Family double for West Coasters

Press, 27 January 1986, Page 28

Family double for West Coasters

By

JEFF SCOTT

The glamour Westport pacer, Steven John, and the talented Hector three-year-old, Uncle Alex, combined for a popular family double for the West Coasters at the Amberley Trotting Club’s on-course meeting at Rangiora on Saturday. John Rogers produced the $lO,OOO West Coast triple crown bonus winner, Steven John, to record another fine staying performance to lead over the last 2400 m of the DB Amberley Cup, while his uncle, Jack, chimed in two races later when Uncle Alex overcame the backmark of 20m to win .the Woolston Tavern Pace.

Jack had earlier produced Super Save to run third in the B. M. Owens Butchery Mobile Pace, while John was looking for more spoils when Doc’s Del, which he races with the Willowby horseman, Kevin Townley, battled on for fifth in the Transport Mobile Pace. “He’s a bloody good horse that,” Jack Rogers enthused over Steven John when his nephew returned to scale with the gelding after the Amberley Cup and few could disagree. After appearing flat in to the straight after being taken on twice during the running by Go Duke? the six-year-old son of Armbro Del and Maelynne

was headed 100 m out by World of Fame, but showed his great will to win to come again and win pulling away at the line by half a length. “We got about a neck on him, but the winner seemed to be going as well at the finish as any part of it — no excuses,” said Colin de Filippi, who drove World of Fame, which had made a big run wide from the 500 m. Steven John, a brother to Roger and half-brother to the good North American winner, McKenna (Imin 55.85), extended his winning sequence to four from six outings and will get another chance to display his staying prowess in the $7300 DB Nelson Cup over 3100 m (C3-C6) on the all-weather track at Richmond Park next Saturday. “As you can see he’s still a bit of a handful,” said the trainer-driver after calling on an extra pair of hands to attend to Steven John while he made his presentation speech. The solidly built gelding nearly was not tried again this season after being a rogue and trying the patience of his owner-trainer in past years.

Gleniti, three back on the outer, fought on for third, ahead of a strong finisher in Swift Hurricane.

Hemihana, the winner of his last two starts, was

never happy on the rainaffected track, finishing last.

“He never paced a yard in it,” said trainer-driver John Hay, before departing south to handle other members of his team at Forbury Park.

Uncle Alex won his third race for the season when leading over the last 1800 m of the Woolston Tavern Pace, winning easily by two lengths. The Valerian geldjng is raced by Jack Rogers in partnership with Mr Ike Proctor, a publican, of the Granity Tavern, the partners leasing him from the Yaldhurst horseman, Toby Anderson, almost a year ago and exercising their right of purchase in October.

Rogers has no immediate plans for Uncle Alex, one of two winning drives on the day for the Broadfield reinsman, Michael de Filippi, who extended his tally to 30 for the season by driving Koau’ Light to an impressive win in the final event.

Sycamore kept up a strong finish for second, a neck in front of the warm favourite, Kotare Sterling, which settled last and made a big run to be handy on the home turn, but could not round off the effort Tri Star made ground well from midfield to finish next.