Harnett to ride Swell Gent

Press, 2 June 1981, Page 28

Harnett to ride Swell Gent

Special correspondent

Wingatui

Nick Harnett, the former Wingatui jockey now based in Melbourne, has been engaged to ride Swell Gent in the Grand National Steeplechase at Flemington next month.

Swell Gent showed he was at his peak for a Victorian campaign when he won the Otago Steeplechase yesterday. Swell Gent is booked to fly from Auckland to Melbourne tomorrow week with Mike Lawson, his Winton trainer. Swell Gent is expected to have his next race at Flemington on June 27.

He has had three starts in his latest campaign for two wins and a second over country. He won the Bluff Steeplechase and finished second to Connecticut in the Broadlands Steeplechase at Invercargill last month. He has been ridden in his recent races by Michael Jones, aged 21, an Invercargill rider, who made a comeback to racing this season after two years on the sideline. Jones served his apprenticeship with Lawson.

The seven-year-old Mellay — Bonny Clyde gelding finished third to Bymai and Reklaw in last year’s Grand National Hurdles at Riccarton and second to Kaimoto in the Sydenham Hurdles at the Grand National meeting. Kaimoto was a recent winner over country in Victoria. Swell Gent was placed in his five starts over country

last season and he was ridden in the first of those races by Harnett. He finished second to Our Mark on that occasion in the Tahuna Steeplechase at Wingatui. Swell Gent is raced by Mr Ron Ussher, of Cromwell. He bought the horse two years ago after racing him on lease with Don Johnson and Leo Mangos from the breeders, Messrs Fred Anscombe and Eric Smart. Swell Gent’s Dam, Bonny Clyde, is a half sister to Queen Mellay, the dam of Mellseur. Swell Gent settled in sixth place yesterday and swept to the lead at the first fence of the double near the 1000 m. He stayed on to win by two lengths from Nevertell, which led the chase after the pacemaker, Champagne Flight, to the 1000 m. Nevertell was sore after the race. The trouble is in his near foreleg which has previously been a problem.

Taitan was three-quarters of a length back, third, after being in touch with the pace from the halfway mark and he can be expected to improve. “He missed some work after Trentham with a blood disorder and that started to tell at the second last fence.. He could be a different horse next time,” said his rider Paul Dooney. Champagne Flight dropped out to sixth. “He hit the second of the stand double and just wasn’t going as well today as in his recent races,” said his rider, Harold Patemen.