Bold showing expected of N.Z. pacers

Press, 8 March 1978, Page 19

Bold showing expected of N.Z. pacers

From G. K. YULE in Melbourne : While none of the connections of the four New Zealand pacers are Confident of success in the mile qualifying heats of the Inter-Dominion Championship Series at Moonee Valley this evening all expect bold show* fiigs.

"» The four horses. Regal light, Wee Win, Captain Harcourt and Sole Command thriving and their train- 1 efs feel they have never. ®ne so well on previous • ftps away from home. < “The cool temperatures es-! •ecially at night and the! lack of humidity is being ap-( pteciated by 'all of the; porses’’ said Arnie Gadsby, the trainer of Captain Hareourt yesterday. •' “I’ve never known my fel-I low to do so well even at; home.” bookmakers are prepared' to take a big risk that Regal' Light cannot win from the! putside front-line barrier I position in the first of I ■tonight's heats. A rail book-] inaker. Bill Hutchinson, has [ hjm at 15-to-l in the prepost: TBarket, with Wee Win at: •9-to-2 in spite of his first-! Wight failure. To most Newi

I Zealanders in Melbourne it. 11appears as though the prices: 11should be reversed but they, are running no risks with! • Don't Retreat, which is at ; i 5-10-4. Abidair, at 3-to-l is second favourite. Captain Harcourt is the tj early second favourite at |5-to-2 for the second heat ijand he has drawn N 0.6 the same as Regal Light, with !Markavina on the second pine at 9-to-4. Captain HarI court’s record and his 'present high peak of fitness ■suggest that he could go I'close to overcoming that bad I draw There is such speculation about the Gra.iv Final favourite, Pure Steel, which is second favourite at 6-to-4 i jin the final heat of the [ night. Stories of bruising I and tenderness have been ci(rculating but according to | officials these are nothing inew. ii

I “Smokescreens have appeared round Pure Steel , with great regularity and I then he seems to come out and win,” said one official. However Trotting Control Board stewards are running no risks and late yesterday they sent a steward and a veterinary surgeon to inspect the horse. Pure Steel is owned by a bookmaker, Russell Roberts, and is trained and driven by Phil Coulson, well-known for his association with Junior’s Image, first past the post in the Inter-Dominion Grand Final at Addington in 1971. The positive swab and the resultant hue and cry have never completely died away. Much interest will be taken in Pure Steel’s run. He will have to finish close up to earn sufficient points in case anything goes wrong in I the final round on Saturday.

- There is no doubt that Pure 1( Steel will lose nothing as a 1! result of having Coulson as t his driver. He is acknowledged as 1 one of the best “big time’ > reinsmen in Australia and ht r will no doubt shine on whai i many consider as “the nighi - for desperadoes” to have s 1 chance of reaching the fina! , 10 runners. ; Horses have to score 1 heavily tonight and the rac- > ing is expected to be mud ; harder than it was last Sati urday. Pure Steel’s sprint I record is not all that encouraging and he could find it > hard to match Paleface ; Adios, an early even-money favourite. Tan Heel (12 to 1) s and Sole Command (8 to 11 s are others expected to be ir > demand. However everytins i points to Paleface Adios i scoring the possible numbei . of points.