BLUE MIST SETS WORLD RECORD

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27011, 10 April 1953, Page 4

BLUE MIST SETS WORLD RECORD

MILE AND A HALF IN 3MIN 3JSEC The New Zealand mare Blue Mist established a world pacing record for one mile and a half of 3min 3Jsec at Bunbury, Western Australia, on Wednesday, according to a message from Perth. Blue Mist was joined by a pacemaker at the end of her first half-mile, paced in Imin OJsec, but at no stage of the run was she headed by the pacemaker, and the record should be recognised. The previous record of 3min 6sec was established by Scottish Pence in the United States in 1951. Blue Mist was driven by R. Pollock, who drove her when she won the Easter Cup last Saturady evening and two free-for-alls. Pollock also drove Captan Sandy when he won the Grand Final of the Inter-Dominion Championships in February. On Wednesday, Blue Mist paced her first quarter in 30sec, her first half in Imin o|sec, six furlongs in Imin 31sec, the mile in 2min 1 sec, mile and a quarter in 2min 31sec and the last quarter in 32jsec. Blue Mist’s time at Bunbury is 3fsec faster than her New Zealand winning record for one mile and a half established, in, her heat at the Inter-Dominion Championships at Addington in 1951. Lady Joss equalled that time when she won at Epsom early this season.

The claim that Bunbury has probably the fastest half-mile track in Australia is borne out by Blue Mist’s time. On the same track last month. Captain Sandy recorded Imin 57£sec for a flying mile. His time, however, cannot be recognised, as he had a pacemaker in front of him.

Blue Mist has had a most successful trip to Perth, and her stake earnings there now total more than £5OOO. She won two heats at the Inter-Domin-ion Championships, finished fourth in the other, and was an unlucky fifth in the final, On the Monday after the final she won a free-for-all. She won another free-for-all a week before she won the Easter Cup in record time last Saturday evening. Career in New Zealand

Blue Mist has been one of the best mares raced in New Zealand in 'recent years. She is raced by her breeder, Mr J. Malloch, of Woodlands. In 66 starts in New Zealand she has had 14 wins and 19 placings for £11,220 in stakes. Mr Malloch will leave this month on a trip to Inverness, his home town, which he left 37 years ago. He will visit his mother, who is 89, in Inverness.

Blue Mist is an eight-year-old mare by Dillon Hall from Belle Drusus, a mare bought for about £lO by Mr Malloch. Belle Drusus was got by Drusus from a mare by Bellman, out of a Berlin Abdallah mare. Blue Mist is a half-sister to Indian Wrack and Bonnie Sandy. The Bellman mare which left Belle Drusus, was the dam of a Gore Cup winner in Blue Mountain Queen, which left a brilliant trotter in Blue Horizon and a fair performer at the pacing gait in Dillonia Queen. Blue Mist was educated at Wyndham by E. Todd, and started racing as a three-year-old, when she had one win—in the Wyndham Juvenile Stakes. The next season she had IL starts for three wins and four placings. That season she won two consecutive races at Wyndham. She easily beat Saga and Walnut Hall in the Edendale Handicap, and then came out to beat Victory Dale and Tutta Bella in the sprint race. Half-way through her five-year-old season, she was transferred to C. H. Fairman's stables, from which she won twice.

At six years she won four races, including the Harold Logan Handicap at Addington in 4min 15 l-ssec. The next season she had three wins and four placings for £4590 in stakes. This season she had one win, the President’s Handicap at Forbury Park in October, and one placing from seven starts. She was unlucky in the Ollivier Free-for-all at Addington in November, when she finished seventh after losing a big stretch of ground as a result of interference at the end of two furlongs. According to an Australian report Blue may be raced in Sydney, ’and then returned to Perth for the Coronation Cup later in the year. This will probably be Blue Mist’s final season of racing, as she has been booked in to U. Scott for next season. Mr Malloch hopes to keep her in work to contest the next New Zealand Trotting Cup before retiring her for good. Meeting Postponed The matinee meeting which was to have been held yesterday at Motukarara by the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club, has been postponed until Monday. The track was inspected at 7 a.m. and again at 9 a.m., and it was decided to race. Heavy rain set in soon afterwards, and left the committee no option but to postpone the meeting. Record Stands By winning the Stewards’ Trotting Stakes at Addington last Saturday, Gold Horizon carried his stake-earnings to £13,545, but it appears that he is £2O short of the record. What have been accepted as official winnings by Aerial Scott appear to omit £350 in place money gained when he was attempting a comeback. Aerial Scott’s total is therefore £13,565. No Camera The Melbourne Trotting Control Board continues to refuse to instal photo-finish apparatus at the Melbourne Show Grounds. The board claims that with only 25 minutes between races, too much time would be wasted waiting for prints, and that horses have been known to baulk at the stream of light used for the camera at night. These difficulties have been overcome at Gloucester Park, Perth, and Harold Park, Sydney.