Duty Free surprised no-one in winning George Adams

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33806, 1 April 1975, Page 8

Duty Free surprised no-one in winning George Adams

To the surprise of no-one, least of all the students of weights, Duty Free triumphed with a hit to spare in the George Adams Handicap at Riccarton yesterday.

Duty Free carried 57kg. or Ikg less than weight-for-age, to a length victory over Rebel Lad. which nosed out the Takanini stayer, Guest Star, for second.

This, Duty Frees eight-j eenth win. carried his stake winnings past SIOO,OOO, and assured him of favouritism for the Awapuni Gold Cup next Saturday. Beach work, miles of it every week, has contributed to the remarkable success story of Duty Free this season. After Messrs J. and M.

j Willis's Bourbon Prince geld-| ing was sidelined by leg 1 , trouble in 1973 —for a time! it appeared as if he was no! longer a racing proposition ; — he was sent to Mrs A.W. Fogden, who lives near! iOtaki. Ashley Fogden, the husband of’the trainer, has been!' the horse's regular rider in | his programme of beach!,

work. "I’m eleven and a half i stone, but it has been noth-! 1 ing for him to go for about! six miles, and then have a ‘kick’ at the end of it,”!: Ashley Fogden said yester-i! day. Mr Fogden said the few; times Duty Free had done any training on a iacecourse! was when he came to Riccarton. 1 The George Adams Handi-i cap was Duty Free’s second! win this autumn on Riccarton, and in , between hep carried off his second Starsl I

'Travel Stakes at Tauranga. Mark Burridge rode Duty; ; Free with a great show of i i confidence in the horse’s sta-; 1 mina. Blend saw to it that it; I was a gallop in earnest, and: ■ Mark Burridge was content! to sit back with Duty Free 1

and nurse him for a big run down the outside. There was no stopping ! this combination in the last 1200 metres, and Duty Free 'stormed to the post in 12:1.45ec, a course record for ■ the 2000 metres. Riccarton’s Rebel Lad was ! a game second, only by the smallest of margins from the consistent Takanini stayer, Guest Star. , Magic Touch, after being iheld up for a run in the ! straight, came again for; (fourth, but was in a gap of! -two lengths.

Tui Vale pulled much too | hard to manage a middle J distance comfortably, but his fifth reflected his gameness. Graven Spa made fairly i slow headway from well J back for sixth, and Bel Cav- . j allo, winner of this race last J year, was seventh.