New owner’s quick return

Press, 2 January 1986, Page 1

New owner’s quick return

From

J. J. BOYLE

in Auckland

Mr Barry Neville-White, an Auckland businessman, saw a pedigree that interested him when he inspected the catalogue for the mixed bloodstock sale to be held at Trentham on January 24. He wasted no time initiating a private purchase of the mare that interested him and on Monday of last week he bought her for $65,000. Then he made another interesting discovery. His purchase, Kerry Lane, was still in the field for the D.B. Auckland Cup. Yesterday before a crowd of more than 30,000 at Ellerslie, Kerry Lane brought off one of the major surprises of the season in winning New Zealand’s richest thoroughbred race in style. In addition to that $65,000 she returned an extra $75,000 in winning the race for Mr Neville-White and his wife, Deidre. “Needless to say she will not be in that sale at Trentham now but she could be

at Trentham for the Wellington Cup,” said an exultant Mr Neville-White yesterday. “The mare will tell me how she feels about a cup run at Trentham,” said her Hawera trainer, Don Couchman, after Kerry Lane won at odds of over 45-to-one. Kerry Lane capitalised to the full on a trailing run in a stop-go kind of race, sprinting away in the straight to win by two lengths from Duanette’s Girl, which shaded Final Advance and Fort Cheval. Kerry Lane’s successful partner was Gary Grylls, the 23-year-old son of John Grylls, who won the 1975 Auckland Cup on Kia Maia, another stayer from Taranaki. Gary Grylls was engaged "> to take the ride on Kerry Lane only on Tuesday. Mr Couchman was hoping Gary Phillips would takethe ride but when he was approached Phillips clung to the hope that Twelve Gauge would get a start. To page 11 -