Double d’Or wraps up title in series

Press, 1 April 1980, Page 24

Double d’Or wraps up title in series

By J. J. BOYLE Double d’Or wrapped up the Broadlands Filly of the Year Series when she captured the North Canterbury Racing Club’s Inglewood Stakes at Rangiora yesterday.

With only one race remaining in the series, the Southland-owned and trained Noble Bijou filly leads with 24 points from Firefly with 14.

Firefly was third yesterday,. but did not place any strain on Noble Bijou. The only one to test the hot favourite was Milton Leigh, which was responsible for the ,pacemaking and dug in bravely, going under ■by only a neck. ; Double d’Or is' raced , by her Western Southland ‘breeder, Mrs Valerie. Christophers, is trained at Gore by [Rex Cochrane, and was ridden by Jim Collett. ;■ "She felt as if she was battling before the home ’turn, but that’s her style,”

Collett said after the race. Collett ' said he was pleased with the strength the filly showed in the last few metres of yesterday’s 1600 m race, and is confident she will be better over 2000 m in the Warstep Stakes at Riccarton. The Inglewood Stakes, is a race closely linked with the stud established by the late Mr Ken Austin, and by the long arm of coincidence, Mrs Christophers’s racing colours are identical to those carried by the many good winners owned by the late Mr Austin.

When Mr Nick Wigley, a grandson of the late Mr Austin applied to the New Zealand Racing Conference for permission to carry on with his grandfather’s colours he was .advised that ih the years in between the colours had been applied for and granted to Mrs Christophers. \ ' Attached . to ..yesterday s race was the Bobalong Chal-

lenge Trophy donated by Mr Austin’s widow, and another trophy presented by the Inglewood Stud, which is managed and . directed by Mr Wigley. ' Mrs Christophers bred Double d’Or from Laristan, a Kurdistan, mare from; the family, that came up with the ' good- winners, . Passaforni, Platform, Tauramai and others. ...... ..

Unfortunately . ' .Laristan died when in foal to Approval. ~. ' - I Firefly’s third with a run from the back yesterday was in character - with most of her earlier runs in fillies’ races this season. She wds also third in the One Thousand Guineas, the New Zealand Oaks, and the Otago Mannequin Stakes. In the Princess Mellay Stakes at Gore she ran second to Double d’Or- But she had one moment of triumph in the series: in the Show Gate Stakes at Washdyke in December.