Superb win by Our Mana in fast-run mile

Press, 9 May 1983, Page 28

Superb win by Our Mana in fast-run mile

By

G. K. YULE

Those who have watched Our Mana speed through the classes since his introduction to racing on December 27 last have developed a high opinion of him, but many have expressed reservations.

The sceptics were left struggling for words when he won the Wee Win Free-for-all with ridiculous ease at Addington Raceway on Saturday, returning the splendid time of Imin 57.3 s for the mile. It was not so much that Our Mana, as most predicted, was successful, but the manner in which he accomplished the feat stamped him as one of the top pacers in commission.

He went to the front from the start, was under extreme pressure from Hobart Star from the 1000 m to the 600 m. When that runner dropped away struggling, Diamond Moose moved up to force the issue.

Our Mana was right up to the task. He shook off Diamond Moose and then proved more than a match for Agrinion. Colin de Filippi let him coast over

the last 50m and he won by a length and a quarter. Agrinion tracked Our Mana, but Robin Butt pulled her out near the 400 m and she had to improve three wide. Had she remained on the rails, she would have had little trouble working clear and might have pushed the winner harder. Trilobal, which pushed through along the inside when Agrinion moved out, was only half a length back, third, with half a length to Dryden Amanda, which made up many lengths. Stampede made ground for fifth another length and a half back, well clear of a sadly beaten remainder. Our Mana, which paid $3.55 for a win, was only slightly more heavily supported than Kind Nature, which was showing $3.70 when the totalisator closed.

Kind Nature was trying for the lead just after the start when a front hopple carrier came loose and the hopple dropped free, flapping around his legs. “He kept pacing, but I couldn’t let him go,” said Gavin Hampton, who drove him.

Our Mana provides one of

the rags to riches stories so frequently discovered in racing. A very immature horse when first he was tried he was put aside for lengthy periods and eventually was sold to his present owner, Mrs Jenny Barron, for $2OO. She placed him with Colin de Filippi and he has made meteoric progress under his guidance. His race on Saturday was his twelfth and he has had eight wins and three placings. He showed top free-for-all speed on Saturday, tearing over his opening 400 m in 28.85, reaching the half-way mark in 58.25, and passing the 1200 m in Imin 28.25.

Our Mana is a four-year-old gelding by Schell Hanover from Taimoni, a descendant of Berthabell, founder of one of the more successful families in the Stud Book.

“I hadn’t really wanted him to go so fast, but wasn’t going to give away the lead,” said de Filippi. “He never stops surprising me. He did the job so easily.” Our Mana will now go out for a well-deserved spell. His trainer is considering preparing him for racing at

the National meeting in August with a view to gaining the two wins which would assure him of a start in the New Zealand Cup in November.

“I’d like to keep him racing, but there just aren’t any more suitable races for him,” said de Filippi. Capri, driven by de Filippi, gained her second win in less than a fortnight for her Templeton trainer, Cecil Devine, when she beat the rather unlucky favourite, Solar Hanover, in the Caduceus Stakes. Solar Hanover, after leading out, settled three back on the rails and was late working clear. Capri will probably race next either at Washdyke on Saturday week or in the Canterbury Park Winter Cup at the end of the month. SMART RUN Harvest Gold, which will go north and contest the D.B. Flying Fillies’ Series Final at Alexandra Park on Saturday, showed her fitness for that campaign when she raced away from the promising first-starter, Main Donna, and Valley Creek in the Metropolitan Breeders’ Stakes. Her 2min 33.7 s for

the mobile 2000 m was a smart run.

Southland stables produced three winners, Donore, Lili’s Choice and Apolotok, while the Queens-town-owned Kawarau Chip, having her first start since being trained by Patrick O’Reilly, jun., after being trained in the south, overcame an early break to win the Fantom Handicap. Formal Fella gave Bob Cameron his sole driving success of the night when he beat Hannah Jessie and the unlucky Beware in the C. E. Hoy Stakes. Paul Black won both races for junior horsemen with Donore and Watbro Ford, the last-named prevailing in one of the tightest finishes of the night. Watbro Ford was still well back turning for home and came strongly almost against the outside fence to shade Speedy Prince, Titian Gold and Never Ending. Neil Munro, who heads the contest for the Maurice Holmes Trophy, finished fourth with Bush Ranger and third with Titian Gold, to increase his total to 18 points, five more than Murray Edmonds.