Lovely Honey will be popular sprint hope

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33447, 31 January 1974, Page 6

Lovely Honey will be popular sprint hope

A loyal northern supporter of C.J.C. meetings in the last year or two has been the Awapuni trainer, W. G. Ivil, who on Saturday could have raced Lovely Honey against very moderate open sprint opposition at Wanganui but chose instead to bring her south to contest the Kingston Handicap at Riccarton tomorrow.

Lovely Honey’s presence in the second leg of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s T A B. concession double will, no doubt, give the race a big boost.

Weight of North Island money will assure Lovely Honey of favouritism, and on form alone it is a distinction to which she is entitled. She will be going for her second win on end, and her fourth within the last two months. Lovtly Honey’* holiday racing began with a win on her home cour*e on December 15, and she won again next time out —at Tauherenikau, early In the new year.

The only weak run in her recent record was in the Telegraph Handicap at Trentham on Wellington Cup dav. but she made amends for that lapse with another winning run among the

sprinters at the Ashhurst meeting on her home course last Monday week. Although mares are inclined to be unpredictable at this time of the year, southern sprinters in tomorrow’s field will find Lovely Honey difficult to match if she turns on one of her peak runs.

There are some talented sprinters in the ranks of Riccarton representatives In the field. Two likely to be high on the list of popular fancies are Sub Indian and Condor.

Sub Indian Improved a very sound record this season—he has won three races and gained six minor placings from 10 starts—when third in the open sprint at Omoto last Friday week. He has thrived meantime. If the latest deeds of the Washdyke sprinter. Grey Way, are regarded as a yardstick, Condor’s prospects must be bright. The last time Condor raced, he ran Grey Way to a head over the Kingston Handl-

cap distance on the latter’s home track late last month. Grey Way’s record meantime includes a win over some talented northerners in the Metropolitan Handicap at Trentham. Other Riccarton hopes will be the stablemates, Baltic Blue and Jury, while Bun Tuck, which has often reserved his best runs for his home track, will also have to be rated among the better chances.