Gritain atones for last week’s failure

Press, 25 February 1985, Page 34

Gritain atones for last week’s failure

From

ALEX McMILLAN

Westport

The Paddy Busuttintrained Gritain atoned for an expensive failure in last Wednesday’s D.B. Greymouth Cup when he returned a game performance to win the 2000 m Morley Handicap, the feature event on the first day of the Westport Jockey Club’s meeting at Patterson Park on Saturday. The Wellington-owned son of Allgrit had to be good to win on Saturday as he covered a considerable amount of extra ground, but found enough reserves of stamina to outstay Graikos in a tight finish, winning by a nose. Kitango, making his South Island debut, looked set for victory on the home turn but was quickly mastered by Gritain and Graikos, fin-

ishing two lengths back, third, just shaded You Rang Sir. The successful rider on Saturday was Busuttin’s six-teen-year-old apprentice, Warwick Satherley, who was recording his seventh win and to date his most important. The payment of dividends was held up for several minutes while an inquiry was held into possible interference by the winner to the third horse, Kitango, with 75m to travel, but as the movement was considered to be of a minor nature the placings were soon confirmed. Gritain is in the care of one of Busuttin’s stable employees, Donald Bell, for the duration of his South Island stay, and Bell attributed Gritain’s failure to do better than eighth in last week’s Greymouth Cup to the shifty

track at Omoto. The two best-backed runners in the Morley Handicap, Gold Zam and Ribot Vain, were both very disappointing, finishing fifth and eighth respectively. Gold Zam, the favourite despite a dismal showing in the Greymouth Cup, failed to fire after receiving a good run and will now go straight to the spelling paddock, according to her Levin trainer, Geoff Haigh. It was intended to scratch her from the Westport meeting after her Greymouth run but Haigh had a change of heart on Saturday morning when he discovered that the field was down to just ten starters. Ribot Vain settled well back in the early running and never seemed likely to improve, beating only two home.