Grand Zam wins eventful Parliamentary Handicap

Press, 12 July 1979, Page 20

Grand Zam wins eventful Parliamentary Handicap

/Racing and trotting

From

J. J. BOYLE

at Trentham

Grand Zam brilliantly won one of the most eventful Parliamentary Handicaps for many years at Trentham yesterday.

The Hastings-owned and trained five-year-old was brought along with the last run to win by a length and a quarter from Dark Purple, which outstayed Skadoot end the favourite, Wanbin. The race took a sensational turn about 600 m out when Venleigh fel when tiring and brought down Cattle J .ng. Willem Barendsz and Sencore. At that stag) Grand Zam v as making ground from far back in the field, but Jim Cassidy had her clear of the trouble, arso charging forward on her big run wide cm the track Her victory yesterday was her first for the season for Messrs M. M. Anderson and M. G. Peacock, of Hastings, but when she was brought to Trentham in May she was a good third in Disraelis do ming Stakes. Grand Zam was campaigned in Australia by l

i Maurice Hennah earlier in I the season, but it was nut a Rewarding venture.

Dark Purple, third when I favourite in the High-weight on the first day of the meetling, looked as if he might igive David Peake his third 'winning ride in the race when he moved from the middle to reach a challenging position on the home turn. He kept up his purposeful run but Grand Zam, wider out on the track, buried him for finishing speed. Wanbin was gr n the run •of the race by Ron Taylor, but was left in front a little I earlier than his rider might have liked.

■ When waiting at the birdcage gate to bring Wanbin 'back for the weigh-in Taylor had another painful experience, this time all physical

I The riderless Cattle King : charged through the pack and cannoned into Taylor who was lucky not to be unseated and returned to the birdcage in pain.

, Hunting Chief, the spritely I 11-year-oid, attempting to | repeat last year’s win, came 'from last for fifth. ' His rider, Ray Jenkins, I thought he lost a chance of landing a place dividend when hung up for a few strides behind the fallen horses.

Master Lea the South Island’s only runner was a well-beaten thirteenth, and will return south without racing again at the meeting. “He didn’t handle it a yard today,” said his rider, Graeme Heaton. EASY WIN Luck Roona showed weight-carrying and mudrunning prowess to eclipse his rivals in the Members’ Handicap, second leg of the T.A.B. double by six lengths. He had 59.5 but it was easy for him on a looser track than it had been when he ran second on the opening day of the meeting. He charged past the i Whyte Handicap winner,

Rising Damp, up the straight and won running away by six lengths. Luck Roona, a fpur-year-old son of Bahrcrona and Smart Eileen, is trained at Takanini by his part owner E. A. Skinner and was ridden yesterday by Danny Southworth.

Since April when he won at Avondale, Luck Roona has toiled bravely and rewardingly, on soft and heavy tracks. He was the successful favourite over 1400 m when he was brought south for the Wellington meeting in May. His success came in the Adventure Handicap, in which he beat Tarbela by a head. In the meantime Ted Skinner had married his racing partner, Hanna, who was formerly Mrs J. Wall. The Nelson-trained Vermont extended a useful list of minor placings with a third yesterday and Gold Mega rallied late to finish fourth after drifting on the inner early.