Victory tinged with sadness

Press, 22 November 1988, Page 41

Victory tinged with sadness

The joy of victory was attended by a pang of sadness for the fourstrong syndicate which races Mr Amuri, a game winner of the Aratuna Freighters Handicap at the Westland meeting yesterday.

The John Parsonstrained son of State Of Kings was named in the memory of one of his original part owners, Bryce McMillan, who died suddenly earlier this year — the day the horse was to make his second trials appearance.

Mr McMillan was a former chairman of the Amuri county and wellknown in the district. His original partners, Ewan Maxwell, of Christchurch, and Stuart McLean and Graeme Munro, of North Canterbury, offered the

late Mr McMillan’s share to his wife, Nancy, who was unable to be present for Mr Amuri’s first moment of glory yesterday. Grant Davison, who had also won the opening event with the Roydon Bergerson-trained Goladona, always had Mr Amuri handy to the pacemaker, Dandy Lad, and the strapping gelding did well to beat that runner by half a length with Mount Up cutting Elitist Streak out of third placing with a late rush. Mr Amuri is the latest chapter in a successful breeding story for Mr McLean, a Waiau farmer who bought the gelding’s third dam, Eversleigh, as a hack for 20 pounds from Charlie James in the late 19505. Later Mr James handed over the papers to Mr McLean and he bred

Bankstown and Mary Ellen from the mare. Bankstown was a big steeplechase winner in Australia, the Kensington Steeplechase at Flemington being among his victories. Mary Ellen, a winner, left Jane Again, Roseana, McLean, Sshnelle, Navarona, King Henry, Wendy Jane and Beaualan, which among them have won 31 races. Ashnelle has a two-year-old by Cocky Golfer and has been bred with Sir Godfrey this season. Jane Again, winnner of eight, was raced by John Parsons, but is being bred from by Mr McLean, and is in foal to Cocky Golfer.

Mr Amuri is the first winner for State Of Kings in the Canterbury-West-land district, although the Riccarton Stud-based son of Vaguely Noble left a

Gore winner, Break Every Rule over Labour Day week-end. First success The Reefton ownertrainer, Simon Gardner, posted his first success as a trainer when Globe Hill caused a major upset in the Royal Mail Novice. Globe Hill gave Geoffrey Lee his second winning ride of the day after Fury posted an especially smart performance to win the Anderson Memorial after missing the start. Globe Hill was always with the pace and though he ran greenly in the straight he held on by three parts of a length from Vain Flight which rallied after drifting at the turn. Gardner, who races Globe Hill with his wife, Gwen, has a racing background, having served a three-year apprenticeship in the north with Don Grubb. He shifted south about four years ago and has raced few horses. The Gardners own Globe Hill’s dam, Bonway, which was unraced owing to her small size. Bonway has not been put in foal since foaling Globe Hill. “We haven’t been able to afford it,” said Gardner, aged 35, after Globe’s Hill’s win.