Decisive win for Carlaw in Adams

Press, 4 January 1978, Page 20

Decisive win for Carlaw in Adams

From

J. J. BOYLE

in Auckland

Racing and trotting

Carlaw came bravely home ahead of several top metric-milers in the George Adams Handicap at Ellerslie yesterday. But the result of the race was immediately placed in doubt when an inquiry was opened to establish if Carlaw had affected the chances of a rival runner when he drifted slightly in the straight before going on to a decisive winning margin.

Carlaw was ridden by Bill Skelton who less than an hour earlier had won the Great Northern Foal Stakes on Bidum Bidum . Car law is trained at Avondale by Brightson Meyer foi a syndicate of Auckland rugby league enthusiasts. He! was having his first start at I the meeting and at his pre-. vious start he won The Con-! corde, a rich sprint event at I the Avondale Cup meeting ! Ealier in the season he was| campaigned in Sydney andi paid for his trip by winning! at weight-for-age events at| Rosehilf.

Carlaw was ridden far off the pace, but swept round on the Bend with a spectacular run to reach a challenging position. Aghios Nikalaos a showy black four-year-old from the McLeod stable at Takanini

battled into second by three parts of a length from Hooker. The veteran Gold Ducat ran another of his plucky races for fourth close by and inches ahead of the each way favourite Liten Hest.

The Riccarton-trained Nuiriootpa, the second favourite finished back in the tail-end | group fading fast from a trailing position in the straight. Obviously he needs freshening, and he will be flown home on Thursday to do so. How he fares in the next week or two will deterimine whether he is campaigned at the Wellington I Cup meeting. Nuriootpa finished just behind Varnamo which was a newcomer at the meeting and never appeared to be a winning chance under top weight of 57.5 kg. Ascending bridged a two year gap in her record when she won the Nathans Mem-

orial, first leg of yesterday’s T.A.B. double.

Ascending, now five, is by Rocky Mountain from Gold Fleet owned by Mr Jim Morris, proprietor of the Rodmor Stud near Cambridge. Ascending, which is trained at Te Rapa by Bill Winder and Stuart MacKinnon, did her early racing from the Cambridge stable of Joe Bromby. She had a victory over the flying Jocastra as a two-year-old but lost form when campaigned in Australia in her next season.

Ascending was having her first start at the meeting when she won yesterday. Ridden by Peter Johnson, she stole away to a longish lead on the home turn, and none of the others could strike a blow at her.

Voliz made ground dog= gedly near the end for second ahead of Hasty May and Lady Roseville.