Loveridge could clinch trip

Press, 20 February 1988, Page 32

Loveridge could clinch trip

By

JEFF SCOTT

Loveridge, although off the winning list for 15 months, could still clinch a trip to the Sydney InterDominions next month if successful in the $15,000 Barclays Bank 2000 at Addington Raceway this evening.

“We’ll go if we get in,” said Loveridge’s partowner and trainer, Clem Scott, earlier this week.

The six-year-old Out to Win entire showed he is coming to hand nicely by dashing over his closing 800 m at the Addington trials last week and is still about three weeks off peaking according to Scott.

“He’s had a virus and general bad luck over the last year,” said Scott. "He’s still only about 80 per cent at the moment but I’m hoping he’ll come right about InterDominion time.”

Loveridge, on a C 9 assessment, comes in well under the all classes conditions for the second leg of tonight’s T.A.B. treble and the distance should be to his liking. Along with Sossy and Sir Alba the only South Island pacers to make the first acceptance for the Inter-Dominions, Loveridge was last successful at the 1986 New Zealand Cup meeting over the flying 2000 m in 2;30.3, a mile rate of 2:00.9. His best run this season

was a fine second to Sossy in the Commercial Union Mobile Free-For-All at Addington in August when the winner cut out the mobile 2600 m in 3:14.75.

Loveridge looked bright when working over 3200 m in 4:36 at Addington on Tuesday morning, pleasing his trainer. Ankorman (7), an improver’s second to Dream Lustre on Wednesday night, is a model of consistency and might push Loveridge closest, while Freightman, the only open class horse in the field, will never get a better opportunity to take a slice of the stake than tonight. Margaret Brandon (Imperial Bottle Store Pace), a sound fourth behind Private Dancer in the Canterbury Park D.B. Export Fillies’ heat earlier this month, and the promising Mosgiel four-year-old, Noble Fella (Christchurch Marine Mercury Outboard Pace), appeal in the other two legs of tonight’s treble.