Double You Em wins in track record time

Press, 7 May 1981, Page 22

Double You Em wins in track record time

From

W. R. CARSTON

Blenheim

Double You Em, which' broke through for the first win of his career at Water-1 lea 12 months ago, again showed his liking for the course when he came out best in the Thibenzole Handicap at Blenheim yesterday. And to win the firs- leg of the Marlborough Racing Club’s T.A.B. double the Double Nearco — Alouette four-ye.'.r-old had to run a track record of 2min 01s for the 2000 m.

Peter Moseley, from Hawera who trains and shares the ownership of Double You You Em, has been a regular supporter of Marlborough meetings for years. Seldom has he come south without returning with his share of the spoils but by the time .yesterday’s feature event came up for decision! he was beginning to wonder whether Lady Luck had deserted him this year. After two days of racing this time the best that any of the six horse team he brought south had managed was a handful of minor placings. Double You Em is one of

[several foals produced by< [the Targui mare, .Jouette,! ■which Moseley has leased to[race with a fair measure of success. Three years ago he I won a Marlborough Cup I with Cheval d’Alure, a halfsister to Double You Em. . Moseley raced Cheval d’Alure in his own interests, but he has-three partners irv the ownership of Double You' Em. Two of them, Mrs Marion Dickson, of Christ[church, and Mrs Bill Trotter, of Wellington, were at Bien-; heim yesterday to see . the horse in his record-breaking run but the other partner, Mr Wayne' Larsen, also of Wellington, Avas unable tomake the trip. j-J : j’ J''' 1 , This latest victory was | Double You Em’s fourth fori the {partnership and he has: achieved that from only 16 , career- starts. He is an [ acceptor for the Westport : meeting on Saturday but ] Moseley might allo'., him to miss that meeting and have : a tilt at the Foxton Cup on Saturday week. [ The pace set by Maurice ; Campbell on St Johann in ' yesterday’s race was a contributing factor in Double You Em's record run. Phillip 1 Mercer secured a perfect < trail behind the pacemaker i

.till the home, turn, brought 'Double You Em out to challenge early in the run home land under a hands-and-heels ride, he got there by a long neck. St Johann rallied again close to the end to keep Ask the Question out of second I by the- same marjn. The 'Woodville-trained gr v y came 'from the tail of the field for his placing and Fraxy by a length. The favourite. Father Lou, was an uninspiring fifth. He ran on the outer at St’ Jo-hann's-quarters till the home turn, but there’ was no re-| sponse. to Bruce, Compton’s | ■urgings soon after they- ' began the run. home. , ■ I I Compton notched win Nd. i 104 for the season .and was seen at his skilful. be:t in getting Sovereign’s Will home for a decisive victory in the second leg, the S. H.| McKay Memorial. > It could not have been aj more popular, nor fitting, re- i suit for Sovereign’s Will) carries the colours of Jan and Wayne Cresswell, of Blenheim, and is trained on the course by Kevin O’Brien who persuaded l the top Matamata horseman to attend the meeting and arranged all his rides. I

i Sovereign’s Will, a gelded Ison of Precious Will and Koitirotere is raced on lease [from his trainer. O’Brien [purchased him from his i Cambridge breeder, Mr Fred I Masoni but decided later I that he could afford t 6 race I only one horse himself and i settled for Quay Princess. I Compton settled Soverleign’s Will on the inner toI wards the rear in yester- ! day’s race and his chance of victory did-not seem bright in jthe tight-running field as .they made ..the home turn, ■ but somehow he managed to (thread his way through the [pack, soon after they Lrgan •the run home and he had I Sovereign’s Will in the clear, and the result was in safe keeping with 10Cm to go. I Sovereign’s Will won by a length and a quarter from | Karaman 'ajid Travolta {. — 'both are members" of Graeme I Rogerson’s team — was -a (length back third. Karaman [made his run from mi-A-field but Travolta was always in touch with the pace. Babble, which had tried for an all-the-way win, was half a head back fourth and Dhatu came from a fair way back to shade Shahreena for fifth.