Wedgewood likely favourite in Two-year-old Stakes

Press, 25 May 1984, Page 18

Wedgewood likely favourite in Two-year-old Stakes

By

JEFF SCOTT

One of the features of the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting at Addington Raceway tonight will be the $5OOO New Zealand Two-year-old Trotting Mobile Stakes over 2000 m in which the clash of the precocious juveniles, Wedgewood and Kathy’s Pride, is arousing much interest.

Both are well above average and appear likely to dispute the favouritism, while the appearance of the Pukekohe trained Nato will ensure plenty of North Island support. Wedgewood deserves to be the favourite. The Plat du Jour gelding set a national record for tonight’s distance of 200 m (mobile) when he trotted the distance in 2min 42.2 s at Addington on April 14, win-

ning by five and a half lengths from Kathy's Pride and Borrowed Time: while he was a mile winner in 2min 8s on the tight Motukarara clav track on April 28. Trained at Christchurch by the former top reinsman, Maurice Holmes. Wedgewood also returned a top run for third, against the older trotters at the Addington trials last week, return-

ing 3min 37.2 s for 2600 m (stand), which was under Spartan Prince’s record of 3min 38.9 s set in 1976. Kathy’s Pride has set two national records for a two-year-old trotting filly in as many starts of late. She recorded 2min 7s when winning a mile at Motukarara two starts back while she returned 2min 47.4 s for 200 m (stand) when she won at Oamaru on May 12.

Just a Natural, which ran Kathy’s Pride to a long neck at Oamaru, has impressed at trials and will have supporters; while Linda Ellen, the runner-up to Kathy’s Pride over a mile at Motukarara, is another talented filly in the field.

Likely and Fire Fighter in a two-year-old mobile trot over 2200 m at Alexandra Park last Saturday.

A gelding by Nat Lobell from the pacing winner. Mandy Seth, Nato has won twice over 2200 m from a stand, in the north, returning a best time of 3min 10.25. Signor Gabrielli, which was in fine early season form, and Borrowed Time, are others which warrant consideration.

Nato, trained at Pukekohe by the former Rangiora horseman, Tony Perucich, recovered after an early break to run third to Highly