Punters on mark

Press, 10 March 1983, Page 24

Punters on mark

Punters were on the mark in the first of the drivers Championship races, the Manchester Fiat Handicap, when the ultra-consistent Game Greg, in the hands of the Cambridge driver, John Langdon, ran away to win by three lengths and a half. The four-year-old son of Game Pride, already placed 11 times this season, was given a good run throughout by Langdon in the outer of the second line. He quickly put the issue beyond doubt early in the run home and went on to win untested. Geranee (Colin de Filippi), after improving from the back to sit in the open over the last 1200 m, fought on well to hold second, half a

length in front of Bottletop (Kerry O’Reilly), which led, trailed from the 1100 m, and battled on for third. Colin de Filippi went one better in the second driver’s championship event, the Mitsubishi Mobile Pace, coming with a well-timed run to get - the longshot, Solar Queen, home by a neck. Rapid Lustre, which ran on well from the back and looked likely to take the race 100 m out, increased John Langdon’s position by finishing second, with Blue Sapphire (Tony Herlihy), after receiving a perfect run throughout, a neck back third. Jay Marie was in a class of her own against the two-year-old fillies in the Nevele R. Stud Stakes, when she

eclipsed the opposition by six lengths. The Jayex filly made a fast beginning from the backmark of 10m but was soon handy on the outer. She received a good run all the way and quickly swept up to take the lead away from the pacemaker, Lumber Del, at the 400 m.

“She’s a bit lazy on it — you have to keep her going,” the Weedons trainer-driver, Jack Smolenski, said of Jay Marie, which has now won three of her four starts including the Golden Slipper Stakes at Waimate in December.

Jay Marie steps out next in the Leonard Memorial Stakes for two-year-old fillies at the Cheviot meeting at , Addington on Saturday week.