Course treble of $372

Press, 29 April 1982, Page 22

Course treble of $372

i W. R. CARSTON

From

Blenheim The Richmond-trained Double Luck, and Leopard Rock from Levin, and the Ashburton-trained Ashmac combined successfully in a course treble worth $372.40 for $1 at Blenheim yesterday. Double Luck kept a winning record in two starts at the meeting intact when he beat Shazaam handily and six others easily in the Hugh Charlesworth Highweight. In winning this one for his Nelson owners. Jim Rowling, a grocer from Hope, and Fred Smith, a-hotelier from Brightwater, Double Luck gave his Richmorid-based trainer, John Healey, his third success at the meeting. The Riccarton. horseman, Andrew Pitman, had Double Luck at the rear in the inner of a close-running field till the home turn and brought him through to challenge when Perlay moved off the fence early in the run home. Double Luck ran the 2025 m out strongly to win by., a length.

Shazaam. in the third line till the home turn, outfinished Perlay, which had tried for an all-the-way win, for second by a length and a half.

Viking Star battled into fourth in a gap of three and a half lengths and Coplette. back and never really going well at any stage, led in the others.

Leopard Rock, a Rocky Mountain -mare in George and Lloyd Tyree’s Levin stable, broke through for her first win in the President’s Maiden.

The Levin-based apprentice, Phillip Mercer, secured a perfect trailing run for Leopard Rock behind the pacemaking Neat ’N’ Nifty till the home turn, brought her forward to challenge 200 m out and she kept up a determined run to win by a length and a quarter. Neat ’N’ Nifty held'-second by a length from the Riccar-tbn-trained Reach, a fast finisher from mid-field. The win favourite. Sakkara. which

had his chance, was a similar distance back, fourth, and the place favourite, Princess Diana, was the best of the others.

Ashmac gave South Island stables their second success of the day when he lasted for a nose victory over Cobden Boy in the Wally Carston Maiden.

After two seconds from his only three previous starts for his Ashburton owner-trainer, Tim Munro, the Ashabit four-year-old was one of the popular fancies. Ashmac was back for a time early but made good progress towards the pace, made by Our Approval, approaching the straight then fought best in a battling last 200 m with Cobden Boy, one of the long-shots of the field. Fighting Chief, handily placed on the inner till the home turn, battled well for third, a length and threequarters back and he was followed in by Belletrist and Culdass, both solid finishers from far back.