SURPRISE WIN IN GREAT NORTHERN

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31079, 7 June 1966, Page 6

SURPRISE WIN IN GREAT NORTHERN

Confer Proves Staying Ability “The Press“ Special Service • AUCKLAND. Confer, badly beaten two days before in the Great Northern Hurdles, improved magnificently to take the Great Northern Steeplechase at Ellerslie yesterday. His previous form gave no encouragement and he paid £2O 5s 6d for a win.

Ringlock, from which so much was expected, could manage only fourth and Koral, a well-regarded chance from Riverton, was beaten with a mile to go.

Confer had tackled a steeplechase only once before, when he baulked at Avondale on May 4. Not long afterwards he ran well for second in the Waikato Hurdles for second. The Great Northerns were his only races meanwhile. A seven-year-old gelding of solid physique, Confer is by the good mudlark, Conclusion, from Red Tip. He has inherited the ability of his sire to gallop in the wet and his latest performance showed him to be a thoroughly good stayer. Confer mustered sufficient speed to trail Prettypeen and Cinnaman when each had a try at the pacemaking, and stamina enabled him to shake off Rethea, his longest-lasting challenger half a mile from home. Rethea, which ran so un-

luckily when third in the Great Northern two years ago, produced another game effort, but there was little that could be said in favour of the rest, except perhaps Brevity, which continued to plod away when those behind her were down to a canter or being pulled up. Heavy rain overnight made the ground wet and deep and a severe test of the four-mile course.

Confer required 8:26 in his win, the equal third slowest time since the distance was lengthened from three miles and three-quarters in 1947. Confer’s rider, R. J. Sutherland, aged 24, from Takanini, had not won a race as rich as the Great Northern and D. J. Burgess, who prepares the gelding for Mr C. B. Burgess, a builder in Featherston, had enjoyed only moderate success.

Made Mistakes Few of the runners completed the course without mistakes but Prettypeen, usually the safest of jumpers, was the only one who came down. She was just a trifle short in her leap at the water jump after about nine furlongs, landed on the far edge of the ditch and slipped, throwing her rider.

Queen’s Poet completed a notable sprint double when she battled ahead of a bunch, half a furlong out, to take the King George Memorial. On the first day she took the Members’ Handicap over the same course.

Queen’s Poet is a five-year-old mare, trained at Te Awamutu by L. L. Collett, who produced her in capital condition. Corbassiere ran well for second, as did Royal Fair for third. Both ran prominently. The weather was fine and mild. The attendance was 26,181, compared with 26,840 last year.