Half-million dollar offer for young star Canterbury Belle

Press, 23 October 1984, Page 40

Half-million dollar offer for young star Canterbury Belle

By

J. J. BOYLE

Nick and Carroll Wigley had much to think about at the week-end before their brilliant filly, Canterbury Belle, won the Ashley Meats Mile at the North Canterbury Racing Club’s meeting at Rangiora yesterday.

On Saturday they were offered $500,000 for their home-bred speedster, and that offer, on behalf of American interests, came close after another one by a representative of a New Zealand bloodstock company. The Wigleys, who run the historic Inglewood Stud close to Rangiora, will not make a decision about a sale until after Canterbury Belle runs in the Wrightsonsponsored $lOO,OOO New Zea-

land One Thousand Guineas at Riccarton next week. But as Nick Wigley put it yesterday: “We could have had a lot to lose and not very much to win in deciding not to do anything before today’s race.” Canterbury Belle is now unbeaten in three starts, and she gave encouraging evidence yesterday of the qualities necessary for the metric mile. She had established her brilliance over shorter

courses in her previous races. This time she showed the ability to relax to her race early, and again when her rider, Chris Johnson, chose to take her up to the girth of the pacemaking Orb at about half-way. Orb did not give it away without a show of resistance early in the run home, but Canterbury Belle lengthened stride with a minimum show of exertion and pulled away to win by a length and a quarter.

• Canterbury Belle ran the 1600 m in 1:38.19. The track gave good footing, but there was a buffeting breeze from the south making less than favourable conditions for second-season performers having their first try at the distance. Canterbury Belle’s Riccarton trainer, Dave Kerr, will not decide until later in the week if he will give the filly another race before the One Thousand Guineas. He will accept for her at

the Banks Peninsula meeting, but an alternative for her would be a run at race trials at Motukarara on Sunday. Canterbury Belle was the only filly in a field of nine for the Ashley Meats Mile. Best of the “boys” was Black Arrow, which found enough after a trailing run to beat Orb by a neck for second, but the others were a well-beaten lot, with Pokare and Secured Money leading them in.