Great Zeal turns luck

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 57

Great Zeal turns luck

Great Zeal became the first horse to score a double for the Greymouth Jockey Club’s meeting yesterday and turned the luck of rider Chris Johnson, when his class got him home in the second leg of the T.A.B. double, the Early Times Handicap.

“He was never really very happy in it and I was a bit worried down the back but some of the others weren’t handling it too well either,” Johnson said of the Adios gelding which has won five races for Ned Thistoli, who is now training in partnership with his daughter, Mrs Gail Whitnail. Great Zeal was a five-year-old and still a maiden when sent south last February. He has now won over 130,000 and Thistoli feels sure he has plenty of good racing left in him yet

He is one of a number of horses syndicated by a Whakatane paraplegic, Mr Merv Brown. Through a casual acquaintance, Thistoli met Mr Brown when the latter visited his property a few years ago and he has since sent several horses to the stable. The horses’ owners are based in the United States.

“This one has been much the best of ones to come down and T think he’ll go over a bit m<?re ground because he’s settling better. I’ll go home and have a look at what’s coming up before deciding where we go from here,” Thistoli said. In a day of rather remarkable occurences the out of form Sweet King contributed another talking point with his big effort for second. He was tailed off and looked

beaten with 500 m to run but suddenly grabbed the bit and accelerated getting within a length of the hot favourite. Ferndale Lass, which disputed the pace and Sky Rocket came next but the ability of Great Zeal was too much for the others to handle. Johnson had had lean pickings yesterday, up until Great Zeal’s success, with minor placings on Margrit, Wendy Jane and Gums a Calling being his lot.

Anthony Hunsche, however, lost his 3kg allowance, Goodie Two Shoes being his seventeentn winner. He may ride the smart ' sprinter Black Heath at the gelding’s next start.

Karamuremu streets rivals Karamuremu followed

Great Zeal as a dual winner for the meeting streeting his rivals in the Greymouth handicap by twelve lengths. He ended a successful circuit for the Tauherenlkau trainer, Don Fuge, which won four races at Westland and Greymouth, two of them yesterday. Earlier, Wren Margot had won with almost as much ease as Karamuremu which took over from a tiring Tyrone Pal with 1000 m to run and left his rivals to ft.

He was ridden again by Morgan Barrie which had posted his first win as an apprentice on the horse on Saturday after about 40 raceday rides.

Karamuremu’s time of 2:20.4 was only just outside that recorded by Goodie Two Shoes in the Greymouth Cup and faster than that posted by those which chased her home.