Apmat Wins Again; False Step Second

Press, Volume C, Issue 29513, 13 May 1961, Page 4

Apmat Wins Again; False Step Second

GOPVTWiWi NEW YORK, May 11.

The Sydney pacer Apmat beat the world’s best pacers at Yonkers Raceway tonight to win 31,400 dollars for his owners, the trainer M. Anderson and his wife, in the Good Time Pace, second race in the International Pacing Series.

The Sydney gelding thus repeated his win of a week ago in the International Pace at Yonkers.

He beat the New Zealand horse False Step and the champion money-winner Bye Bye Bird, of the United States, with a demonstration that put him in the top rank of pacing. Tiie field was bunched throughout the 10 furlongs with the lead changing at least four times. Drivers anywhere but in front found difficulty in getting racing room.

Alley showed his confidence in his horse by forcing him to the front half way through the race and then defying the desperate efforts of the rest of the field to pass him. Apmat raced one horse wide for the first half of the race in fourth position but when Arania got to the front briefly after six furlongs, Alley sent Apmat shooting into the lead to avoid being left racing wide at the front of the field. The speedy Tar Boy took him on immediately but could not pass. Length Advantage After shaking off Tar Boy, Apmat maintained a length advantage down the back stretch and held it as Bye Bye Byrd, forced three wide, pressed hard but made little impression. False Step was cleverly driven by Devine, taking the ’’sit’’ behind the early leader Culver Pick for a lap and then slipping neatly off the rails just before the back horses turned the race into a virtual scramble. False Step was left well placed fourth but could not raise a sprint, as he was expected to, leaving the back straight. The New Zealand stallion came on again in the run to the post to snatch second from the heavily favoured Bye Bye Byrd right on the line. Devine said: "With all respect to False Step, a wonderful horse won.” He said False Step raced very well but implied that his horse had needed the run. He said he had trouble finding an opening. "But the winner must have all the honours.” he declared. Second Slower Apmat covered the last half-mile lap in Imin Isec. a second slower than the last lap last week. After the placed horses came Mr Budlong, Power Boy. O’Brien Jianpver, Caduceus, Keen’s Victor Wifi, Arania and Culver Pick.

The attendance at Yonkgrs Raceway was 28.662. A total of 319.000 dollars passed through the track totaliiators on the race. The outcome of last night’s race could have an important bearing on what happens to the Australian and New Zealand horses after the current series finishes next Thursday. Anderson and Mr J. Smyth. False Step’s owner, have both said they would be interested in selling or leasing their horses to American owners.

This is partly because the horses would have to spend six months in quarantine in England on the way back to Australia and so would miss a whole season’s racing. Mr Anderson refused to estimate last night how much Apniat's win would add to tfie "asking price.” He said he was not yet ready to issue any details on the sort of deal he would accept for the horse. But he indicated he might be interested in leaving Apmat in New York with a prominent trainer and sharing the horse’s subsequent winnings.