Youngsters show high promise at race trials

Press, 21 September 1984, Page 32

Youngsters show high promise at race trials

By

J. J. BOYLE

Riccarton stables will mount a strong challenge on the Otago Racing Club’s McLean Stakes, the first of the South Island's two-year-old races this season, and up for decision tomorrow week. That was one of the messages to come out of race trials held by the Riccarton Turf Club on the trial grass at Riccarton yesterday.

The two heats for two-year-olds were won by the fillies, Natep, and Bygone. Natep, an Auk filly trained by Kevin Miller for Mr Eddie Brookes, showed she had speed to match her placid demeanour to win the first heat for the youngsters narrowly but well from Starlord.

They were running over a distance short of 600 m and Natep’s time was 34.85. Bygone, an attractive daughter of the Australianbred Bull’s Brook from B’rydon Mills’s stable, shaded

Gottavari to win the second heat in 34.65. Gottavari, a brother of Indigod, was shaken up to stay in touch with Bygone, which completed her task with fluent style.

One of the other features of the programme, embracing 18 events, was the performance of the unraced Young Hawk to win one of the qualifying events for maidens.

Young Hawk was one of three purchases at the 1982 Trentham sales by Jim Tomkinson for Mr Cyril Smith, of Christchurch and the slow-maturing War Hawk II gelding, joined the John Bourne stable when the Tomkinson team was dispersed recently. The qualifying maiden events yesterday were run over a distance of about 1150 m. Young Hawk charged home from the back to win his heat by a length in 1:7.4. He will probably make his race debut at the Banks Peninsula meeting next

month. Other winners of maiden qualifying events were Zena Royale, Another Look, Funny Settler, Sunny Lass, and Great Praise. Zena Royale is a Palm Beach filly trained by Garth Jackson for the trotting identity, Bob Cameron, and is a stablemate of Funny Settler. Another Look is a halfsister by Beaufort Sea to the successful Another Story and will do her racing for Barry Taggart’s stable. The North Island-owned Great Praise is by Great Wall from a member of the famous Praise family and shapes as if she will do well for the Harris stable at Tuahiwi. Le Valet and Xerox won the 1600 m events for all classes, Le Valet in 1:41.8, and Noble Note’s brother in 1:42.4. The best of Xerox’s rivals in the second heat was the three-year-old Secured Money, performed creditably, showing he is making

good progress for the Dunedin Guineas next week. The Ashburton-trained Retep showed characteristic dash to come out on top in the 1150 m event for all classes.

One of his rivals was Upper Cut, which will do his future racing from the Prendergast stable at West Melton. Last season’s Great Easter Handicap winner picked up ground steadily for third behind Retep and Buffy Beaufort. Most impressive winner of the 600 m (almost) events for all classes was Sea Poppy, a winner by three lengths from Aegean Princess and Donizetti.

Sea Poppy will have her next start in the Couplands Handicap at the Geraldine meeting. Paul Atkinson was engaged yesterday as her rider.

Winners of the two 1600 m maiden qualifying events yesterday were Great King, from the Harris stable, and Tung Hai, which is trained by Michael Pitman.