Handicapper rates Snippets with best

Press, 24 February 1988, Page 43

Handicapper rates Snippets with best

NZPA-AAP Melbourne The VRC handicapper, Mr Jim Bowler, rated brilliant speedster Snippets on a par with great three-year-olds Century and Placid Ark when announcing a Newmarket Handicap penalty for the colt yesterday. Mr Bowler gave Snippets a two kilogram penalty for his win in the sAustlsl,ooo Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield last Saturday. The penalty brings the Lunchtime colt’s weight up to 55kg, the, same weight Century (19&) and

Placid Ark (last year) carried to victory in the Newmarket. Snippets was liable for a penalty of up to 4.5 kg in the sAust4ol,ooo Super Mild Newmarket Handicap run at Flemington on March 12 after his all-the-way win in the Oakleigh Plate. “The three all have similar race records going into the Newmarket,” said Mr Bowler. Century won the weight-for-age Lightning Stakes (1000 m at Flemington and ran second to Zambari in the Oakleigh

Plate with 54.5 kg. Placid Ark won the Lightning and the Oakleigh Plate with 53.5 kg before becoming the only horse to complete the big sprint treble by taking out the Newmarket. Snippets ran second to Special in the Lightning in course record time of 55.55. The Lunchtime colt then won the Oakleigh Plate under 53.5 kg running a track record of 1:2.85, 0.3 seconds faster than the previous record held , jointly by Zephyr BayTand Coal Pak.