Smillie in top form at Trentham

Press, 23 October 1989, Page 24

Smillie in top form at Trentham

Megan Smillie, who will be riding at Rangiora today chiefly for her employer, Stephen Gillies, was in dashing form at Trentham on Saturday, winning two races.

Smillie outrode the more-experienced Kim Clapperton on Miss Jean in the opening event, rallying the Piperhill filly after Regal Haze appeared to have her measure 100 m out. She won the following event on Shalom Broadway, one of the two winners on the day for Jack and Marty Taylor, of Stratford. A Shahram filly, Shalom Broadway is likely to be put aside but stablemate Jack Flash, which ran sixth, is headed for Rotorua. That is the destination, too, for Lord Mellay, which wore down New Zealand Cup aspirant Cetacean in the Allegra Park Handicap. Cetacean is likely to race at Feilding as a leadup to Riccarton, while the Taylors have set Lord Mellay for the Rotorua Cup. That could also be a target for Lomondy, which ran on solidly for third to Irish Boe and Another Prince in the Ashford Park Handicap. Lomondy is one of a Noel Eales squad destined for Riccarton, but weather will decide the team’s immediate objectives. Purple Deal, which gave Larry Cassidy a double for the day, may have earned a trip to Riccarton for the Shirley Lodge Otaio Plate on the last day of the cup meeting. The In the Purple gelding is trained by Geoff Humphries, at Feilding, and stuck to his guns strongly when put under pressure on Saturday.