Forbury win surprises

Press, 30 January 1984, Page 24

Forbury win surprises

Special correspondent Dunedin Regal Maina left no excuses for his rivals when he won the $17,000 T.H.C. Championship Final for four-year-olds at Forbury Park on Saturday evening. Regal Maina was three wide for the last 1200 m, although receiving cover when improving from back in the field, and was four wide entering the home stretch. He sustained his effort to reach the lead near the 100 m and win by a length in the hands of Leo O’Reilly. Harvest Gold fought on for second after attempting to lead for the last 1500 m. She appeared to have the race in safe keeping 400 m out when still under a hold. She lasted by a long neck from Lucky Boy, which led early and then trailed. Boranam, which followed Regal Maina up, was a head back fourth. Mighty Me dropped out to second last after racing handy in the open and Lord Hillas, which trailed three places back, on the inner and then the outer, weak-

ened to eleventh. Regal Maina is trained at Highbank by Derek Low, a farmer, who races him with a friend, Michael Smith, a tree-topper. He is the first horse raced by Mr Smith, who was offered a half share by Low if he paid the service fee for Regal Maina’s dam, Regal Return, to be mated with Scotch Abbe. Regal Maina began racing last January with a first- up win at long odds at Washdyke. He has now won eight races. Low said he would give Regal Maina a spell. “I never really thought he would be good enough to win a race like this,” said Low on Saturday evening. The partners have a two-year-old brother to Regal Maina. The youngster has just been broken in. Regal Return is in foal to Lumber Dream. Regal Return, an unraced daughter of Regal Yankee and Cheamsway, was given by* Low to Phil Heywood, of Ashburton.