Altitude gains seventh win in Levin Turf Classic

Press, 19 November 1981, Page 26

Altitude gains seventh win in Levin Turf Classic

Special correspondent "Levin Jim Shannon has been buying and selling horses for more years than he cares to remember, and maybe his view was a little biased, but he rates Altitude the very best. The crowd of more than 10,000 at Levin yesterday would hardly disagree. They saw Altitude, a top colt, beat the top filly, Noble Heights,

to the finish of the Turf Classic, with Vollare and Use of Man next. Mr Shannon has been a buyer at Trentham for many years. In recent years he has represented Mr Nelson Bunker Hunt, Altitude’s American owner, in Australia and New Zealand. Altitude is a colt by Magnesia from High Trick. He is trained at Matamata by Bill Ford and was ridden by Stephen Autridge. The start was the ninth by Altitude and he has won the latest seven of those races and over $114,000. “If he had done something similar in the United States or England, his value would be $2O million,” Mr Shannon said. “I don’t know, but I think that now New Zealand has to look to its own future. “A three-year-old like him deserves his chance to go to stud as a three-year-old.” And if that should happen, Altitude has a ready-made home, at Mr Hunt’s Waikato Stud. Before that there is a little racing and the chance for Altitude to become New Zealand’s frist Triple Crown winner. He won the first classic, the two thousand Guineas. He has the second race, the

New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie on Boxing Day on his programme and then if Australia doens’t beckon, the last leg, the St Leger at Tretham is in March. Altitude will first tackle the Avondale Guineas, then the Derby and then, hopefully, will be the star attraction at Wellington’s “new look” Cup meeting, with the Wellington Derby the main mission. That race is on the programme, for Mr Shannon is hopeful that Mr Hunt will then be in this country. Some thought has been put tow’ard Australia in the autumn, but Mr Shannon said all that will depend on the trainer Bill Ford, who all along has set the horse for Levin. For Stephen Autridge, aged 21, the success capped off the “best two weeks of my life.” He was married, won the Two Thousand Guineas and now this. It was also a milestone, Altitude’s win was his 200th riding success. . “I was flat all the way and I have never been so worried in all my life,” he said. Altitude went when Autridge wanted, but when he got alongside Silver Rhythm

on the turn ne gave him one cut with the whip. Noble Heights was second and his rider Gary Phillips admitted that he was flat from barrier rise and was happy at the back, but when he asked her to go again, he was flat again. Near the 600 m, he was waiting for Altitude and knew he would, be looming and Phillips made sure that Altitude wpuld have to cover extra ground. The filly was wide, but Phillips planned it that way. Half wav down the straight Phillips gave Noble Heights some chance of pegging the winner back. Phillips was pleased with the run. He said the filly was not desgraced in any Way. Laurie Laxon, the fillyis trainer was also pleased with the run and said the filly may race next in the Eulogy Stakes. If Noble Heights had beaten Altitude she might have run in the Derby, but after the eulogy the prime target will be the New Zealand Oaks. Volare ran a fine race and his trainer, Malcolm Smith, is looking forward to the Avondale Guineas. Volare, with an infection problem, has had to miss a good deal of work and Smith claims he will be lengths better at Avondale. As it turned out he was only a length and a half from the winner. Noel Harris, Volare’s rider said, “The only reason the other horses beat me was because the horses were more seasoned.” Harris thought that he had a real show of winning at the 1200 m. Isle of Man was fourth after looming as a big chance oh the home. Bob Vance, like the others, was flat early for pace. But the rider was quite thrilled that he was able to pick up much ground over the closing stages. “He’s crying out for more

ground," Vance said. In that he was referring to the New Zealand derby. Silver Nymph made her first trip out of the Auck-land-Waikato area—and it proved to be a memorable one in every sense. She was the main attraction of Levin's first leg, the WFA Cup Stakes, of 1400 m, yesterday and she didn’t let her supporters down with a thrilling win to beat Summer Haze, Anderil and Poise. As good as the field was, the race proved to be something of a non-event. Silver Nymph raced to the lead, shared the pace for a few brief strides with Alley Oop, was back in front on the turn and two lengths clear of a gallant Summer Haze, which came on pretty well. But it was Siver Nymph’s race. The mare ran the distance in lmin 22.85, a track record, just inside the lmin 23s Imperial Chief ran six years ago.