Northern fillies in pleasing form at Avondale

Press, 5 September 1983, Page 23

Northern fillies in pleasing form at Avondale

Special correspondent Auckland

Enthral and Mapperley Heights, if Avondale on Saturday was anything to go by, will make strong impressions on the Hawke’s Bay spring meeting later this month.

The trainer of Enthral, Ray Verner, confirmed after the filly’s impressive win, that she would be set for the Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings on September 17. The connections of Mapperley Heights were given not the slightest cause to alter their plans — to tackle the Hawke’s Bay Guineas — even though their filly came only third. Enthral, by Three Legs from the former fine race mare, Lilt, has always been held in considerable regard. She soon showed she could gallop and, after securing a win and a second placing in three starts as a two-year-old, began her second

season by winning a class four 1200 m on Saturday in great style. Back to start with, while Archbishop set a strong pace in the Glendene Improvers, Enthral seemed hardly a chance until into the last 200 m.

Getting close to home her rider, David Peake, edged her from the inside to make a run at the leaders, Gold Ransom and Fugato — Archbishop having tired — and she reached them in a few, quick strides. At the finish Enthral looked to be pretty comfortable, a neck ahead of Gold Ransom, with Fugato just half a length further away on the outside.

For all her breeding, Lilt being one of the best sprinters of her day, Enthral is considered by Verner to need a bit more than 1200 m if she is to show her best. He is rather wishing, in consequence, that the distance of the Gold Trail

Stakes had been left at 1400 m, which it was until the year before last. On the other hand, he has a special reason for the filly to run at Hastings, and a wish , for her to do well. She is owned there, by her breeder, Mr Tom Lowry, of Okawa Stud.

Enthral was produced, first-up, in excellent shape by Verner, as was Mapperley Heights, by the O’Sullivans.

Each was a favourite, Mapperley Heights especially so, at less than even money, and there is not much doubt that Mapperley Heights, also, should have won.

Her task was made difficult enough when she began slowly and settled near the back of the 12-horse field. When going so wide from the 600 m she seemed hardly a possibility to pay any sort of dividend, yet she was beaten only half a length and a neck.

Her big strides had her making ground all the way to the finish, just a few more and she would have been first. That is not to say Malayla and Honest Earl, the first two, performed other than very well. A four-year-old mare, Malalya shared in setting a hard pace and stayed on determinedly.

From her last three starts she has secured two wins, with a fourth placing in between, so she is doing well for her syndicate of owners which hold her on lease from the Middle Park Stud, and Mrs Ann Belcham, her trainer, of Whatawhata. Malayla ran her 1400 m in Imin 23.92 s and Enthral, for her 1200 m, returned Imin 10.945, both very good gallops indeed for this time of the year. Enthral, in fact, was just a fraction of a second slower than Manna Mourne over the same course in the main sprint, the Sheriff Handicap.