Race at Auckland will decide supremacy

Press, 1 June 1981, Page 17

Race at Auckland will decide supremacy

By G. K .YULE Supremacy among the! two-year-old pacers will be' decided at Alexandra Park: on June 20 with the running! of the $20,000 New Zealand Juvenile Championship.

Hilarious Guest, merei-' torious winner of the Sapl-‘ ing Stakes at Ashburton on, Saturday, is a definite rival of the top-ranked Auckland two-year-old. Disco Dancer, j in the Alexandra Park race,: while there is a chance that; Enterprise, the beaten odds-' on favourite at Ashburton,: will now undertake the trip. ! Hilarious Guest became | the biggest stake-winner! among the first-season) pacers when she shaded | Boulder Creek by a head at| Ashburton. After a short gap Capri took third from Mel’s Boy.

Peter Jones did not have an easy drive behind Hilarious Guest, which made the best beginning of her career. She was pushed four and then five back on

the rails and began to pull; fiercely near the 1000 m. On: two occasions Jones 'had di-J fficulty (tilling her off the: sulky in front, but he ex-: tricated her before the 900mJ She rushed up to Peregrine! in the lead with about 700m' left and then waited on thatj horse until the straight eny trance.

She took a short lead soon, after. Then the challenges; came thick and fast, first! from Mai Mai, but that was; short-lived. Boulder Creek,; in the open for much of the! way, edged up to Hilarious! Guest, but when Jones asked! the filly for an effort she! found another gear and won' handily by a head. The big disappointment; was the fourth of Mel’s Boy, I which had every chance. He' looked a major threat 150 m out, but soon came to the end of his run.

Dandy Blue, which was all but knocked down when Enterprise broke and cannoned into him at the start, did remarkably well for

fifth, even though it was al distant one. He was followed; in by the tiring Peregrine, and Enterprise, which was showing $1.60 for a win. Enterprise panicked when he broke at the start and he lost more than SOr.i before Peter Shand had him pacing He showed remarkable speed; to be fairly handy on the; home turn, but his efforts; told and he dropped away. Hilarious Guest paced the 2400 m in 3min 12.55, time bettered, only by Genesis, which returned 3min 11.2 s I in 1978. She has now had 11 starts for six wins and one placing; worth $20,800. : Bred by her Rangioral trainer, Maurice Vermeulen. I she is by the Victorian-based I stallion. Hilarious Way, one' of the most successful sires of juveniles in that state, from New Guest, by Garrison Hanover from the family which has produced so many classic winners for the Mid-Canterbury trainer, Alisitair Kerslake.

I Vermeulen describes Hi[larious Guest as the “nicest ; horse I’ve ever had anything to do with. As well as perfect manners and disposition, she has tremendous staying powers.” . Vermeulen has no in-< tention of ever selling Hii larious Guest. He had the i misfortune to lose her half- ' sister by Rum Customer last September and New Guest is proving a shy breeder. She now has no live foal younger than Hilarious Guest : and she is not in foal at i present. It was not until last : Wednesday that Vermeulen I decided to start Hilarious 'Guest at Ashburton instead jof Hutt Park, where the I class would have been much ' easier. “I worked her her Hast 400 m in 28.5 s on the grass at Rangiora and that decided me to go to Ashburton. I’m glad I did now. I’ve never had a bigger thrill jwith any of the wins I’ve ihad,” he said.