Eye-catching win for the tenacious Sovereign

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 18

Eye-catching win for the tenacious Sovereign

Trio, Genesis and Mataiu Dreamer, among the top-J ranked two-year-olds of last I season, might be tested in major classic races later on i by the diminutive Sovereign. I The royally-bred colt by i Bachelor Hanover from I Royal Belmer, having only i his second race start, had to ' produce a run of great merit 1 to win the Second Canter- i bury Stakes at Addington 1 Raceway on Saturday. ; Affluent made ground for < second without really look- i ing likely to head Sover-! eign. with Lord Brigade,) making his race debut, a. splendid third, ahead of.; Orkan and the long-shot, !.< Gregory Garrison. I 1 Sovereign's stablemate, v Plato, broke after about* 900 m and finished twelfth after breaking a hopple. I< Sovereign settled well Is back in the field and im- r proved three wide over the j; final 1100 m. He showed rare)l tenacity over the last 300 m t and could hardly have been b more impressive. He is one of a team of three-year-olds v trained by Jack Smolenski, f who races him in partner-* i ship with Mr Joh’- Osborne, if a member of the committee c of the Metropolitan Club, IS

and his father, Mr Maurice* Osborne, who has not preI viously had success with | pacers. “The shifty track didn’t suit him and that was why he was inclined to hang a shade at times,” said Smolenski. “I'll pay up with him at the Brighton meeting next week and see how he comes through this race before deciding about starting him. He needs racing as he’s very green and he has to be fully experienced before races such as the New Zealand Derby,” he added. I Sovereign finished third to I Genesis in the Sapling Stakes at his only other start. While he might not be tall, he is solidly-built and well-proportioned. His dam, Royal Belmer, I won 12 races, including the; Standardbred Breeders’ I Stakes and took a mile record of Imm 58.8 sec. She! is a member of the Purple Patch family and is a daughter of the Adias horse, Thun I ber Frost. Smolenski produced his; second winner of the night l when Band Music, the least- 1 fancied of his two runners J in the Visitors’ Handicap, i for probationary drivers, ran out a decisive winner over) Stereo Hanover and Fallacy I

Rainbow. Band Music was driven by Jim Curtin, who i has now had five wins. Band Music’s stablemate, : Columnist, was a dominating favourite for the race, but i after leading to the straight he broke and finished thirteenth. ■ Hano Direct and Timely > Robin were the only double ■ winners at the meeting. Both four-year-olds were most im- ’ pressive and they look cap- ' able of further rapid promoi tion. ' Hano Direct came from far back starting the last 1 800 m to beat Special Prin- : cess and Beach Road in the ' Addinpton Handicap. Timely Robin won the ; Wildwood Handicap with I ease in spite of the fact that ' he broke at the start and 1 then pulled fiercely in the 1 middle stages. But, over the final 200 m, he did not have i to give of his best to beat Mighty Smooth and Smart Doll. The third favourite, Lord : Warden, was swinging round 1 at the barrier rise and took I no part in the race, j No Response gave his i rivals a lesson in the Winter Handicap, winning by almost ■ five lengths from Power Cut. 1 Waipounamu, Charlie Wood

s | and Now, which met trouble, 1 were next. ' Now’s driver, Denis , i Nyhan, was involved in an ; inquiry and her preliminary t was delayed as officials t would not allow a substitute i to take her on the track until Nyhan was available. r Now needs the maximum s possible warm-up before she 1 races and the decision did) - little for those who made - her the 3, 4 favourite for the - race. Jascoe, narrowly beaten n by Port View a week earlier, it! made no race of the Young Quinn Handicap. She store' med home to beat Majestic Major by two lengths, with 1 Port View and Staveley ® next, ahead of Abbe Prin- } cess, which came home quite ■ well very wide out. Port; ’ View was later disqualified - for causing interference to - the surprise favourite, Cap-) - tain Clive, near the 700 m.! ‘ Captain Clive was last at c that point. . The Waimate four-year-) J old, Lord Logan, a chance* drive for Dick Langford, led 1 throughout the Hillmorton Handicap and showed game5 ness to hold off Hurricane' Squire. Orfeo came on quite t well for third, ahead of Sir . ’ Robin, another to make I ground in the straight.