Four-year-olds had good day at Motukarara

Press, 29 December 1980, Page 20

Four-year-olds had good day at Motukarara

By

G.K.YULE

Four-year-olds won 60 per cent of the 10 races run at the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club’s highly successful country and western meeting at Motukarara on Saturday.

Two of them — Royal Decision and Tongue Twister — should continue to do well over the holidays, while Strydom should make rapid progress through the Classes this season.

Royal Decision, which, like other members of Maurice Vermeulen’s Rangiora team, has been off the scene since late October because of a virus which spread through the stable, made an impressive comeback in the Qantas Handicap. The beautifully-bred mare by Lordship from Royal Selmer, missed the start and stayed a fair way back Until late. Peter Jones then improved with her and she ran

out the 3200 m too solidly for Cottonfields and Panair, with the hot favourite, Heather Chief, clcce by after pulling himself out in the middle stages. Tongue Twister made no race of the final event, the Towing Service Handicap. He tore away from Double Blue, with Irish Boa making a belated challenge to cut Timely Frost out of third.

Tongue ’Twister, promoted to fourth at Washdyke on December 9 at his latest start, has never been at ease on grass tracks. However, Motukaraip was pretty bare after nine earlier races. “He didn't hit out as well as he

does say at Addington, but for all that he was going well enough to win easily,’ said Michael de Filippi, who drove the speedy four-year-old. He should have a good innings in the next few weeks. Kind Nature and Super Byrd, both three-year-olds, won two of the three races for maiden pacers. Both accomplished their wins with a minimum of effort and showed that they will not be troubled to make rapid progress through the classes. Possibly both will race in restricted-age events in the next few months, ,a $4OOO race at Nelson possibly being on their programmes.

Kind Nature was most impressive. He settled near the tail of the field, but rushed round the others to have control 1200 m out He was always travelling easily from then on and held his closest rivals, Watbro Lord and Bradwood, out quite comfortably. Trained by Gavin and Paul Hampton, he is a likely type of colt by Armbro Del from Kind Gesture.

Bob Cole, who owns and trains Super Byrd, had the misfortune recently to lose the services of his other pacer, Delbert, which broke

down in the Auckland area. Super Byrd, a gelding by Out to Win, won the Bush Inn Courts Handicap, a roughly-run contest, b/ a wide marging from Knighthood. He should pay expenses at Addington at New Year.

Super Byrd was driven by Bob Nyhan, who earlier in the day had to bow to Misty Del with the promising Bachelor Singer in the Wheatsheaf Handicap. Bachelor Singer lost no admirers because of his defeat. He took fright at an umbrella being raised close to him while he was starting his preliminary and pulled a shoe. He was a shade slow and was the best part of 80m from Free Gift, which set a torrid pace tracked by Misty Del. He paced roughly in the back straight and, in a fastrun race, he did remarkably well to run the winner to a length and a half.

Bachelor Singer was sore after the race, Nyhan being uncertain whether he had stood on the shoe as it came off and pricked a hoof or whether he had ricked a joint as he swung away from the umbrella. The trouble is not thought to be serious.