Racing and trotting Mr Ay Bee star of strong southern band

Press, 23 April 1979, Page 18

Racing and trotting Mr Ay Bee star of strong southern band

By

J. J. BOYLE

Otago and Southland horses won 12 races and earned $56,515, < r more than half the total offering in stakes, at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s three-day Easter meeting, which ended on Saturday.

They were brilliantly i spearheaded by the Winga-I tui-trained Mr Ay Bee, which] returned south showing i 517.550 for his two splendid! wins at the meeting — George Adams Handicap and the Great Autumn Handicap.

Yipp's Secret was a clear second on the stakes list with 59200 gained from her win in the D.B. Galaxy Stakes and a close second to Mr Ay Bee in the George Adams. Canterbury’s best performer was Gretna Green, with $4605, of which $4225 came from her win in the Warstep Stakes on Saturday. Mr Ay Bee put the seal on his class with his great run for victory under 60kg in the Great Autumn Handicap on Saturday. He has brilliant powers of acceleration to back up his stamina, and there was no! holding him when Michael Mein called on him to make his run from behind the middle of the field on Saturday.

With neck low and outstretched. a characteristic of many of the top stayers, Mr Ay Bee charged to the front up the straight, and then drew on reserves of courage to hold out Candyboy comfortably by a length. This was Mr Ay Bee’s sixteenth win from 32 starts, and his second Great Autumn Handicap victory. Future opportunities for .him on South Island courses fare limited, but he will probably be seen out at Trentham next month, and his connections were last week showing interest in programmes for the Queensland winter carnivals.

Mr Ay Bee, which has been skilfully prepared by Wingatui’s Tony Prendergast for all his racing, was bred in the Waikato by Mr A. E. Blake from Gold Cross, winner of two races. He does not belong to a distinguished family, but his fourth dam, Jean’s Pride (by Lord Warden), which did not race, left Red Forest, winner of 14 races.

Gretna Green and Spyj Force brought some respect-! ability to the record of thei home brigade in winning two feature races on Saturday. They were both ridden byi the Riccarton jockey. Ron ■ McCann, Gretna Green to win the Warstep Stakes, Spy Force to record a popular victory in the Waltham Handicap, second leg of the T.A.B. double. McCann rated Gretna

■ Green nicely in front in the I Warstep Stakes, and the (Riccarton combination lasted iby a head from the favourite, In Flight, which had lost j two or three lengths when impeded by Latchmi early in the race.

This was Gretna Green’s only win in the Broadlands series, but she had been a close second to The Clippie in the North Canterbury Racing Club’s Inglewood Stakes. The Clippie would have been a firm favourite for the Warstep Stakes but she in-

jured a leg in her yard overnight and was not fit to start. Spy Force was a pronounced favourite for the Waltham Handicap, and won the 1400 m race with some authority by half a length from Napiat, which came strongly but too late from behind the middle of the field Cracker Day also came from far back for his third, easily outfinishing The Fantasy, which came to the end of her run over 100 m out. The successful Gore ap-

prentice, Jim Collett, who rode In Flight and Cracker Day into minor placings, then finished the meeting with a flourish by riding the winners of the two final races, Dee Why (Gimcrack Handicap) and Her Greatest (Autumn Plate) to finish with a total of six at t! e carnival. Her Greatest contribute three of those wins in com ing through the meeting unbeaten for her South Otagr owner-trainer, Cliff McLachlan.