Going to be set for Dominion Handicap

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32734, 11 October 1971, Page 8

Going to be set for Dominion Handicap

The next time Going steps out on a race track she will compete for the biggest prize offered for trotters at the New Zealand Cup meeting at Addington Raceway next month. “She will not race again until the Dominion Handicap,” said her Leeston owner-trainer, W. J. Doyle, after his fine mare had beaten Merrin handily and 10 others easily in the Lordship Handicap at Motukarara on Saturday.

Going’s win—her second on end in a fresh campaign—was worth $1625 and a free service, valued at $3OO, given by Mr and Mrs D. G. Nyhan, owners of the Templeton-based sire Lordship.

To mark the occasion—this was a meeting where every winning owner received a free service given by the owners of the sire after which the races were named —Doyle also kept in step with the trend. He announced at the presentation that he would give $lOO of the stakemoney to the Commonwealth Games Fund.

Going gave her owner his sec-} ond win in the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club’s principal race—formerly known as the Banks Peninsula Trotting Cup. The inaugural contest in 1965 was won by Going’s elder sister, When, soon after that grand mare had returned from a successful campaign in the United States.

Going was one of the principals in the finish of the Banks Peninsula Cup a year ago. She finished fourth but should have won, in her owner’s opinion. “An error of judgment on ,my part cost her that race,” he said. RAILS RUN Although Doyle is not permitted to drive in races any more, having reached the retiring age this year, the Tinwald reinsman D. J. Townley, proved a worthy substitute. He gave Going a rails run, three places from the pacemaking Bambi until the halfmile, worked her out from a tight spot on the home turn, and her strong finishing run carried her past Merrin a little short of the line.

Merrin, the winner of the corresponding race the previous year, was far back in the field for the first mile. He made good progress to the third line on the home turn, took a gap on the inner just inside the last furlong, but could find nothing extra when Going challenged. Bambi, which had tried for an all-the-way win, was third in a gap of three lengths and a half. He beat Precocious, which was mid-field on the inner for much of the race and ran on well once in the clear, by a length and a half.

Johnny Fling, which tracked Bambi till the home turn, was a weakening fifth and the favourite Marius, led in the others. He

ruined his chance by going into a gallop at the end of two furlongs. Dingle Bay and Al Mundy both lost their chances at the start. REWARDING TRIPS The Nelson-based trainer, N. L. Berkett, has made two trips south with Blue Laser this season, and both have been rewarding. Mr D. E. Barclay’s Fallacy entire began Ills six-year-old racing with a win at Oamaru in August and showed marked ability again to lead all the way in the Out To Win Handicap, the second leg of Saturday’s main double.

Blue Laser and his trainer returned home again yesterday but next week-end they will be travelling again. Next Monday and the following Wednesday, this good stayer will contest the main races for pacers at the Greymouth Trotting Club’s meeting. Nine times out of 10, frontrunning tactics for two miles on a testing course Like Motukarara would not have paid off—but when challenged, Blue Laser showed himself quite capable of coping with them. In the last furlong David Frost and Vanadium tried hard to peg back the pacemaker but their efforts were fruitless. Blue Laser won by a length from David Frost and Vanadium was half a neck away third. But the minor place-getters were still far from disgraced. Both made their runs from far back in the field to reach challenging positions on the home turn, then ran the race out very gamely. Game Lad made ground from mid-field for fourth, but was two lengths away. He outfinished Tullamore Dew, which was always fairly close to the pace.