Bonnie’s Chance ready for cup

Press, 26 October 1982, Page 34

Bonnie’s Chance ready for cup

Special correspondent Dunedin Bonnie's Chance completed her racing preparation for the New Zealand Cup with a record win in the Hannon Memorial Free-for-all at the Oamaru Trotting Club’s meeting yesterday. The well-performed Majestic Chance mare had only a neck to spare over the C 8 pacer, Amaze, but she was not driven out. She had secured the run of the race behind Amaze and came through the inner in the last 150 m when he drifted off the fence. Her time of 3min 22.4 s was a track record, the previous best being 3min 23s set by Amaze on the first day of the corresponding meeting last year. “She would need to improve a bit, but that run should do it,” said her trainer-driver, Richard Brosnan. Brosnan plans to give her an outing at trials to top her off for the cup, a race in which she was second to Armalight last year. Karen Grice and Bonnie McGarry’s seven-year-old Majestic Chance—Bonnie Countess mare has now won 22 races and gained 18 placings in 56 starts, for $184,725 in stakes. Amaze fought on well for second after making the pace and finished three lengths clear of Hands Down, which came from the rear of the field at the 509 m after tangling and losing about 40m at the start. Derek and Peter Jones were both pleased with the performance of Hands Down, which will also be seen in action at trials in his remaining cup preparation. Triloba! impressively won the Radio Handicap. The four-year-old led throughout and won untested by two lengths in 4min 16.25, good time in a cold atmosphere and 0.2 of a second outside Roydon Loch’s track record.