First look at Harold Park for ‘adaptable’ Luxury Liner

Press, 4 March 1988, Page 26

First look at Harold Park for ‘adaptable’ Luxury Liner

NZPA . SydneyNew Zealand’s main hope for the Foster’s Inter-Dominion , Pacing Championship, Luxury Liner, will have his first look at Sydney’s tight Harold Park track this evening when he contests the first heats of the series. The 743 m circuit is the smallest Inter-Dominion venue (and handling the sharp (bends presents a new challenge to New ' Zealand visitors used to bigger tracks like Addington’s |gl2oom circumference. ! But Luxury Liner’s cotrainer, Barry Purdon, is not worried about the six-year-old’s lack of familiarity 1 with Harold Park before the heats. "He(is pretty adaptable. I asked Australian trainer, Jim O’Sullivan, about the track and he said My -Lightning Blue gets 'around it okay and he felt my fellow wouldn’t have any trouble,” Purdon said yesterday. Luxury Liner is stabled on the coast at Berry, 100 km south of Sydney, at

the same placd as tl e West Australian charipion. Village Kid. The property has its own 800 m training track and Purdon said Luxu -y Liner “hops round that pretty quick.’’ - Purdon, who trains in partnership with I is father Roy, is pleased with the gelding’s preparation for the InterDominions, since running an eye-catching second I to ( Bag Limit in the ( sAust2so,ooo Winfield Gold Cup (2380 m j at, Moonee | Valley in Mel- • bourne. • "He is as well as we can get! him consider ng he hasn’t had a run ’or two weeks, when he ran in the Winfield Cup,’’ , he said. "We have been try ng to keep him as fit as we can because he starts in the second row and it’s only a sprint race. He las got to go around the tight track and will be working hard on the bends, so he has to be fit.” Luxury Liner has driwn barrier No. 9 in the for rth heat of the 1960 m first

night races, putting him one from the outside on the second row behind the mobile. On the bonus side, Luxury Liner quoted at 8-1 in Sydney for the final, avoids meeeting any of the other favourites like Village Kid (2-1), Bag Limit (8-1) and Our Maestro (8-1). “Of the others in the heat I only know Rufus Young Blood and I’ve a lot of respepct for him — he’s a wonderful four-year-old — and Rum Bry 5 - don who we know from home,” Purdon said. While Luxury Liner may benefit from the increasing race distances as the series progresses, Purdon vouches for his sprinting ability. . “He is a great stayer but he can sprint quick too. He’s done a mile in 1:56 and a 2000 m race at a 1:57 mile rate," he said. New Zealand’s champion reinsman, Tony Herlihy, arrives today to renew his association with Luxury Liner and have his first drive at Harold Park.

Gaelic Skipper, which finished second to Luxury Liner in the last Auckland Cup, enters the InterDominion with little fanfare, as do all the Kiwis bar Luxury Liner. After some consistent placings, in his third last start Gaelic Skipper opened up a hock when a cart crashed into him during! a race squeeze. Since then the six-year-old has been unplaced. "There is nothing wrong with the horse now. He is quite sound,” his Auckland driver-trainer, LewDriver. said yesterday. . Driver is pleased with the! way Gaelic Skipper has settled since arriving in Sydney last Sunday but disappointed with his barrier draw on the inside of the second row which could see him stuck back on the rail. Drawn outside him are the. notable . Whirley Dream and My Lightning Blue. Our Maestro, driven by

Vin Knight and trained by his father, Bob, has attracted solid betting support after his stylish workout at -Harold Park on Wednesday, and he .is seen as (being at least as strong (a contender as stablemate, Bag Limit. (

Another to impress (in work outs is New Zealand’s Rum Brydon, with stand-in| driver, Greg ’Kelly, saying he did a last half mile in 58s without extending himself. . I| ;

That ( news, however, did not; bring any smiles to (the face of expatriate Kiwi driver-trainer, John Newberry, now based 1 in Brisbane.

Newberry, who is looking after Rum Brydon for Clevedbn’s Graeme Mangos during the championships, did not arrive in Sydney! until after the horse ' worked out on Wednesday. "I was a bit annoyed about that,” Newberry said when being asked

about Rum Brydon’s time. “He w’as 'only supposed to be jogging after flying from New Zealand (the day before.(We were then going to give him;a quiet time today (as well sol we don't tire ( him (but I too much for tomorrow night.” ' I ! ! I (

But Newberry (believed Rum Brydon would (emerge unscathed firoml the change in his preparation to take up ( the No., 1 barrier position in the fourth heat. ; I I

Newberry has brought Rum Brydon’s halfbrother Brydon* Duke, owned by his father 'Gordon and uncle Bryan,( to represent Queensland in the championships. ( New Zealand’s other two representatives | are Loveridge; which is up against Village Kid in the first heat, and My John Paul, which faces a strong line-up, including Thorate, Paleface Bubble, ; Jay Bee’s Fella and Bag Limit.

Jetbet: 10 7.35 FOSTER S INTER-DOMINION PACING CHAMPIONSHIP (HEAT ONE) ! $25,000; 1960 m 1 133 Our Slretto 1 .B. Hancock It 2 395 Sunset Candies 2 M. Dux It 3 01'4 Monarch's Best 3. . . D. Wilson It 4 121 Gay Adam 4. D. Aiken It 5 081 Happy Sunrise 5. . ,R. Hancock It 6 111 Our Maestro 6 V. Knight It 7 768 Loveridge 7J. . A! Herlihy It S 114 Village Kid BA. Lewis It 9 135 Quite Famous 9 . . .;. J. O'Sullivan It 10 332 Tricky One 10’. ... J. Ilslev It ’ ; i 8.05 FOSTER'S INTER-DOMINION PACING CHAMPIONSHIP (HEAT TWO) j $25,000; 1960 m 1 211 Lesae 1 : . (.. J. Mignemi It 2 261 Corfu 21. Dornauf It 3 128 Barwen Bill 38. Hancdck It 4 162 Kyalla Fling 4M. [lsley. It 5 211 Brydon Duke 5 J. Newberry- It 6 655 Arden Meadow 6G. Harper It 7 308 Gaelic Skipper 7 D. Butcher' It 8 113 Whirley Dream 8 .L. Justice It 9 235 My Lightning Blue 9. .J. O'Sullivan It 10 412 Robber John 10. V. Frost It | 9.05 FOSTER'S INTER-DOMINION PACING CHAMPIONSHIP (HEAT THREE) j $25,000; 1960 m j 1 111 Bronski Beat IT. McLean It

Selections 7.35: Village Kid, Our Maestro, Gay Adam. 8.05: My Lightning Blue, Brydon Duke, Whirley Dream. 9.05: Jay Bee’s Fella. Bag Limit, Thorate. 10.15: Luxury Liner, Rufus Young i Blood, Palima. ' ' ' 2 311 Speed Partner 2 . M. Frost It 3 111 Thorate 3 . .B. Hancock It 4 152 Sunshine Forever 4 . . . . A. Lewis It 5 907 My John Paul SA. | Herlihy It 6 557 Paleface Bubble 6 . . M. Ilslev It 7 991 Bag Limit 7'. . . ,Vt Knight It 8 119 Jay Bee's Fella 8. . .G; Harper It 9 321 Henry Luca 9 ....(.. .K. (Thomas It 10 740 Hyperstat 10 . .R. Hancock It 10.15 FOSTER'S INTER-DOMINION PACING CHAMPIONSHIP (HEAT FOUR) $25,000; 1960 m ’ ; ■ 1 709 Rum Brydon 1 ...j. . J. Newberry It 2 125 Prince Paladin 2 .G. Harper It 3 479 Toolara Dream 3 B. Stainkey it 4 213 Tiff's Mystery 4. . D. Aiken It 5 411 Palimar SM. Ilslev It 6 139 Karaite Gift 6 \ .’. It 7 513 Young Pride 78. (Hancock It S 123 Rufus Young Blood 8... | . I. Lee It 9 232 Luxury Liner 9A'. Herlihy It 10 347 Spare Beau 10