Century comes up for Gary Phillips

Press, 12 July 1984, Page 36

Century comes up for Gary Phillips

J. J. BOYLE Wellington

Gary Phillips yesterday reached his century of winners for the season on a horse he had never ridden before. He brought his century up on Rua Whero in the Members’ Handicap second leg of the Wellington Racing Club’s T.A.B. double. He became the second to get into double figures for the season, reaching that mark eight days after David Walsh, whose century came up at Wanganui. Phillips’s best previous tally was 87 wins. “All they told me about the horse before the race was to hold him up for the last possible run,” Phillips said after Rua Whero beat Scarborough Fair by a short length. Phillips said Scarborough Fair had given him some concern when he loomed up wider on the track early in

the run home. But to get into a challenge position Scarborough Fair had been brought forward on a big run, one that would have proved too daunting for many in the circumstances. Scarborough Fair lost all of four lengths at the start and bis chance of even reaching some of the money looked dim more than half way through the race. Longmore was then haring along in front with a widish lead over Divine Poem, the former South Islander, Whirl, Choir Path and the first-day winner, Colman, which was again the mount of David Walsh, this time carrying one whip.

It was clear on the home tarn that Colman was not finding enongh to get right into the action.

Divine Poem swept past Longmore, but came under heavy pressure when Rua Whero and Scarborough Fair mounted their runs

wider on the track. Phillips had his ninetyninth win for the season on the Wingatui-trained Vrinsk in the Petone Handicap earlier in the day. Phillips > had Vrinsk’s stablemate, Hwyl, as his hopeful for the Totara Handicap, the last race on yesterday’s programme but he never had a sniff of victory on the southerner. He had only a distant view of his great rival, David Walsh, who kicked Peace Seeker home to victory by ’ six lengths.

Peace Seeker, a stablemate of Colman, and a four-year-old by Silent Hunter, was angled out for the best possible footing wide on the track and in the last 100 m he kicked away for one of the widest, most impressive wins of the day. Bundi Bid lasted the 1600 m slightly better than Poppa’s Pride for second. Hwyl struggled in ninth in the field of 13.