But a dogged tun by Susan Jane’s halfsister, Flying Melda, transforrned the situation in the last 50 yards. Flying Melda; a Messmate mare now in her seventh year and, it seems, improving with age, won going away by three quarters of a length.

And Just Ace’s place as runner-up would have been endangered in two or three more strides, such was the rate of progress being made by the Gore-trained Haste Ye Back.

Haste Ye Back and her ( stablemate, Crunch, carried 1 much of the betting on the race. It was clear on the home turn that Crunch would be unable to match Flying ; Melda for speed in the chase after Just Ace. By then Haste Ye Back looked only the slimmest of chances, back in the ruck after her characteristically slow start. BETTER LUCK R. J. Cochrane, the trainer of Haste Ye Back and Church had better fortune earlier in the day when Golden Silver won the Studholme Steeples. But it was not a stroke of luck shared by the lumping rider, A. Robb. Robb fractured a thumb when he took a fall from Golden Silver in the steeples at Riccarton last Tuesday and and there were some doubts whether he would ride at Waimate.

Robb had cause to regret his stoicism in deciding to ride on Saturday when his mount, the favourite, Enceeoh, was brought down at the third jump by a fallen rival in the first race on the card. This left Golden Silver a successful chance mount for T. Brown.

An Invercargill Gold Cup winner three years ago, Golden Silver had footing .to show his turn of speed to best advantage and he cleared out in the last-three furlongs. The doughty veteran, Indian Chief, justified place favouritism with his second, but the win favourite. Sandbank, appeared to treat the light fences with more respect than they demanded.

After giving ground with' cautious leaps at some of his fences on the outside of a close running field, Sandbank faded to a moderate seventh.

SURPRISE WIN The Wingatui trainer, J. S. McKay, scratched his own horses, Berwen and Circulation, from the jumping races on Saturday, but saddled Macula for a surprise hurdles win in the colours of Messrs A. G. and W. G. McCulloch. Macula had matters to himself after Acrobat put in a bad one and tossed his rider when leading at the second last flight. Macula paid $53 to win and carried only 22 $1 tickets of a pool of $1597 on the on-course double.

Blank Cheque nosed out the Southland grey Frosty Light in the second leg, the Waitaki Gold Cup Handicap, to complete a double worth $178.35.

Frosty Light was not supported on the double a stroke of luck for those who held five tickets on the third-place-getter Carafin. The The Macula-Caraftn combin ■ ation returned $153.30. Blank Cheque and Carafin had both won at Riccarton four days earlier.

Frosty Light was a late withdrawal from the hurdles at Riccarton because he bled

before the race. Happily it was found that this had been caused by nothing more serious than a bump on the head and the horse was cleared to start on Saturday. Had Frosty Light not drifted away from the inside when leading on the home turfi Blank Cheque might have had to settle for second.

Country racing

Sunshine, music and gimmicks made the Waimate racecourse a I place with some atmosphere tor the Waimate Racing Club’s . annual meeting on Saturday. . While the horses did their ;■ stuff on an excellent late ; autumn track, and while one of . the hardest-working bands ever . heard on a racecourse did its thing, competitions were organ- , ised to give patrons opportunities to win 5001 b of beef,' a small mountain of cauliflowers, and supplies of late-season strawberries.

Knowledge of the Waimate district was an essential for those in quest of the prizes, so a good many of the patrons at a popular meeting were at a. disadvantage. But the < dominating tone of the meeting was not set by the prospect of getting something for nothing. It was summarised by a popular visitor, the former South Islander, W. D. Skelton, who has been holidaying silice he became . New Zealand’s most successful jockey at Trentham earlier this month. Skelton said: “I could have had a ride today, but I didn’t have my gear with mfr—l wanted to come here and meet

up with my old friends.” And that, many feel, is what country racing is all about.