Course Double Worth £l7

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30980, 9 February 1966, Page 4

Course Double Worth £l7

Grand Prix and Patrician returned £l7 4s 6d for £1 in winning the on-course double at Riccarton yesterday.

There were 621 5s tickets on this combination.

Grand Prix justified firm favouritism for the Malvern High-weight with a handy win over Soutaine, a newcomer at the meeting. Grand Prix’s win followed a second to Ski on the first day of the meeting and a third and fourth in highweights at the Wellington Cup meeting. Grand Prix was left with

the pacemaking and A. Cowan nursed' him for straight challenges. The only challenge in strength came from Soutaine, which came from behind the middle of the field in the last seven furlongs. Filspar improved on a weak first-day run by running on for third two lengths behind Soutaine but three lengths in advance of Scent. Scent, the 2/3 favourite, was slow away. She made a likely-looking run near the home turn, but it was a short one. She was battling in the final furlong. Solid Finish Patrician, a six-year-old brother of ,the useful winner, Morris Francis, completed an on-course double for visiting horses when he outstayed Stageland in the Pareora Handicap. The Washdyke-trained Prize Money gelding, a fair third behind Pease and Summer Lad on the first day of the meeting, was ridden in the middle of the field yesterday, and made a sharp run to engage Stageland going to the furlong. Stageland tried hard io hold his lead, but Patrician was clearly the master and beat the grey by half a length. Full Course, which was behind the winner in the early running, ran the last two furlongs strongly for third another half-length back, but the others were beaten off. Town Talk and Pease were the .best of them. Pease, a dominating favourite,’ appeared to stumble inside the first furlong. She made a run four wide just behind Stageland coming to the straight, but was beaten on straightening up. Decisive Win Pharasal, an odds-on favourite, carried top weight to an easy win in the Tekapo Handicap. Mr A. N. Smith’s Pharamond gelding challenged the pacemaking Coseta on the home turn, and they ran almost abreast to the furlong. But Pharasal was always master in

the final furlong, and drew out to record this, his second win for the meeting, by two lehgths. Coseta saved second place by only a head from Seminole, which was never far behind the winner coming to the straight. Barcape, the slowest away, was a fair fourth, and well clear of the others. Won Decisively Alten Fiord, an elder sister of the successful North Island filly, Dear Pal, gave the others a sound beating in the Bealey Stakes.

One of three runners for G. R. Felling’s stable in the race, Alten Fiord stayed close to the

pace all the way, and a strong rails run carried her clear going to the furlong and on to a decisive win by a length and a half over the pace favourite, Amandell. Amandell, another close to the lead from the start, beat the faster-finishing Port Bank by a head for second. Gold Mar, the win favourite, lost a winning chance by running very greenly. He was wide on the home turn, and had to be straightened several times when trying to duck in. Baildon was a moderate fifth. All Mac and Paris Match improved several positions for sixth and seventh, but never raised the hopes of their backers.