Brilliant wins by Shamrock and Prince Majestic

Press, 27 June 1983, Page 28

Brilliant wins by Shamrock and Prince Majestic

NZPA Brisbane In the New Zeallander Shamrock skittled boomkakers with a remarkable reutn to Brisbane racing at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Shamrock (5-1) having his first race start since last December —stormed down the exteme outside to take the Members’ Welter (1600 m in a deceptive photo-finish from the heav-ily-backed Aquatine (3-1), which burst clear 100 m out. However, in spite the last-to-first victory Shamrock will not be a starter in Saturday week’s $175,000 Fourex Cup (2200 m at Doomben. Another New Zealander, Prince Majestic, recorded a briliant Cup trial on the same day. Shamrock’s trainer, Bruce Marsh, who won the 1971 Melbourne Cup on Silver Knight, did not enter Shamrock for the Fourex Cup.

Shamrock returned the enclosure with his right eye weeping badly after his storming win. “He’s had a few setbacks this preparation and I doubt if he’d be ready to test the best gallopers , in the Fourex Cup,” Marsh said. Shamrock opened at 9-2, eased to 6-1, and firmed after a late betting move. Shamrock looked a 100-1 chance when he was a clear last nearing the turn. However, the champion jockey, Gavan Duffy, who had waled around the course on Friday, sliced the stayer through the field making the turn and then eased him out to the better going in the straight. Aquataine, sensationally backed from 9-2 to 3-1, had the race all but won when Mick Dittman stole a break inside the 200 m after a brief tussle with another Kiwi,

Claymore Boy (4-1). The two horse hit the line wide apart and most racegoers thought Aquataine, on the inside, had just lasted. Bookmakers scrambled to cut the quote of Prince Majestic for Saturday week’s Fourex Cup after the star New Zealander’s magnificent win in the $50,000 Tattersails Cup (2270 m Mick Dittman had a tight hold on the Kiwi galloper, which raced in second place until surging to the lead at the top of the straight. It was left to a fellow New Zealander, Rose and Thistle (7-1) to extend Prince Majestic down the running. When the judge called a halt, Prince Majestic (5-2) had a length to spare over Rose and Thistle, with the local galloper, Sao Borja (10-1), turning in a fine middle-distance debut in

third place. The trainers Ray Verner (Prince Majestic) and Errol Skelton (Rose and Thistle) were delighted with the runs. “he needed that run badly,” Verner said, “it will top him off beautifully fo the Cup.” Bookmakers were highly impressed. They slashed Prince Majestic’s Cup quote to 3-1 and in some cases a few cauttious bagmen were only offering 5-2 at the end of the day. Skelton was all smiles after Rose and Thistle’s gallant run. “He’s just getting over a cut mouth and he’ll be a lot harder to beat in the Cup next month,” Skelton said. Rose and Thistle suffered the mouth laceration in running sixth behind Aamarant in the Brisbane Cup (3200 m on June 13.