Change of luck for Shezahe’s owner

Press, 19 July 1983, Page 28

Change of luck for Shezahe’s owner

By

JEFF SCOTT

Shezahe brought a welcome change of luck for his Gore owner, Mr Keith Lawlor, when he won the Allan Hughey Hi-Fi Handicap at the New Brighton Trotting Club’s meeting at Addington Raceway on Saturday evening. Mr Lawlor is best known as the owner, trainer and driver of the 1975 New Zealand Cup and Free-for-all winner, Lunar Chance, but has gone through a lean period in racing since his well-performed Majestic Chance gelding was exported to America in the late 19705. When Shezahe made a winning debut at Forbury Park in late January last year, it was the first horse the Gore farmer had raced since Lunar Chance last competed in his colours five years earlier. Four that he had had qualified in the interim had either broken

down or gone amiss before getting to the races. Shezahe, after showing promise last season, winning once and being placed over a mile in 2min 1.95, was sidelined for almost a year with injury before resuming in February. The five-year-old Truant Hanover gelding is raced on lease by Lawlor from the Canterbury breeder, Mr Arthur Idiehs. He gained his unusual name when Mr Idiens and his wife thought the horse was a filly for quite some time, and eventually found “she” was a colt.

On Saturday, in his third start since being transferred to Robert Dunn’s West Melton stable, Shezahe swept up wide out at the straight entrance and kept up a determined run to win by half a length. He had been unlucky on the second day at Marlborough, falling when trying for a gap in the straight

when going well, and after a placed run at the trials since then, justified the strong support he received on Saturday. The promising Rangioratrained three-year-old, Royal Premier, sprinted his closing 400 m off the front in the slushy conditions in 29s to win the Christchurch Electrical Stakes, holding out the favourite, Hydro Light, by a length and a

Royal Premier, third in the Queen’s Birthday Stakes at Ashburton two starts back, is a gelded son of Noodlum and the useful mare, Royal Cheval. A halfbrother to Regal Cheval (2min 1.75), he is owned and trained by Maurice Vermeulen.

Hydro - Light, which settled at the back, made a run to be in the open at the 1000 m, but could not overhaul the front-running Royal Premier .over the closing stages.