Success for Palastone

Press, 27 February 1989, Page 31

Success for Palastone

Special correspondent Westport The age-old saying of third time lucky perhaps best explains events leading to the success of Palastone in the Westport Businesses Cup feature race of the Westport Jockey Club’s meeting at Patterson Park on Saturday. The pride of Reefton racing circles, Palastone has twice before been taken to neighbouring Westport ip an attempt to win the event. As a four-year-old he finished sixth behind Ballane, whilst last year an easy track upset the plans and he finished a disappointing eighth to Marc, after winning the Amberley Cup the week

before. On Saturday, in the hands of Wingatui horseman Paul Richards, Palastone received a charmed run from the rear of the eight horse field to record a most emphatic victory. “Everything just worked out perfect,” Richards said after the race. “He’s the type of horse that you just have to keep moving forward evenly and hope there are no hold-ups,” he explained. Comfortably weighted at 57kg the Westport success was achieved with a minimum of effort and part-owner trainer, Jim Foster, is now looking to Friday’s Hororata Cup to

further his preparation for the richer Canterbury Jockey Club’s Easter carnival. This season is shaping as a vintage one for Palastone, which earlier won the DB Draught Greymouth Cup Trial at Omoto and the Westland Bank Sprint at Reefton. According to Richards, his regular pilot in recent racing, he has not had a lot of luck in his past few outings, and such was the style of Palastone’s win number 12 on Saturday, which advanced his lifetime earnings to over $71,000, that his coming campaign will be awaited with a great deal of interest on the Coast.