Cameron has fourth win in Leonard Stk.

Press, 18 March 1985, Page 44

Cameron has fourth win in Leonard Stk.

By

JEFF SCOTT

Robert Cameron, who resumed racedriving after a lengthy absence 12 days ago, scored his fourth New Zealand Leonard Memorial Stakes win when he guided Rely to a narrow but comfortable win in the Cheviot Trotting Club’s feature event at Rangiora on Saturday. One of New Zealand’s leading reinsmen, Cameron rated Jim Dalgety’s promising Lordship filly with a touch of class to score by a short neck from the gallant El Cadeau, and thus join Yankee Score (1973), Golden Nurse (1974) and Tact Del (1976) as previous winners for the Ashburton reinsman in the fillies semi-classic. Rely, the runner-up in her only two previous starts including a fast-finishing second to Brankin at Addington on Tuesday, settled in the trail, and apart from causing a few anxious moments when she ran out of her gear when hitting different terrain at the crossing 1400 m from the finish, gave her driver no problems from there on in. She dashed up quickly at the straight entrance to level up to El Cadeau (in front from the 1500 m) and always had the upper hand over the final 200 m, Cameron giving her a couple of sharp flicks near the line to put the issue beyond doubt. Dalgety, the proprietor of the successful Lantana Lodge Stud at West Melton, bred Rely from his unraced Out to Win mare, Ultra Sonic (also the dam of Ultra Scotch, two Perth juvenile wins), a granddaughter of the Bachelor Hanover mare, Nikellora, the dam of his two big race-winners, Bolton Byrd (Auckland Cup, Great Northern Derby) and Melton Monarch (Great Northern Derby and New Zealand Messenger Championship). Dalgety sold Rely’s younger sister, So Blessed, to the Central Standardbred Agency at the national yearling sale in Christchurch last month for $6500, while he has a weanling halfsister to Rely by the Most Happy Fella stallion, Marjac (Imin 58.45) at home and Ultra Sonic is now in foal to the first-season sire, Alberton (Imin 56.6 s and $470,000), a son of the .former champion three-year-old, Armbro Omaha. Rely credited her sire, Lordship (fighting it out with Smooth Fella in this season’s sires premiership) with his forty-ninth individual winner for the season. Travel Warrant (Cheviot Shearing Handicap) and Dunlord (Paul Renwick Pace) made it a hat-trick of wins by the Globe Lodge sire at the meeting with wins in the final events. “She’s very tough,” Dalgety said of Rely, but also added that “you cannot give her too much or else she becomes keyed up.” Rely may only have two or three more starts in her debut season; however, Dalgety is already eyeing up next season’s D.B. Export Flying Stakes with justified optimism. He intends to oursue the late payment for he series in the next few weeks.

El Cadeau, a chance drive for Maria Perriton when regular reinsman Anthony Butt had to leave for his flight to Auckland, for the Great Northern Derby meeting, began smartly from the second line and was in front after 500 m. “She never gave in. The winner just had a bit much sharp speed for us,” Perriton said. Carol Arden, from Tapanui, fought on strongly after being handy throughout for third, a length and a quarter back, with Citation and Mythical battling on to finish next. The win favourite, Lady Sovereign, was slow away and settled back on the outer. She improved wide into the straight but was soon battling, finishing seventh. The leaders ran over their last 800 m in Imin 3.65, with the closing 400 m in 29.85. Coastal Trader, an unlucky eighth at Ashburton a week earlier when carted back by a tiring runner on the home turn, upset the favourites in the D.B. Cheviot Cup, holding on in a close five-way finish. Given every chance by Kevin Townley, the Waratah gelding worked into a good position handy on the outer, then was sent forward three wide as the challenges started to come 600 m out. Coastal Trader, which recorded a similar win over 3200 m at Motukarara in December over Spangled Lord, clung tenaciously to his lead over the closing stages, having a short head to spare over another outsider, Daisy Duke, which tracked the winner to the straight. The favourite, Lew Foy, settled back on the outer and was caught five wide across the top when making his run at the 700 m. The Lonero gelding kept coming strongly to be only a head back third at the post, with half a neck to another strong finisher in Freightman, with Regal Nugent close up next. Coastal Trader, a tough staying type bred, raced and trained at Sefton by Murray Hanna, has now won seven (including one penalty-free) from 30 starts and won close to $20,000 in stakes. Three of his wins have now been on grass tracks; however, he is likely to revert back to an all-weather track for a similar class event over 3200 m at Ashburton next Saturday. Coastal Trader paced the 3200 m on Saturday in 4min 19.25, the leaders running their last 800 m in 59.85. Travel Warrant, catchdriven by Felix Newfield for his owner-trainer, Tim Musson, proved too strong in the second leg of the T.A.B. double, after racing in the open throughout. The Tinwald-trained trotter, Cruiser, again confirmed his promise with an easy six lengths win in the Cheviot Licensing Trust Trot over 3200 m, while Dunlord again demonstrated his liking for grass surfaces by taking out the third leg of an $11,049.55 T.A.B. treble with the upset winners, Golden Magic (at $46 to one) and Coastal Trader.