Unscheduled work did Master Trac no harm

Press, 27 June 1983, Page 28

Unscheduled work did Master Trac no harm

Special correspondent Wellington The Otorohanga trainer, Dennis Dow, had every reason to heave a sigh of relief after Master Trac had won the Winter Handicap at Hastings on Saturday. On the morning of the races, he must have come very close to scratching his charge. Exercising on the Hastings track, Master Trac took charge of his rider and

bolted four times round. However, later in the afternoon, Master Trac showed no signs of his early morning jaunt when he finished doggedly for race rider, Brian Hibberd, to outstay Swift Venture by half a length. If Master Trac did make it to the races the fortunes of Indian Game were not so good. An early favourite for the Mahora Handicap, Indian Game also escaped from his

rider, Jim Cassidy, while being exercised. A sudden movement jolted Cassidy out of the saddle and Indian Game took off. Indian Game was a late scratching for the second leg of the double. Cassidy escaped with a stiff neck. Dow, who has his own property but treks to Te Awamutu for fast work, has been a regular commuter to Central Districts meetings. He has some 10 horses in work. The last he campaigned was the ’ good hurdler Head Boy. Dow plans to start Master Trac next in the $30,000 N.Z. Handicap at Avondale on Saturday. He also intends to bring the five-year-old south again for the Parliamentary at Trentham next month. Master Trac was ridden by the Palmerston North horseman, Brian Hibberd, who had first sought the mount on Bijou Boy, which ended up favourite and ran

third for Cassidy, then inquired about Gaimoss (fifth in the end). But when he failed to gain either of those rides he was glad to accept Dow’s offer to ride Master Trac. Swift Venture ran a good race for second. He settled well back in the field then finished strongly. He might have fared better had the track provided a real winter going. Sweet Nell came up with her third win this season and her eighth in all, when she won the Mahora Handicap, the second leg of the double. She won by more than a length from Abe’s Order, whose bold showing was a feature of the race. Rua Where was third and Chick’s Vain fourth. Sweet Nell, which was ridden by the apprentice, Barry Griffin, is trained by Eddie Dickinson at Waikanae for his wife.