Sprint absentee assists Noble Note’s chance

Press, 15 January 1986, Page 34

Sprint absentee assists Noble Note’s chance

By

J. J. BOYLE

If Noble Note wins or goes close in the $75,000 Wrightson Handicap at Trentham on Saturday his connections might utter a prayer of thanks that Canterbury Belle was allowed to bypass the race. Canterbury Belle was entered for the rich 1200 m race, but was not accepted for and her immediate programme will be feature races at Riccarton and Wingatui next month. If the Wrightson Handicap had been kept on her programme her performance in training at Riccarton yesterday would have kept her high on the list of fancies.

Noble Note and Canterbury Belle appeared oqly minutes apart to

through identical tasks with impressive efficiency on the plough yesterday. Noble Note started from the 800 m with no great speed on but still managed to complete the trip in 50.25, thanks to sharp acceleration for the last 600 m in 35.85.

Canterbury Belle, like Noble Note, took 14.4 s from the 800 m to the 600 m, but would up with 49.6 s for the distance. It was a splendid [riece of well-controlled galoping. As usual Canterbury Belle showed deceptive speed getting through her final 600 m in 35.25.

Samasaan gave all the encouraging signals hoped for in his build-up for Trentham when he ran 1600 m in Imin 39.8 s on the No. 1 grass yesterday. The New Zealand Cup

winner had fast footing, but there was still much to like about his performance to sustain his speed to the end. He recorded 48.4 s for the last 800 m and 35.2 s for the final 600 m.

The weight-for-age Trentham Stakes will give Samasaan a valuable opportunity on Saturday to achieve peak racing condition for the Wellington Cup a week later. Chris Johnson will ride Samasaan, and if he can make the weight will be on Samasaan’s stablemate, Harbor Flo, in the Anniversary Handicap. Harbor Flo was assigned 1400 m on the No. 1 grass yesterday, and there was no time wasting. She hurried through in Imin 27.35, finishing with 800 m in 48s and 600 m 35.35. • Earlier, the

New Zealand Oaks candidate, The Thief, ran the last 1400 m of 1600 m in Imin 31.85, the final 800 m in 49.25, and the 600 m in 36.45.

Snowdrift and Elope, two more three-year-old fillies in the Dave Kerr team, hurried from the 800 m in 47.35, finishing with an impressive 34.3 s for the last 600 m.

In her early-season racing Elope shaped as if she would come to her best form over a bit of ground, and she could have a successful autumn programme. She will reappear at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting, with Wingatui to follow.

Snowdrift was a holiday contributor to the stable record as the winner of the Show Gate Stakes at Wastfi