TROTTING Early Spring Campaign Planned For Vanderford

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30487, 8 July 1964, Page 4

TROTTING Early Spring Campaign Planned For Vanderford

Vanderford, the top four-year-old of the season, has resumed work with A. J. Bourne at Woolston. He did particularly well while turned out for nine weeks and will resume racing at'the New Zealand. Metropolitan Trotting Club’s national meeting next month.

Vanderford was a model of consistency this season when he failed to weigh in in only four of his 22 starts. He gained nine wins and nine placings worth £7970 to his Auckland owner, Mr W. D. Barnes.

Two of Vanderford’s most costly defeats were in the New Zealand Cup and the Easter Cup Final at Addington. In neither race did he show the dash expected of him, but he could have been feeling the effects of some fairly hard racing beforehand.

Vanderford’s racing in the summer and autumn did not affect his distance handicap assessment and he is still on 2mln lOsec, the accepted limit for the New Zealand Cup. He will have plenty of suitable races in the spring to fit him for the New Zealand Cup in November. He is a hardy pacer, and in spite of the fact that he might be on a fairly difficult mark, he will be one of the more prominent candidates for the Inter-Dominion Championship series at Forbury Park next autumn.

Bourne Is also jogging another New Zealand Cup candidate in Smokeaway. The Smokey Hanover gelding has not raced since he finished third to. Doctor Dan and Master Alan in the Johns

Handicap at New Brighton last September. Smokeaway, the winner of more than £12,000 in stakes, has been difficult to keep sound, and the New Brighton race was his only start since he won the Dunedin Festival Cup Final at Forbury Park in February, 1963. Smokeaway’s tasks have been light, and it is unlikely that he will be ready for racing at the start of the season. Fraulein Hanover and Local John are expected to rejoin the active list in the next few days. Fraulein Hanover, a rising three-year-old filly by Garrison Hanover from Gay Helen, showed great promise this season. She finished a fair fourth in the race won by Smokey Range at Addington on March 21 after making most of the pace. The New Zealand Oaks will be her main mission in the coming season. Local John, -the winner of two races this season, is a rising four-year-old by Local Light from Crisette. He can sprint and stay and should not be hard to place to advantage in the spring.

Talent, My Share, Legendary and Ruapuna will rejoin the team towards the end of the month. Talent more than paid his way during a busy season. He had 29 starts for one win and eight .placings worth £B7O in stakes. The Meadow Chief gelding seldom paces a bad race, and he is at home under all types of track conditions.

My Share gained one win and seven placings during the current season. He looks to be capable of further promotion.

Legendary was a disappointment this season, although she was placed in eight of her 26 starts. The Morano-Tradition mare is much better than her record suggests, and she could have a change of fortune in the next 12 months.

Ruapuna, too, had a busy season starting in 30 races for one win and eight placings. The Morano mare showed plenty of ability at times, and she could become more solid with age. A rising two-year-old gelding by U. Scott from a grand, trotter in Superfortress, is showing promise. He is a half-brother to a speedy but erratic pacer in Meadow Scott.

Among the other unraced horses in Bourne’s team are two rising three-year-oids. One is. a gelding by Aksarben from Scottish Royal, and the other is a gelding by First Lord from First Form. A rising five-year-old mare by U. Scott from Globe Princess, by Super Globe, is a sister to a speedy but unsound pacer in Congo Boy.