Outright easily wins hurdles

Press, 4 June 1984, Page 16

Outright easily wins hurdles

Special correspondent Auckland Gogong earned nothing for the effort but he was a main contributor to the drama of the Great Northern Hurdles at Ellerslie on Saturday. Running riderless, he could well have cost Outright and others their chance. After throwing his rider at the very first of the 13 hurdles, Gogong kept with the leaders all through the remaining 4000 m or so. With 1600 m to go he was squeezed between Sir Innes and Cozi Kid as they chased hard on the heels of the leaders, Kananint, Stipulation and Outright. He was with Kanamint and Outright as they made the home turn then suddenly sharing the lead with Outright at the last jump. Outright’s rider, Stephen Jenkins, confessed afterwards that he took his mount into the last hurdle with one eye on the jump, the other on Gogong, which had taken a course along the inside. “That was why I took my fellow well out on the track,” Jenkins said. “There was no saying what the other horse might do.” Gogong, as it happened, kept his line, in front right to the finish. With the last jump behind them he had been the only worry to Jenkins. Whisky Creek and Cozi

Kid, though battling bravely, continued to lose ground on Outright as Jenkins urged his mount along to make the win about as decisive as it could be. It was very close between second and third, Whisky Creek staying on slightly the better. Greek Boy secured the 52500 for fourth place a further length and a half away. The other eight finishers — Seeyoulater fell at the hurdle 1200 m out — struggled in, all completely spent. Seeyoulater, the best backed after Outright, appeared to be travelling well until he misjudged his jump, the tenth on the journey. But whether he would have been in the finish otherwise is impossible to say. The rider of Seeyoulater, Laurie Cavanagh, was not prepared to declare one way or the other though he agreed that his mount had "plenty left.” Cavanagh, in the way jumps riders have, said when making his way back to change that he was “all right" but a medical report described his having mild concussion, which could keep him from riding for three to five days. Outright became the second horse in recent years to complete the Waikato-Great Northern Hurdles double and the second winner of the same period from the Central Districts. The most recent previous winner of the two big hurdles races was Cobland, in 1974. The latest winner of the Great Northern from outside Auckland and the Waikato was Thun in ;j976.