Gold Refrain improves family record

Press, 29 November 1978, Page 21

Gold Refrain improves family record

By PAUL MEIN The Orari chestnut, Gold Refrain, followed a somewhat similar pattern to his gallant grandam, Cloudy View, when successful on both days of the recent Greymouth meeting. For 26 years ago, on the neignbouring Kumara course. Cloudy View, at the tail end of a busy four-year-old campaign also seized a fine double, but in a somewhat different fashion to her promising grandson. Unlike Gold Refrain, who notched his two wins in the space of three days, Cloudy View scored her consecutive victories on the same day. Cloudy View first appeared in the Kumara Handicap, race three on the card, and duly obliged by a comfortable four lengths then, after a brief rest, lined up two. races later to win the Flying Handicap (seven furlongs) once again in the capable hands of jockev Bill Skelton. Like Gold Refrain, Cloudy View was also prepared by Orari’s Lionel Pratt, who made a signal contribution to that Kumara meeting 26 years ago by winning half of the , six-race card, when Owl’s Way triumphed in the last race under topweight. Winning two races on the same day was no new experience to Cloudy View. It had been done before with undue exertion and. in fact, her Kumara double was her third for the 1952-53 season. The Airway mare started tnat four-year-old season with a flourish when successful on the first day of the Dunedin Jockey Club’s Cup meeting then finished a game second to the little-fa-voured Chat Tea the next day. The Orari-train.ed mare travelled south to Oamaru five days later in search of more honours. And to make doubly sure that she would be successful, Pratt started her twice, an exercise that was to become most lucrative. Cloudy View won her first race at Oamaru, the Waitaki Hack Handicap with little trouble, then with scarcely enough time to cool down after her first exertion, was resaddled for the final race: on the card, two races later. Her second appearance in front of the Oamaru crowd was again a winning one. her three-length victory achieved with little trouble in spite of

the top-weight of 9.4 (59kgs). The very next day Cloudy View was whisked inland to Kurow and she made light of her 10.1 (64kgs) beating Royal Symbol by a comfortable two lengths’ Cloudy View had only a neck to spare at her second Kurow outing that day, but an extra furlong to run coupled with eight pounds more weight to carry must have taken their toll. It was less than a week later that she scored her “treble double” when triumphant on the same day at Kumara. The four-year-old bay was to have 12 further races that season, for three wins and a similar amount of placings. The much-travelled filly ended her third term of racing with ten wins and four placings. this from only 27 starts. But what is more remarkable is the fact that six of those wins were achieved in the space of eight days. Cloudy View must have passed some of her ability to her progeny, for her daughter. Gold View, dam of Gold Refrain, was a talented filly in her own right. As a three-year-old, Gold view boasted wins in the John Grigg Stakes, Dunedin Guineas, and C. J. C. Challenge Stakes, defeating the brilliant Daziz and Desert Chief. The three-year-old can also claim placings in the Desert Gold Stakes, to Challen and Moy, a third to Commanding in the W.R.C. Challenge Stakes, and the gamest of fourths in the New Zealand Oaks. Her son, Gold Refrain, is racing in the shadow of illustrious parents, but he made his first tentative step to greater things with a maiden win at Hokitika two weeks ago. and a gallant double over the two-day Greymouth meeting. PROGRAMME FOR TRIALS The programme lor barrier; trials to be run at Addingtonj Raceway today is:— 1 p.m.—CO and Cl Pacers. 1.20 p.m.—CO and Cl Trotters. 1.40 p.m.—CO and Cl Pacers. 2 p.m.—C2 to €5 Trotters: 2.20 p.m.—CO and Cl Pacers. ■ 2.40 p.m.—C-2 to C 4 Pacers. ; 3 p.m.—CB to OC Pacers. 3.20 p.m.—Two-year-olds. 3.40 p.m.—Two-year-olds. — Advt'