Captain Harcourt to contest Brighton Cup next week

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34131, 19 April 1976, Page 10

Captain Harcourt to contest Brighton Cup next week

The $7500 New Brighton Cup on Friday week will probably be the next race for Captain Harcourt. This was announced by his trainer. Arnie Gadsby, after the five-year-old had easily won the $12,500 Easter Cup at Addington Raceway on Saturday. “VZe’ll stay down for a fortnight now and if everything goes ail ri' ht with him he’H start in the Brighton Cup,” said Gadsby. Captain Harcourt was untroubled to maintain his unbeaten record on the course and paced the 3200 m, in the smart time of 4:10.2. ‘He ‘flew’ out of the barrier,”

isaid Torn Knowles, who I .•drove him again. “He gave' Jme a great drive. He didn’t*! j pull at any stage and! ■ seemed to have lenty in re- j i j serve all the way.” ; When Knowles pulled him .out with less than 400 m to [[run ’.e ranged up alongside LI the leaders in a few strides. JHe inted past them with i slightly more than 200 m left [ ( [and coasted over the remain- : der of the race to win by a: length and a half. Final Curtain completed f * the quinella for northern: ’ stables by racing past: Eclipse in the final 75m and« beating him for second by a! length and a quarter.

Final Curtain was five 1 back for most of the wayji and it was well into the! l straight before Barry Purdon ;! could get him clear of the!; rails. Eclipse was just behind I; Captain Harcourt for most!: of the way and fought on well for third, ahead ofjl Commissioner, which might;: have been unlucky not to I: have returned a dividend. ’ 1 “I was surprised when he |i was still pulling at the I straight entrance,” said i Commissioner’s driver, Bob : Nyhan. "A gap began to jopen and he tried to tear I into it, going too quickly land almost stumbling,” he Isaid. ! The firm favourite, Lunar Chance, was put out of the contest with about 2000 m to run. Palestine i went to a break and dropped back on L. aar Chance, ■ which fell. After an inquiry it v.as found that Palestine was checked by Eclipse, driven by Denis Nyhan, and he , went back on to Lunar i Chance. Nyhan was found :guilty of "careless driving land he was suspended until iafter May 22. Nyhan has ; (lodg'd notice of appeal (against the decision. 1 The prominent owner- ! trainer combination of Mr I Ben Grice and his son, Des, , (went close to .ompleting al; (notable treble. I Don Lopez gained his sec- . |ond win for the meeting when he be; La Roue fairly ’ I convincingly by a neck in ' the G. W. Blaxall Free-for-(all. The four-year-old sen of ' ;Lopez Canover is no" a C 9 ( [horse. It is intended that he ( |will finish his racing for the -season in the New Brighton |Cup on April 30.

' Ruling Lobell, a daughter of Mark Lobell and Ruling Caste, made no race of the New Zealand Welcome (Stakes. She tore away from I her rivals in the straight and won by five lengths I from Tact Del. which shaded Scottish Heath by half a [head. Rathe, surprisingly no I inquiry was held into the (final 200 m of the race when (Tact Del and Scottish Heath Icarne 1 to close quarters. I Ruling Lobell’s future racing will be aimed at fitting her for the $9OOO New Zealand Sapling Stakes at Ashburton in June. Smokey Lopez looked likely to give the Grices a hat-trick when he strode clear with 800 m left in the Metropolitan Three-year-old Championship, but he had no counter to the final challenge of Bolton Byrd and went under by two lengths. Bolt Byrd’s win established him as the top three-year-old of the season, his earlier wins including the Great Northern DerbyStakes. Raced by his West Melton trainer, Jim Dalgety, he is by Out to Win from Nikellora. “I don’t think there are any really suitable races for a horse of his class and I will probably put him aside now until next season,” said [Dalgety. Bolton Byrd was driven by Robert Dunn, who looked to be in difficulties when he allowed several horses to pass him about the 800 m, but the colt was travelling so well that he was able to overcome any problems and won handsomely. Smokey Lopez beat Olga Korbut by a length for second.

The filly drifted badly early and put in a sustained run for her placing. American Chief, another of the early tail-enders, did well for fourth, ahead of Fancy Fred, which was sold immediately after the race to a patron of Neville Hargreaves’s Sydney stables. Fancy Fred won the Welcome Stakes 12 months earlier and had he been successful on Saturday, he would not have been sold, his o w n e r-trainer, Gordon Middleton, having decided to tackle the final leg of the Triple Crown Series No 2 with him next spring. Mighty Lee earned himself

a trip to Auckland next month to contest the $15,000 Rowe Cup when he led throughout the New Zealand Trotting Championship. “We’ll be there all right,” said his part-owner. Mr Jim Cutler, of Waitahuna, when asked about the possibility of a trip to Auckland. Mighty Lee set a leisurely pace and held off the 13/I*3l [favourite, Screws Loose, by j la length, with a nose back! ito Now Charles, which was [clear of Frontier, which [broke inside the last 100 m. Driver fined Bevin Heron was fined $25 for careless driving causing interference at an inquiryopened after the Reta Peter [ [Handicap on the second [ night of the Addington Eas-' ter meeting which concluded : on Saturday. The inquiry was held into the breakingof Petite Evander inside the! last 200 m. H. W. Cox, the trainer ofThe Butler, was fined $4O for failing to comply with the seven-day rule.