Fountaincourt at his best in Werribee win

Press, 27 October 1983, Page 26

Fountaincourt at his best in Werribee win

From

J. J. BOYLE

in Melbourne

With skilful assistance from Noel Harris the Trentham stayer, Fountaincourt, carried top weight of 58kg to a brilliant win in the $50,000 Werribee Cup at Werribee yesterday.

Last season’s Auckland Cup winner put himself strongly into the market for the Melbourne Cup next Tuesday when he came storming home to beat last year’s Werribee Cup winner, Noble Comment, by half a length. The time of 2min 46.6 s

for the 2600 m equalled the record established by Noble Comment a year ago. Harris was at his very best in bringing Fountaincourt through gaps on a weaving run to get him within challenging range. Beforehand, Fountain-

court was being dismissed in some quarters as a winning chance for the race because he appeared to lack the size for such a weight. But with excellent footing to help him Fountaincourt delivered another hammer blow for New Zealand on

the way towards his bid to complete a unique double next Tuesday. No Auckland Cup winner has won the Melbourne Cup in the same year. The Well-ington-Melbourne Cups double has proved just as elusive but the Waverley stayer, Kiwi, arrived from New Zealand yesterday for his attempt to make his contribution to history. No horse from New Zealand has won the Melbourne Cup at its first start in Australia. That is the task facing Kiwi which was flown from Auckland to Melbourne and was settling in at Mornington last evening. Kiwi was booked on the flight from Wellington today but there was a late cancellation which made a rushed trip to Auckland necessary for the Blarney Kiss gelding to join 37 others on a flight which left early yesterday morning. Kiwi arrived in the care of his Waverley ownertrainer, Ewen Lupton. Result:— WERRIBEE CUP $52,000; 2600 m FOUNTAINCOURT 58 N. Harris 1 NOBLE COMMENT 54 R. Heffernan .... 2 LINEESA 51.5 R. Skelton 3 Others in finishing order: Astrolin, Together Again, Lord Mop, Cassens, Sean’s Pride, Admiral Lincoln, We’re Laughing, Kiwi Exchange, Daisy. Vz len, Vz len. Time: 2:46.6 (equals track record).