Eumenides springs a surprise at Ellerslie

Press, 17 August 1978, Page 20

Eumenides springs a surprise at Ellerslie

Special correspondent Auckland The despair, previously, of owner, trainer and betters alike, Eumenides came home at last yesterday, at odds of 75-to-one, in the August Handicap at Ellerslie. Not many anticipated her success: in a field of 12 she was the rank outsider. Now six-years-old, Eumenides failed to win when four, redeemed herself with four wins through the first six or seven months Of last season then lapsed tb finish her five-year-old racing with a dozen unplaced runs in a row.

She tried a hurdle race at Matamata, just last Satur- - day, and came down at the ' second jump. She had been ) kept going, so her trainer, R. J. Leggett, frankly admitted. only in the hope that she might be qualified for high-weight racing through the summer. Hopes of her winning a worth-while open handicap had long disi appeared. ) But whatever the reason, | she came up in this one a different proposition altoIgether, prominent in the ) bunch chasing the tearaway : leaders. Mill Hill and Golden j Fox, to the 600 m then work- ) ing forward generously i when pressed by her young ) apprentice rider, B. Doyle. With Mill Hill and Golden Fox fading, Only Penrod and Eumenides were left to dispute the finish. Penrod, redden by D. Peake, looked likely, but Eumenides beat him by close to half a length. There was two-lengths gap to Princely Order and Stevie Wonder, almost together third and fourth. Only Penrod, of the best i backed runners in the Augjust Handicap paid a divijdent. The third place-getter, \ Princely Order, was out of j favour and returned $7.40 for a place. ( The most notable failure j by a long way was Evander which ran fifth. Stevie WonIder (4/2) came fourth. j Evander, after bringing the others up to the heels of the Headers with 600 m to go I failed to come on.as well as 'expected. He battled gamely ;to the finish but without a i chance of getting into the monev.

Evander was making a further attempt to tie-up his qualifications for a starting the Melbourne Cup. He has now turned in two perform ances distinctly moderate by comparision with those that secured him Avondale’s Air New Zealand Winter Cup and Trentliam’s Winter Oats Handicap last month, having been only fourth in his 2300 m at Pukekohe on August 5. (Perhaps Evander is past his best for a bit. The Takanini four-y earold, Misty Brae, continued his fine form by taking the second leg of the T.A.B. double, the Auckland Workingmen’s Centennial Handi-

cap. Well back into the last 600 m, he produced a game finish down the outside to get past Kiewa, Annasarzi, Albacore and NOess in the last 20 or 30m. Misty Brae won similarly the time before, over 1200 m at Pukekohe. From his last seven starts he has secured three first, two seconds and a fourth to become a very valuable property for his Takaniin owner-trainer breeder, Mr D. R. Wells. Misty Brae was ridden by R. Vance, the runner-up, Kiewa, by another in C. Jilling’s employ, the younger apprentice W. Hokai.