Paleface Bubble draws No. 1 in rich pacing Grand Final

Press, 10 March 1987, Page 42

Paleface Bubble draws No. 1 in rich pacing Grand Final

1987 INTER DOMINION Championships

By

G. K. YULE

"I’d wanted an inside position and No. 1 suits me just fine,” commented Michael Ilsley, the trainer-driver of the Sydney horse, Paleface Bubble, after he had drawn the pole position in the $350,000 Lion Brown Inter-Dominion Championship Grand Final to be run at Addington Raceway on Saturday.

The Clevedon-trained Luxury Liner, one of the early favourites for the Metropolitan club’s feature race, also drew well at No. 4, while New Zealand’s other main hope, Master Mood, drew No. 10. However, unless there are two scratchings allowing Paia Royal, which drew No. 2, to reenter the field, he will start from the outside of the front line.

The Victorian, Bag Limit, unbeaten in the two heats he contested, comes in at No. 6. He has to be cleared by a veterinary examination on Friday morning before he is allowed to start in the event His stablemate, Alpine Fella, will almost certainly start from the second line as he has drawn No. 11. "I have no intention of leading, but I should be able to settle well up in the field. If he gets a clear run in the home straight I’ll be disap-

pointed if he’s far away at the finish. He’s done really well since last Saturday’s race,” said Ilsley of Paleface Bubble. Kevin Williams, the part-owner and trainerdriver of Master Mood said: “I’d have preferred to have drawn from No. 6 in, but I can’t do anything about that now. It’s not so much the awkward draw, but the run we get afterwards that counts,” he said afer his wife, Bonnie, had drawn Master Mood’s barrier position. Barry Purdon, the cotrainer of Luxury Liner,

was quite satisfied with his No. 4 position. “I wasn’t really too concerned, but wanted as close in as possible on the front row and definitely not in the second line,” he said. “I want No. 13, it’s my lucky number,” said Michael Dux when only his horse, Sunset Candios, and Skipper Dale were left to be allocated numbers and 13 and 14 remained. Sunset Candios drew No. 14, but will start at least one number closer so long as none of the emergencies gain a start The Metropolitan club drew praise when the president Mr Dan McCormick, announced that it had been decided to run a second consolation race with a stake of $27,500 to cater for the horses not

eligible for the final. “If we’d run one consolation race as was intended, a number of horses racing in the series would have had no chance of competing on the last night of the meeting,” he said. As a result the club will now run a 10-race programme with the first race starting at 5.35 p.m. The T.A.B. double will be run on the Second Pacing Consolation Race and the Grand Final. The T.A.B. treble will be run on races four, five and six, and T.A.B. trifectas will be run on races five, six, and nine. There will be an oncourse treble run on races eight, nine and 10. A course jackpot, starting with a fresh pool, will be run on races five to nine inclusive.