'Gift horse’ makes good

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 32

'Gift horse’ makes good

By

JEFF SCOTT

The old proverb “never look a gift horse in the mouth” rang true when Regal Baron scored at his fourth race start in the Paul Laffey Tyre Centre Mobile Pace at the Rangiora meeting on Saturday. The five-year-old Regal Yankee gelding was given to the Springston amateur trainer, Kevin “Bas” Mounce, five months ago by his breeder, Ken Chapman, whose son, Kevin, is an old school friend of Mounce. Mounce earlier bred and race with his father, Trevor, the useful winner, Peterson’s Pride, but Regal Baron credited him with his first training success on Saturday.

Mounce’s brother, Peter, has enjoyed success as a professional working for Jack Smolensk! (as a junior) and latterly, John Langdon. He is . now a studmaster for the Kenwood Stud operation at Cambridge. "Regal Baron always had heaps of ability but our situation didn’t suit him,” said Kevin Chapman on Saturday. “He would get uptight whizzing around corners working on a track all the time.” “Bas is pretty patient and works him on the roadside all the time. It’s just what the horse needed,” added the younger Chapman. “We didn’t have the

time or effort to put into him so five months ago dad gave him to Bas. He said if after 10-12 weeks he doesn’t come to light, send him back, but Bas was doing fine with him.”

When Mounce asked for a likely purchase arrangement, Chapman sen. advised Mounce he could have him for nothing. “Dad was just happy if he could get another winner for the breed, (the Roschara family),” added Chapman jun. Taking his father-in-law, Harry Hough, and a brother-in-law, Stephen Hough, into partnership, Mounce and his co-owners didn’t have to wait long for an early reward. Regal Baron ran sixth first-up for Mounce, then ran two fourths preceding Saturday’s win. His fourth at Oamaru a week earlier was completed under difficulties after a boring pole was left dangling in the breeze for most of the journey.

After making a run to get handy in the middle stages at Rangiora, Regal Baron finished best in the hands of Denis Nyhan to win by a short length. His time for the mobile 2600 m was a fair 3:30.4, however a slow second last 400 m of 35.5 was responsible for what, on paper, looked an abysmal last 800 m of 65.6 seconds by the leaders.