Little effort for Hands Down in 22nd win at Addington

Press, 16 April 1984, Page 32

Little effort for Hands Down in 22nd win at Addington

By

G. K. YULE

A couple of flicks across the back with the reins were all that Hands Down needed to encourage him to draw away by more than three lengths from Agrinion and Mighty Me at the end of the Steinlager Handicap at the Metropolitan Trotting Club’s meeting at Addington Raceway on Saturday. In doing so he brought his number of wins at Addington to 22, one more than the previous record he shared with Lordship. Altogether Hands Down has gained 30 wins for Mr and Mrs Bill McAughtrie, of Omarama. As well, he has had 11 placings for $298,005 from a total of 80 starts. Hands Down started much faster than usual

from 40m on Saturday. Even so he was still several lengths off the main bunch and he was a good dozen lengths from the pacemaker, Diamond Moose, racing to the 800 m, at which point Peter Jones asked the eight-year-old to improve. Hands Down improved about three places, with Jones content to allow him to stride along and wait on the leaders until the straight entrance, at which point he must have been six wide. Jones did not even turn his whip round, so easily was Hands Down travelling. “He seemed to find another gear when I flicked him with the reins and just jogged over the last bit,” commented Jones.

The leaders paced their last 800 m in 59.65, so Hands Down’s time for this section must have been comfortably inside 595, and he did it so easily. The winning performance of Hands Down roused the crowd to show its only enthusiasm for the night and he was given a hero’s welcome as he came back to the birdcage. Hands Down was only the 4/5 favourite in spite of an eye-catching run at trials last Wednesday and he paid $7.90 for a win. He will not be at such fancy odds when he contests the $30,000 Lion Brown Easter Cup next Saturday. He will be handicapped on 25m in that event, a mark he will share with Delightful Lady. Our

Mana, Norton and other well-performed horses will start from the front. The favourite, Hilarious Guest, raced in the open from the 2000 m, but found nothing extra in the run home and finished eighth. It was tight for the placings after Hands Down, Agrinion, which pulled hard in the middle part, nosed Mighty Me out of second, with Kind Nature a respectable fourth, shading Ansett, with the rest covered by little more than a length. There were hard luck stories aplenty. Direct Kiwi finished second last, but he was under a strong hold after failing to work clear. The same applied to Dear Sir. Ben finished a splendid

seventh. He followed Hands Down as he improved, but just battled over the final 100 m. He should be improved as a result of the race. The John Brandon Flying Stakes did little to establish three-year-old supremacy for the season; nor will it necessarily be a reliable guide to prospects in the $70,000 final leg of the series next Saturday. King Alba, so disappointing when favourite on the first night of the meeting, reinstated himself as a leading contender for top honours when he sped out of the barrier from No. 5 and quickly took up the role of pacemaker. He was not seriously tested and won by a length and a half from Logan Dryham, which tracked the pacemaker throughout. Lord Louie showed improvement by holding onto third ahead of the even-money favourite, Roydon Glen, Naval Officer and Kanturk. King Alba’s improved showing came under official scrutiny. The gelding’s Cambridge trainer, John Langdon, told the committee that the horse’s blood count had been found to be low after his April 4 race. The horse had been treated and Langdon felt he would be further improved for the final day of the meeting. The race was marred by Roydon Glen’s breaking near the 600 m, interfering badly with Liquid Lightning, Slugger and Josephine Bret.