Vita Man’s form suggests successful trip

Press, 7 December 1981, Page 28

Vita Man’s form suggests successful trip

Vita Man suggested that he could be a leading contender for honours in the New Zealand Messenger later in the month when he won the Burns and Ferrall Free-for-all. Driven patiently by Ricky May for the first 1800 m. he was edged off the rails and following the leading group near the 400 m. He was moved up wider out soon after and strode up to the favourite. Viewfield Skipper. 100 m out. responding in game style to win by half a length. So superior were the first two that there, was a break of nine lengths to Le Rae and Sioux at the head of a staggering remainder. Vita Man paced the mobile 2600 m in 3min 16.8 s only 1.3 s outside Lord Module’s world record established last month. The only other fastest winning time was 3min 16.6 s

by Final Decision in 1975”. Vita Man was booked to start his trip on to Auckland vesterdav and he will probably race at the Thames meeting next Saturday. Lyndon Robert and Prime Hostess, rivals in the Golden Slipper Stakes at Waimate next Saturday, filled the first two placing's in the Paul Renwick . Stakes. Lyndon Robert held off a late challenge from the filly by a length after recording the splendid time of 2min 37.7 s for the 2000 m. Lyndon Robert is now unbeaten in two starts at Addington and he will be strongly fancied to continue his winning run next Saturday when he will be driven by Denis Nyhan, who handled him for the first time on Saturday. Boraria battled on for a fair third ahead of Gliding Princess, which did well con-

sidering she raced so greenly. Another attractive run was put in by Bobanish, which finished fifth. Logan's Byrd fell after about 400 m. Ashwood King losing his driver and Citizen James and Lee Roy Brown were put out of the race. Gliding Princess was involved to a lesser degree. Two amatuer trainers. Des Callahan and Laurie Hubbard. experienced their first training succcesses on the course when Benjie Tara and Eee Tee were successful. Jim Curtain drove the Callahan- owned and trained Benjie Tara to win the race for junior horsemen holding off a late challenge from Golden Casanova by half a length. Jack Smolenski urged Eee Tee to victory over the hot favourite. Triarmbro. which raced clear by several lengths early in the run

home in the main race for trotters. Eee Tee got up in the last stride to shade the rapidly-tiring Triarmbro by a nose. Benjie Tara was one of the two winners of minor races sired by Good Chase. Good Frost worried Ginger Creek out of first in a moderate field of eight in the event for C2 pacers. Good Frost was patiently driven by Murray Edmonds. One of the more attractive wins was Twilight Mist's neck victory over Young Beau in the Oakleys Pace. Jenover had little difficulty justifying favouritism in the Aldurwood Handicap: nor did Tarlad in the M. J. Robertson Pace, a race in which The Sling and Eden's Joy, third and fourth respectively needed just a little better fortune to beat Angelo Dundee for second.