Good Lord wins another Cup for Verner

Press, 24 February 1977, Page 20

Good Lord wins another Cup for Verner

From J. J. BOYLE Te Rapa Rav Verner, the Takanini trainer with the golden touch, yesterday extended a successful association with royalty when h e saddled Good Lord to win the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Te Rapa.

In his younger years as a, trainer Verner prepared Bali Ha’i until the late Sir Ernest □avis presented that good stayer to The Queen Mother after he won the St James Cup at Trentham in 1958. Good Lord outfinished Magistrate by a head for his Royal victory yesterday in the colours of Mr Michael Hines, of Las Vegas. Mr

I Hines was unable to come toi: New Zealand for the race'i and his lucky stand-in was I! Mr Bill Paterson who in his i Ulong career as an auctioneer. sold thousands of yearlings |i through the Trentham sale]' I; ring. 'I , Mr Paterson had a change of role four years ago. He jj i bought Good Lord at Tren- I ■ tham for Mr Hines and the'l

i stocky son of Zamazaan and the Australian-bred Love in i Bloom has made this a richly rewarding venture. Good Lord won the Wellington Cup in January in 'the hands of Bruce Comipton. Yesterday he was skillfully ridden by the stable I jockey, David ’ Peake, who] i had been on Rosie’s Girl in 'the big one at Trentham.-

Peake had Good Lord in sev

enth position and brought him closer behind a line of

horses coming to the home

turn. There Bob Skelton was; taking a close order with! 'Magistrate behind Varnamo land Tonic Time and it was j clear soon after that this i |would be one of the more; ; formidable combinations. ( ! For four or five strides; Good Lord did not appear to be finding much for Peake’s] hands and heels but when; hit with the whip the chest-I nut charged gamely and effectively. Magistrate gave it a great] try for Bob Skelton, who! was only resuming in this ] race after an enforced absence through injury. Bar-. tlesville came from behind' the middle of the field for his third, a neck away, and] Kythera, which was fourth; I with a performance right in i character.

I To the mild surprise of 'those who have seen her in most of her racing Kythera was not last of them all when the field settled. Helped probably by the briskness of the early pace — they scorched over the opening thousand in 59sec — Kythera managed to have three behind her on leaving the straight. She was well behind the bit at the 1000 m but her great store of stamina gave her another of several minor prizes in rich feature races. Again she showed that 3200 m is probably her best distance and she will probably get another chance to show it in the Sydney Cup lat Easter.