TROTTING Samantha Looks Ready For Successful Season

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29900, 14 August 1962, Page 4

TROTTING Samantha Looks Ready For Successful Season

Samantha and Adios Heather will probably represent their Yaldhurst . trainer, G. B. Noble, at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s national meeting, which will be held at Addington on August 18 and 25.

Samantha will be in demand in her races as a result of her outstanding run at the Addington . trials last Thursday, when she finished second to Queen Ngaio in their heat of the free-for-all after being forced to race three wide without a trail for much of the event. She will contest the Lightning Free-for-all on the first day of the meeting and the £l5OO National Handicap, an invitation event, a week later.

Samantha was one of the main contributors to the £13.942 10s won by horses raced by Mr R. A McKenzie, of Wellington. New Zealand's leading owner for the last seven seasons. Samantha gained three wins and five placings worth £4310 Her main win was in the Wellington Cup last February when she came from a good way back to record 3mm 8 l-ssec for the mile and a half.

Samantha, a nx-year-old mare by U Scott from Aileen Hall, has the New Zealand Cup as her main mission this spring. She is a grand stayer ana could be one of the leading contenders for that race and other important events in the next few months. Samantha is unlikely to be raced after this season. At present it is intended to mate her with either Thurber Frost or Light Brigade late in the spring, which would enable her to keep racing probably until early autumn Adios Heather, which was injured at the start of last season, was a little disappointing at times after some most promising efforts as a three-year-old She was paraded at the Addington trials but lost all chance at the start. She looks well and could soon make amends for that failure

Jay Ar will probably be ready to race later tn the spring, while Adioway and Adioson have just resumed work and might be ready to start racing again in October Jay Ar more than oaid his way last season with £2295 in stakes, the result of two wins and eight placings from 23 starts. Jay Ar has done well since last he raced and he could compile an even better record within the next 12 months. He has always impressed as a likely stayer Brilliant Adioway gained two wins and two seconds from his four starts late last season and but for encountering soft

tracks, his record would have been even better. Unfortunately. he will continue to be a difficult horse to keep sound. There is little doubt that otherwise he would graduate to the best classes in the fastest time possible. Whether Adioway will stand up to much racing is problematical and Noble will probably have to keep patching him up in the hopes that he will be able to have an occasional race Adioson. a brother to Adioway. lacks brilliance, but he is a most honest pacer. Last season he won £1455 in stakes and was successful three times

Filet Mignon, which qualified last Thursday, is the first of the progeny of a brilliant race mare in La Mignon By U Scott, she is brown in colour knd on the small side Her run at the trials suggests that she might be expected to develop worth-while classic form later on Miriam Hall was another member of Noble’s team to Impress at the trials. She is a four-year-old mare by Light Brigade from Aileen Halt by Dillon Hall Miriam Hall is a half-sister to Highland Don. Samantha and Adios Duenna. She could be a prospect in early maiden races

Among the unraced three-year-olds in work is a sister to Adios Heather. A colt by Captain Adios from a smart trotting mare in Scotch Paree. a half-sister to La Mignon and Golden Hero, is showing promise, as also is Loch Katrine, a half-sister by Highland Kilt to Adioway and Adioson.

A two-year-old half-sister by Highland Air to Arania has shown ability in the little work she has had to date, while Noble is impressed by the potential of a colt by Highland Air from Bertha de Oro. The latter colt may contest classic events later in the season.

Another two-year-old In work is a colt by Light Brigade from Scotch Heather, a U. Scott mare which also left Adios Heather.

A yearling sister to the brilliant Arania is highly thought of. She greatly resembles Arania in appearance.

Gate Available For Practice The Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s mobile starting gate will be available ait Addington from 9 a.m. to 11.30 aun. today for trainers with horses engaged at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club's meeting, which begins at Addington on Saturday. The gate will also be available for barrier practice at the same time on Thursday morning. Three races on each day of the metropolitan club's meeting will be started from the mobile barrier.