Petite Evander retired

Press, 9 April 1981, Page 26

Petite Evander retired

PA Auckland Petite EVander, by far the leading New Zealand-bred stake-earning trotter, has been retired to the stud in the United States. She will be mated with Superbowl, a top sire of trotters, which stands at a fee of $15,000. Petite Evander is owned by Mr Frank Weaver and his son, Frank, jun., both of Auckland. Since they sent her to the

United States about four years ago, she increased her stakes total to $790,000 and proved herself one of the best trotting mares in the world. She passed Young Quinn this year as the second leading stake-earner among New Zealand standardbreds. Young Quinn, which is now in retirement in Southland, won $750,000. Cardigan ,Bay heads the list with $1,000,837.

Frank Weaver, jun., went to the United States recently to see Petite Evander racing. After she competed at Los Alamitos, in California, last week, he telephoned his father to tell him that the trainer, Eddie Dunnigan, felt the time had come to retire her from racing. “The decision was left to us,” Frank Weaver, sen., said in Auckland yesterday. “I have been in touch with Frank again and we have decided to <’» what Eddie suggests. “She is not that old by trotting standards (she is 10) but I am told she is not very interested in racing any more.” Petite Ev.-.nder finished fourth in her final race. Fittingly it was at Los Alamitos, where she made her American debut. In her other four starts this year, she had two seconds and a third. Mr Weaver said it was planned to leave Petite Evander in the United States indefinitely and bring her foals to New Zealand 1 .