TROTTING N.Z., Australian Horses Outclassed At Yonkers

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29856, 23 June 1962, Page 4

TROTTING N.Z., Australian Horses Outclassed At Yonkers

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) YONKERS (New York), June 2. The pace proved too hot for Australian and New Zealand horses in the second big race of the Yonkers Raceway meeting last night and both finished well down the field. The 65,300-dollar Good Time Pace was won by the American horse, Stephan Smith, with the favourite, Henry T. Adios, second by two and a quarter lengths and Vicki’s Jet, third, two lengths further back. The Australian pacer, James Scott, was seventh in the 12-horse field and the New Zealand mare, Patchwork, was last.

The race was the second in the Yonkers three-race series this year. Last Thursday both James Scott and Patchwork finished out of places in the International Pace, over one mile and a half The third race, the 75,000 dollars National Championship Pace, will be held over two miles next Thursday. The New Zealand driver, R Young, said after the race: ‘‘l can’t make it out at all. I am very disappointed. She should have gone a bit better than she did. "We will probably not work her until next Monday or Tuesday,” he said. Good post positions put the Australian and New Zealand entries among the leaders in the early stages, but the hot pace showed their weaknesses and they fell back in the field

Passing the stands for the first time. Patchwork was lying third and James Scott was fourth, with Betting Time, coupled with the former New Zealand horse.

False Step, making the pace Coming into the back straight for the last time, both lagged as Vicki’s Jet took brief command with five-eighths of a mile to go Then Stephan Smith got off the rail to challenge a quarter of a mile from home and won going away. Stephan Smith’s time, 2min 31 l-ssec. was a fifth of a second off the track record. The favourite. Henry T. Adios. was hemmed in on the rail. The former Australian horse, Apmat, the winner of last year’s Good Time Pace, now under American lease, was not in

the running and finished eighth. False Step was ninth.

The Good Time Pace trophy was presented to Stephan Smith’s owner. Mr Harold McGinnis, by the Australian Consul-General in New York. Mr R. A. Cutler. V.C. P. J. Hall, the driver of James Scott, said he had noexcuses for his horse’s showing. "I am not disappointed. These are the world’s top horses,” he said. He said he would be tunning the horse next Thursday in the final race of the pacing series.