Much improved run by Battle Heights

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33664, 14 October 1974, Page 9

Much improved run by Battle Heights

fN Z.r .4. Staff Correspondent) ' SYDNEY. ! The Wellington and Sydney Cups winner, Battle Heights, showed he will still be a Melbourne Cup force with a battling second to Leica Lover in the $20,000 Craven Plate (2000 m at Randwick on Saturday. Taken to the front by the New Zealand jockey, G. L. Willetts, 800 m from home, Battle Heights showed all his fighting qualities as he went down by only a short-head to the favourite. j Leica Lover joined Battle Heights 150 m from the line and’ looked to be in for a comfort-: able win as he went to a half-: length lead, but the Neu- Zea-: land stayer refused to give in; and was closing the gap again, with every stride at the end. Willetts said later that in another couple of strides Battle Heights would have been back in front. It was a vastly improved run by Battle Heights on the dismal performance he turned in on last Monday s Metropolitan Handicap. He raced with plastic wedges under his hind plates then, but v ithout them on Saturday he was a different horse. His owner-trainer, Mr R. J. Douglas, was extremely happy with the run. Battle Heights was io ..ave left Sydney for Melbourne yesterday. Leica Lover’s run was also a good one. He showed he will be a big danger to the favoured division in next Saturday's Caulfield Cup. Another excellent Cup trial Was turned in by the third placegetter. Go Fun. which finished; only half a neck behind Battle; Heights after being badly blockedfor a rails run in the straight. There were no excuses for thej beaten division. Passetreul bat-

I tied into fourth. He was obvi-i I ously feeling the effects of his i 1 ’hard ru nin the Metropolitan.; (Mister Pompous again failed to muster his best New Zealand i I form, and finished well back. !