Simon Katz comes of age with win

Press, 23 November 1987, Page 35

Simon Katz comes of age with win

The quiet, unassuming Chertsey trainer, Dick Prendergast, told well-wishers with a wry grin before Saturday’s $125,000 D.B. Dominion Handicap he had his tie in his pocket “just in case” Simon Katz justified his favouritism in the South Island’s feature race for trotters.

Nobody could blame Prendergast for being slightly reserved going into the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s feature, In spite of the horse’s outstanding wins on the first two days of the carnival. Simon Katz had already contested two Dominion

Handicaps, running fourth two years ago and fifth last year, while the horse has usually been thereabouts in the major trots on the calendar, in most cases up until now he has ended up playing second fiddle. The lanky Noble Lord gelding was chasing round the likes of Sir Castleton upon entering the top grade, then had to live in the shadow of the top mare, Tussle, and others during the last two seasons. But this season, so far, belongs to Simon Katz, confirming a long-held

opinion by Prendergast. “I told the owners after he ran fifth in the Trot-

ting Stakes as a three-year-old we wouldn’t see the best of him until he was seven or eight — he was so gangly then,” said Prendergast. Simon Katz, the outsider of the 15-horse field in the 1983 Trotting Stakes (won by Zebec), actually took 24 starts before clearing maiden class at Timaru, almost a year after contesting the Trotting Stakes. However, Simon Katz had shown ability finishing in the first five In 16 of those CO starts before

embarking on his winning way. Saturday evening’s win

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was the elght-year-old’s fifteenth from 102 career outings and extended his earnings to a healthy $207,345 for his owners, Peter Rae, of Oamaru, and Stan Francis, formerly of Oamaru, but now living In Christchurch.

A slx-week spell during the winter — the first time Simon Katz had been out of work completely in four years — has worked wonders, according to Prendergast. Formerly a farmer and shearer at Palmerston, Prendergast earlier held an amateur licence before training professionally from Oamaru quarters In the 1975-76 season. Since then he has been regularly among the winners, with 108 training successes, including the winners of more than 46 trotting races. In 1980, he purchased his Landon Lodge property at Chertsey from Slim Dykman (of Scotch Tar fame). Prendergast’s biggest wins before Saturday had also been with Simon Katz In the $30,000 Air NZ Trotting Free-For-All on Show Day, while Simon Katz has also numbered wins In the Canterbury Park Trotting Cup and Ordeal Cup at Addington. Good pacing winners in his familiar red colours have been Hajano, which won eight before breaking a pastern, his half-brother Johnny Balbo, and Light Foyle, which was scratched on Saturday after a stone bruise flared up. Prendergast has also developed some smart trotters over the year Including Israel, Worthy

JEFF SCOTT

"No-one really attacked us and we had no worries,” said Butt, aged 21, who also gained the biggest of his 198 career wins to date.

Adios, Hannibal Best, Speedy Tuft and Klmrock. Prendergast still rates Klmrock, which he qualified In 3:13 (2400 m at Timaru, the best trotter he has trained, *although he admits Simon Katz has got to be getting near to him now.

“I think Klmrock was wasted off handicap marks down south,” said Prendergast Prendergast has always had a partiality for corrective shoeing, and therefore, has always been keen on the squaregaiters. Racing has been an Interest for his family throughout his lifetime. His father, Bill, raced several smart standardbreds from Wes Butt’s stable, including Wildwood Chief, which won the 1963 N.Z. Sapling Stakes and was beaten a nose by Bellajlly in the 1963 New Zealand Derby, while Dick’s brother, Tony, has enjoyed fine success as a thoroughbred trainer, preparing the good winners, Mr Ay Bee and Queen’s Pal.

"Tony’s the renegade in the family,” quipped Dick, who is now training a Clever Innocence youngster the brothers will race in partnership. Simon Katz was always travelling too well for his rivals in the Dominion after the top junior reinsman, Anthony Butt, took him to the front after 700 m.

Simon Katz, the best winner sired by the defunct Lordship entire, Noble Lord (which Sired other useful trotting winners in Noble Advice, Falcon Lord and Eee Tee), is to be freshened for a fortnight and then be aimed tentatively at a Melbourne campaign, be-

ginning with the sAust2o,ooo V. L. Dullard Cup on January 30. Heats worth sAustls,ooo of the Inter-Dominion Trotters Championship at Moonee Valley will be contested on February 13 and 20, with the sAust7s,ooo Final over 2870 m (mobile) on February 27. Prendergast does not have the Australasian Championship series at Moonee Valley, with a sAust3s,ooo final on March 19, on Simon Katz’s plans at this stage. Tyron Scottie, which

lowered Simon Katz’s col-

ours on two occasions during their Dominion preparations, finished

solidly from the third line on the inner without ever looking like beating his older rival. Landora’s Pride stormed home late for third after being one of the tailenders turning for home. “The 10 metre handicap cost her,” said the reinsman, John Langdon. "She just got back a bit far.” Tussle, which moved up to sit parked over the last mile, fought gamely to hold fourth from Your Honour, which was inconvenienced slightly by the

breaking Yankee Loch turning for home, but just battled the last 100 m.