Third national record to Hilarious Guest

Press, 14 November 1981, Page 24

Third national record to Hilarious Guest

By

PAUL MEIN

On a day when world records tumbled, Hilarious Guest added her touch of brilliance, setting her third national record when winning the Cashmere Handicap at Addington yesterday. It was a topsey-turvey showing on her last-start run, when she tailed the field in when favourite on Cup day, but it was a run out of the ordinary for a three-year-old filly yesterday.

Peter Jones sent Hilarious Guest up in search of the lead with 2600 m to run and she jogged to the front soon after. She was never seriously threatened in front from then on, though Lord Brigade and Kemra Tact came hard over the final 200 m. Her time for. the 3200 m was an outstanding 4min 14.55, breaking Koarakau’s 4min 16s set in 1973 and almost five seconds inside the previous best set by a filly, Time’s Up when she went 4min 19s in the Cheviot Cup last year.

Hilarious Guest also holds the 2200 m mobile record for a two-year-old filly (2min

51.65) and 2400 m record from a stand (3minl2.ss), set when she won both the New Zealand Juvenile Championship and Sapling Stakes last season.

The Rangiora-trained filly has now won nine races from 17 starts for close to $37,000 in stakes.

Lord Brigade, which trailed the winner throughout, finished on well along the rails for second with the favourite, Kemra Tact, finishing well from midfield for third.

“He’s an easier horse to drive than Amaze was at this stage and I think he is a little better," the Timaru reinsman, Peter Shand, commented after Enterprise •strolled in to win the Courier Systems Stakes for three-year-olds.

Shand drove Amaze to beat Melton Monarch in the First Derby Trial on Cup day last year, and the Out to Win

colt went on to brilliantly win the N.Z. Derby in the hands of Jack Smolensk!.

Enterprise showed plenty of ability as a two-year-old, pacing 2min 33.65, a New Zealand record in the final of the Sires Produce Stakes at Addington last season. Shand had Enterprise idling at the back of the main bunch yesterday, sent him up three wide to lead with 600 m to run and after a brief tussle with Ansett on the turn, came away to win as he liked by three and a half lengths from Lil Abner, with Ansett holding third. Enterprise is now the winner of three of his five races this season and will be at short odds in the $lO,OOO Courier Systems Championship on the final night of the Cup meeting next Saturday. Run of form

Tarlad continued with an impressive run of form when he triumphed as favourite in the Smithson Handicap.

Owned, trained and driven by Colin de Filippi, Tarlad has now won five of his last six starts and was a close second to Melton Monarch last start.

Tarlad . led virtually throughout and coasted to the line a length and a half in front of Eden’s Joy, which tracked the winner on the rails throughout. The Sting, which sat without cover on the outside of the leader, stuck on well enough for third with Sweet Jessica a handy fifth and Roseland Charger, close up sixth. Wee Junior -and Kotare Hunter, talented sons of Wee Win and Kotare Legend, both had impressive lead-ups to the N.Z. Premier Stakes at Addington on Tuesday evening with stylish wins yesterday.

Kotare Hunter made it a double for the meeting and showed impressive staying powers to easily win the 3200 m Young Quinn Handicap. It was the third success for the meeting for trainerdriver Murray Rennie, who

gave the four-year-old every show on the ’ outer of the second line.

Kotare Hunter put a winning break on the field soon after they turned for home and kept on strongly to win by a length and a half from the fast-finishing Toshack, which was near last on the turn.

The favourite, Fouroux, was back in tight quarters four back on the rails and he struck trouble when trying to improve, eventually breaking on the turn. Plucky win Wee junior was a plucky winner of the First Preview Stakes. Slow away, Bob Cameron sent the four-year-old up wide to sit on the outside of the leader with 1300 m to run. Wee Junior got to a narrow lead 700 m out and saw it out well to beat Farasan and Stortford Lodge. Israel got to within one win of open class when he completed a double for the meeting in the Yaldhurst Handicap. The Crockett gelding trailed early, but was sent to the front by the trainer, Dick Prendergast, with 1300 m to run. There was never any question of him being threatened in front from then on and he ambled in by two and a half-lengths from Dryden Lobell with a length and a half to Twinkle, a gallant third.

Bob Cameron landed his second winner for the day when Ranui Del did best in a six-sided finish to the Show Day Stakes.

Ranui Del was a shade slow, but Cameron had him up on the outside of the pacemaker, Young Beau, with 1400 m to run. Young Beau kicked on gallantly and looked likely to lead throughout, but Ranui Del came with the last run to get up by a head. Virginia City was second, with a nose to Young Beau and a short head to Hanover Fire and the favourite Take Care, which finished stoutly from midfield.