Double winners may become race rivals

Press, 7 December 1987, Page 38

Double winners may become race rivals

Special correspondent Wellington

Melbeck and Phareef, the winners of the T.A.B. double races on Saturday, may become race rivals before the month is out. Both Chris McNab, the trainer of Melbeck, and Jeff Lynds, who prepares Phareef, have the $lOO,OOO Evening Standard Manawatu Cup as the main summer objectives for their horses. On Saturday Melbeck beat Another Prince to the finish of the $BOOO Francis Allison Symes Handicap, while Phareef showed his liking for the track when he came from near last at the top of the straight to win the $BOOO Francis Allison Symes Sprint over Grand Gaffe. Melbeck raced in the third line on the outside and was always going well for Terry Kennedy. His winning margin was a long neck over a pretty determined Another Prince.

An eight-year-old gelding, it was his first win since August of last year, but with the easing of the track he was always a warm favourite to succeed.

McNab, a 28-yearrdd Hastings product, made a big impression as a rider of big race winners. It’s not that long ago that he stopped riding, and after starting training in the north, now is at Newbury on a property he leased from the then ABS group. The winners have continued to flow from the camp and the success on

Saturday was the 30th from the current base. McNab has a team of 25 in work and is helped no end by the fact that his first string rider is Noel Hfirrjs The deeds of Latitude and Resounding have been notable enough but the trainer has a soft spot for a couple of old-timers, the triple Prime Ministers Cup winner, Avitt, a winner at Awapuni this season, and now Melbeck, which was having only his second start since joining the team from Jim Didham. Avitt is expected back in time for an autumn campaign, about the time that Melbeck goes out for a break. McNab has high hopes that Latitude will be able to get back into full work soon. Phareef has made Trentham pretty much his own ground. Thirty starts have brought six wins and of those four have come on the course from eight attempts, as well he has two placings. Phareef won only once last season and twice the season before. On Satur-

day he was always going evenly and Lynds has high hopes for a good season. It’s been a mixed one for the Woodville mentor. It began well enough with the deeds of Secret Seal, but that runner then had his problems, missing a run in his major objective, the $1.25M Melbourne Cup. But Lynds has Secret Seal back on course and he is expected to resume in the $35,000 weight-for-age Selwyn Motors Stakes (1600 m on December 19.