Smooth Fella maintains lead on sires’ list

Press, 12 June 1986, Page 30

Smooth Fella maintains lead on sires’ list

Smooth Fella looks almost certain to be the top sire in New Zealand for the second successive season. After racing last week-end he had an advantage of more than $30,000 over his nearest rival, Game Pride.

So far this season Smooth Fella has had 104 starters which have had 79 pacing and two trotting wins for $539,796, some $7OOO more than the $532,509 credited to him when he finished first on the list last season. Smooth Fella’s sole contributor to his total as a trotter has been Te Puke Aspires. Game Pride, which headed the list in 1982-83 and 1983-84 and finished third last season, is holding second place at present with $509,088.

Game Pride has had 120 starters, six of which favoured the pacing gait. His pacers won six races and $24,002, while his 114 trotters won 80 races.

Noodlum is right in the firing line in third place with $502,629, by far his highest position on the list Last season he finished in tenth place. He will be represented by Race Ruler in the $125,000 Juvenile Championship at Alexandra Park later in the month and should he be successful he could go close to topping the list

Noodlum has had 98 starters this season, six favouring the trotting gait and winning four races and $12,426. His 92 pacers had won 65 races after last week-end’s racing. Lordship, runner-up on the list last season, is in fourth place on the list, a position he will probably hold on July 31. Lordship’s progeny have won $422,660. He has had 103 starters, 96 of them favouring the pacing gait and winning 83 races. Vance Hanover, which has had no trotters to

represent him, has had 63 starters and they have won 63 races and $400,885. The position among the leaders is unlikely to change drastically as a result of meetings at Nelson on Saturday and Tuesday and Auckland on Saturday.

Smooth Fella will have nine representatives at Alexandra Park, where the stakes schedule is much higher than at Nelson where he has no runners.

Lordship has no runner at Alexandra Park, but he will have eight at Nelson. Game Pride will have 10 to represent him at the Auckland meeting, while he has eight at Nelson. Noodlum has five at Auckland, the same number down to represent him at Nelson. Vance Hanover has not got any runners at Nelson, but he will have nine at the Auckland meeting.