Lord Venture schools attractively

Press, 6 May 1983, Page 20

Lord Venture schools attractively

Special correspondent

Dunedin

Lord Venture shaped as a likely steeplechaser when he schooled in grand style with Prince Trelay at Wingatui yesterday morning. Lord Venture, a five-year old by Trelay from Lady Venture, has additional factors in his favour to succeed as a jumper. He handles wet ground and has won up to 2147 m.

Lord Venture, which finished fourth in his lone start over hurdles at Wingatui in October, is engaged in the Mother’s Day Handicap, the first leg of the T.A.B. treble at the Southland meeting on Monday. That race is the third jackpot race. The jackpot is on races two, three six, eight and ten.

“That is the best school we have seen here for a long time,” said Brian Anderton, the co-trainer of Lord Venture and Prince Trelay after the pair had jumped eight steeplechase fences on the course proper. The bout started and finished at the sod wall and the pace was on throughout. Prince Trelay the

edge early then lost momentum briefly when he struck the fence near the 1000 m. Lord Venture was safe and sound throughout. The effort earned him his ticket for steeplechase races. Prince Trelay needs another satisfactory school. Lord Venture is a brother of Swift Venture, which won two class one races at Awapuni last June and another at Hastings in August. Ken Browne, the Cambridge owner-trainer of Swift Venture was viewing him as this year’s Grand National Hurdles winner when at Riccarton two years ago. Trelay the sire of Swift Venture and Lord Venture, has left such jumping winners as Belsen’s Bank, Folay, Treghan, Cellay, Civil Rights, Heart of the Desert, Lord Trelay and The Operator. Syrie Boye and Midnight Caper are back on the ac-' tive list with Tony and Lyn Prendergast Syrie Boye was spelled after finishing third to Double Jay and John Peel in the Waimate Cup in January.

Midnight Caper, a maiden winner at Wingatui in August had two further starts before he was gelded and put aside in October. He has proved capable in heavy ground. Jim Collett, has been booked to ride Noble River, at the Otago Hunt meeting next Friday. This was a winning combination at Wingatui on Anzac Day. Noble River was beaten by the barest of margins by Imperial Helen at Invercargill on Monday. Melling Road and Rock Crystal completed their qualifying tickets for jumping races when they schooled over steeplechase fences on Tuesday. Melling Road is a newcomer to the stable of Brian Anderton and Graeme Offen. A maiden winner on the flat at Ashburton in September, 1979, when trained by Ned and Lloyd Thistoll, Melling Road (a seven-year-old by Royal Ridge from Pic-a-Deck) has not raced for two years. Rock Crystal has won twice on the flat from the stable of Hector Anderton, sen. r