Greek Magic wins cup in record time

Press, 28 December 1977, Page 16

Greek Magic wins cup in record time

By

J. J. BOYLE

Greek Magic showed no youthful inferiority complex in the $13,000 Timaru Cup yesterday. The only three-year-old in the field ran the others ragged winning by a length and a quarter and running the 1600 m in the course record time of Imin 355.

He came back to one of the most popular welcome; from a big crowd. The hot favourite, Grey Way, lasted for second by half a head from Top Secret after a sustained struggle in the straight but those placings were reversed after an inquiry. Grey Way had shifted ground under pressure in the straight hampering Top Secret in her run from third position on the home turn. Grey Way’s rider, A. K. Robinson, was also fined SIOO for his contribution to the interference.

‘‘l said before the race they would have to run better” than Imin 36s to beat him”, Greek Magic’s excited Tuahiwi trainer said after the race. Harris said his 17-year-old apprentice, Leslie Collins, had ridden Mr David Allin’s Greek God colt perfectly to instructions. Collins was instructed to go to the front and make it a race in earnest with the older horses. And there was not much doubt on the home turn that his instructions would pay off.

There, Collins had Greek Magic three lengths clear of Grey Way. Grey Way came under persistent pressure from Allie Robinson on straightening up in an effort to get to the three-year-old. Grey Way never gave up trying and cut Greek Magic’s lead by half but the three-year-old always had it safely won and the only element of suspense close to the end was whether Grey Way would save second over Top Secret. Greek Magic’s next race will be the Blue Riband for

three-year-old colts and geldings at Waikouaiti with the Southland Guineas to follow. “He is definitely going to Trentham for the Wellington Stakes but the Wellington Derby, with Uncle Remus there, is not on our list,” Harris said yesterday. Mr Allin bought Greek Magic out of a South Island Bloodstock Sale in Christchurch and plans to stand him at his Morwenstow Stud in Kaiapoi after the colt finishes racing. Having also bred Orbiton, the Dunedin Cup winner the day before, Mr Allin has found his festive season a most satisfying and rewarding one. He has had few colourbearers and Greek Magic has been easily his best winner. There was an offer of $50,000 for Greek Magic early in the season but Mr Allih showed no sign of interest.

The Peter South-Pat Corboy combmation had some measure of compensation eariier in the day when Native Rein won the St Andrews High-weight after a sustained battle with Blue Beacon and Joint Effort. Native Rein, the first winner for the Okawa Stud sire Reindeer in New Zealand was, at four years, the youngest in the high-weight field and this was his first win at that age. She achieved yesterday’s victory from the front end, going forward to take over the pace-making after being parked fairly wide leaving the straight. “She has run her best races out in front but I must admit she lasted today’s race out better than I thought she would,” Corboy said yesterday. Later Corboy said that present plans for Grey Way would probably centre on a campaign at Wellington next month with an attempt to win a second George Adams Handicap. Star Order was a fairly firm favourite for the second leg, the Waugh Handicap, but had to settle for third behind Buffy Molloy and Capriole. Star Order had plenty to do from half-way — at that stage he was behind the middle of the field, awkwardly placed on the inside — and by the time he burst into the clear in the straight, Buffy Molloy was safely home for a second victory on the card for Jim Lalor’s Ashburton stable. Buffy Molloy bad employed similar tactics to Greek Magic in leading from early in the race. This also completed a T.A.B. double for apprentice riders with Buffy Molloy being handled by Barry Rule who is apprenticed by the successful trainer, Jim Lalor. Capriole, a battling second, had been with the pace all the way and would have lost second to Star Order in a few more strides.