Hilarious Guest wins easily

Press, 31 December 1982, Page 6

Hilarious Guest wins easily

PA Auckland From the moment Hilarious Guest took the lead a little less than midway through the race there was never any doubt the brilliant mare would win the NewZealand Messenger at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting at Alexandra Park last night. Confidently driven by Peter Wolfenden, she cleared away over the final stages and was out by three lengths at the post. Sharvid Skipper was just as comfortably second, ahead of Enterprise and Steady Lady. The Woolworths-sponsored event was disappointing for many in the big crowd. The favourite, Mel’s Boy, lost all chance when he suffered a severe check and went into a break about 800 m from the finish.

His trainer-driver, Jack Smolensk!, obviously, angry, said afterwards he was “washed out."

Smolensk! said that Mel’s Boy was going well at the time. “You saw how much ground he made up." For all that. Hilarious Guest was a worthy winner

and she gave Wolfenden his first success in the country's premier race for four-year-olds. " r

Hilarious Guest, from the extreme outside of the front row. was restrained in the early stages and was well back when the field had settled down.

She made a sweeping run around the field and, once in charge, she was always travelling comfortably. Wolfenden said he never had any The success: of Hilarious Guest took her earnings to $170,000 for her Rangiora owner-breeder-trainer, Maurice Vermeulen. In all, she has the remarkable record of 19 wins from only 30 starts. Vermeulen is undecided whether to run her in a flying mile at Cambridge next week. “If she does not run I will take her home and get her ready for the Auckland Cup iri February and after that enter the Inter-dominion Championships." Wolfenden, her regular driver in the North, will not be able to handle her in those events. He said he was committed to drive Armalight.