Trotting Stakes to Highwood

Press, 1 April 1985, Page 35

Trotting Stakes to Highwood

By

G. K. YULE

Highwood lived right up to the high expectations of his connections with a decisive win in the Treating Stakes at Addington Raceway on Saturday. Highwood raced three back on the rails for most of the way and had to be switched out at the straight entrance. He charged through and came on to win handily by a length and a half from the dominating favourite, Wedgewood. Then there was a length to Borrowed Time, a length to Firm Offer and a short length to Cracker. The pacemaker, Signor Gabrielli, tired to sixth.

The performances of Borrowed Time and Cracker were features of the race. Both broke badly at the start and settled a long way off the pace. Highwood, a winner at the Cheviot meeting on March 16 at his only other race start, is trained at Chertsey by Warren Stapleton, who races him in partnership with Mr Laurie Hanrahan.

Stapleton rates Highwood extremely highly and was confident of success on Saturday. He has no immediate plans for the youngster and said on Saturday he had not considered a trip to Auckland for the Rosso Antico Stakes. “I’ll have to give a bit of thought to it, though, after that win,” he commented.

Patrick O’Reilly, jun., who drives Highwood, likens him to Sir Castleton, which he has driven in many of his wins, “He feels so strong all

the time and really tries hard when asked to go,” said O’Reilly. Highwood is by Game Pride, the leading sire of trotters in recent years, from Lerna Del, an unraced mare by Armbro Del. The partners have him on lease from Mr Les Watson, a land agent, of Dunedin. “We’ve got an arrangement whereby we get to try all of the foals bred by Mr Watson. We’ve tried half a dozen others, but they’ve been no good,” said Stapleton.

Lerna Del is a member of a prominent family bred from mainly just north of Dunedin. It has produced such good winners as Bonnie’s Change, Brucus, Ada Scott, Anne’s Day, Dayvander, Gliding Light, Defiance and Gliding Guy. The family had an earlier winner at Addington on Saturday, Llennoco, which was having start No. 105, taking out the Shell Oil Pace at odds of almost 25 to 1.

The nine-year-old seems to have taken on a new lease on life this season and has been racing to good purpose lately for his Waikouaiti trainer and partowner, Denis O’Connell.

Leo Mosely has Llennoco quickly in front and he held on to shade Sure He Can and Scenic Light after recording 3min 23.6 s for the mobile 2600 m, a respectable time considering the strong southerly wind he had to contend with on two occasions.

Likely Lord provided one of few features at Addington on Saturday when he won the Big Softie Pace. He raced in mid-field early,

improved to vie for the lead 1200 m out, and then dropped back as the pace increased sharply inside the final 800 m. He came from about five lengths from Lady El starting the run home to beat her convincingly by a length. Richina surged into third a neck away, a length in front of Regal Nugent, with Hondo’s Dream shading Lew Foy, never in the clear, and Gateau, which dead-heated. Likely Lord was driven by Robert Cameron, who handled Farm Boss when he won the previous event, the Sid Wilson Standardbred Agency Pace. Farm Boss made most of the pace and held on to beat the first starter, Donaghadee, by a length, with a long break back to Beau Du

Jour, which met trouble inside the last 800 m, Wishful Thinking and Stanley Steamer.

Farm Boss is the first New Zealand winner sired by Farm Timer, which stands at Carl Middleton’s Highbank stud. Tussle’s ability to begin quickly from a standing start stood to her in the Burkes Caterers Handicap. She was the only horse on 10m and began so quickly she had passed all of her rivals after 200 m. She was steadied behind Loyal Step at the 2000 m and came on to beat that runner by a short length, with Novander dashing into third, ahead of Shylock, old Stormy Morn and Cilla’s Pride, which was never in the clear.