Racing and trotting Big southern team for Auckland trots

Press, 10 May 1979, Page 20

Racing and trotting Big southern team for Auckland trots

By

G. K. Yule

Close to 30 South Island horses will compet >n the first night of the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting at Alexandra Park on Saturday. It is one of the strongest southern contingents to have gone north for some years.

The team will be spearheaded by No Response, which will be trying for his eleventh successive win and his thirteenth for the season in the Gentry Lodge Stud Free-for-all, a mobile start event over 2200 m, which will be a lead-up to the 525.000 Rowe Cup on May 19.

No Response humbled his rivals in four starts at the Inter-Dominion Championship carnival at Addington Raceway in March, the beaten horses including the majority of those down to oppose him on Saturday. Among them were the Australian pair, Albey Logan a'd Silken, which will create tremendous interest.

Silken is expected to appreciate the longer distance in the Rowe Cup and might be extended to nlay a prominent part in the finish of Saturday’s sprint. which could see Albey Logan ; showing up in spite of his isecond-line draw.

Richard Brosnan is hopeful that Sail Again will be able to accompany No Response, but if transport is not available on one of the three horse flights, he will be reserved for the Oamaru meeting. Some of the Canterbury horses have already gone north by road, with 18 spaces available in the three aircraft.

As well as No Response, First Prize. Waitaki Gamble, Even Speed, Hano Direct and Waipounamu will contest the main races for trotters. Ilsa Voss went north by road at the week-end, but she was eliminated from the first night of the meeting. Derek Jones will drive First Prize and Ice Wise, whib Wes Butt will handle Even Speed, which has recovered fully from the removal of a corn.

Doody Townley will accompany the much-improved four-year-old, Hano Direct, and handle her on the trip.

It is expected that Jack; Smolensk! will drive Waitaki: Gamble in her races, while he willalso have Gina Marie and Trevino in the Sprayman Handicap. Worthy Lord jis in the same race, but it I was not definite on Tuesday that he would go north. Smolensk: will drive Gina Marie, while Tommy Knowles has been engaged for Trevino, which will not return south after the meeting. Micahel de Filippi is taking Ladyship Khan, Master Regal and Hira Pita north, and he will drive Miss Coquette in the DB Fillies’ Flying Stakes. She has reentered the field now that Spartan Queen has been scratched. Uncle Andrew, Miss Pert and Majestic Charger are other Southern horses in the Sprayman Handicap, all of them going north with worthwhile recent form to their credit.

Trevor Thompson has taken Crossfire north by road, while Bonnie’s Chance is to go by air. Robert Cameron will drive Shona Way and Ellen's Glory. Shona Way could be the pick of the southern

horses in the 817,000 race for three-vear-old fillies.

Seafield Rose and Bright and Breezv will be John i Noble’s drives on the first ; night of the meetins. while he will handle Masarko Hanover on the later nights. The Christchurch trainer, Eric Hyde, has had a profitable start to his northern campaign with the five-year-old, Altamura. The son of Truant Hanover has had four wins, a second, a third and a miss from seven starts, his last three successes being on end.

He will contest the Nandina Stud Mobile Pace, in which other southerners engaged are Ellen's Glory and Crossfire.

Gerry Nova is another already racing in the north. The Gerry Mir gelding was third in the Trotting Stakes last month. Ross Wheeler drove him into fourth place behind Thriller Dee at Cam- ■ bridge last Friday. His run was a good one, as he broke i early. | Gerry Nova will again be I among the rivals of Thriller Dee in the $5045 Rosso AnItico Stakes on Saturday.