Popular Alm main attraction at Inter-Dominion heats

Press, 11 March 1983, Page 9

Popular Alm main attraction at Inter-Dominion heats

Special correspondent Auckland Popular Alm, Armalight and Bonnie’s Chance are widely expected to score heavily when the battle for qualifying points in the 1983 Inter-Dominion Championship starts at Alexandra Park tomorrow evening.

All three have been in devastating form in their latest racing. Popular Alm is generally regarded as the best pacer in Australia and his presence in the Benson and Hedges sponsored series is arousing great interest. The six-year-old bay entire from Kilmore, in Victoria, has the remarkable record of 34 wins and six minor placings in only 43 starts, his stake earnings are just on $400,000, and these days he is unbeatable in his homeland. He has won his last 13 races, two starts back in the $lOO,OOO Hunter Cup at Moonee Valley recording a phenomenal mile rate of Imin 59.4 s for 2870 m. The only other sub-2min mile rate for a distance beyond 2600 m in New Zealand and Australia, probably

in the world, is Armalight’s Imin 59.7 s in last month's 2700 m Auckland Trotting Cup. Popular Alm has never raced on a right-handed track but his driver, Vin Knight, is not concerned. "I’m sure it won’t trouble him,” he says. Fields in Inter-Dominion qualifying heats are never weak, the carnival drawing as it does the cream of standardbred talent. The lineup in Popular Aim’s heat tomorrow, the third, is not as strong as the other two, especially as Hilarious Guest and Dundas have drawn the second row. Popular Alm has drawn reasonably well at No. 7 and there is no doubt he will be a warm favourite. The brilliant Timarutrained mare, Bonnie’s

Chance, from No. 3 is nicely placed in the first heat. Her only defeat in recent months was in the Auckland Cup. She had no luck at all in the running in that race and did very well to finish sixth. Her last two starts have been in flying miles, both of which she won comfortably. The longer journey tomorrow. 2700 m, will not worry her in fact, it will probably suit her better than a sprint. Her main rivals look to be Wondai’s Mate and Hands Down. Wondai’s Mate, from Queensland, has the staggering record of never having been out of the first three in 47 starts. On the way he worked at Alexandra Park yesterday he left another championship contender Jawa Boy far be-

hind over the final stages of a very strong run over about 2700 m. He is in the right shape to keep his record intact. Hands Down, now to be driven by trainer Derek Jones’s son, Peter, is also ready for a big effort. He has shaped consistently well in training since he broke the Pukekohe 2500 m record at a matinee meeting recently. The other heat will mark the return to racing of the great mare, Delightful Lady, which has not raced since she won the North Island Standardbred Breeders’ Stakes at Alexandra Park last April for an unprecedented fourth year on end. She has been shaping well at trials but she has a tough assignment first up tackling Armalight and Gammalite. Armalight has not raced

since her record-breaking Auckland Cup win but she is in first-rate order. A skin complaint in her feet which developed about a week ago is unlikely to bother her. The way Gammalite is going it will not be long before he becomes the first standardbred.in New Zealand or Australia to earn a million dollars in stakes. His total at present stands at $824,043, from 65 wins and 38 minor placings in 118 starts. He won the Cranboume Cup in record time only a few days before coming to Auckland so he obviously is in top form. With strong Australian representation in the trotting qualifying heats and an attractive supporting programme. the carnival- looks like getting under way on a high note.