Imperial Time returns to form

Press, 21 July 1988, Page 35

Imperial Time returns to form

By

ALEX McMILLAN

Imperial Time gained his first win in 14 months when successful in the $5750 Countdown Foodmarket Handicap Pace (3200 m first leg of the T.A.B. double at the New Brighton Harness Racing Club’s meeting at Addington last evening.

The backmarker in the C 3 event, Imperial Time began safely from 40m in the hands of his Templeton trainer, Peter Jones, and improved rapidly to sit parked 1800 m from home. He surged past Willy Run (in front from

the 1300 m) with 200 m to travel and easily held out Twilight Time by one and three-quarter lengths. Micro Mary ran on gamely for third, shading Smirk Jones and a disappointing Willy Run. Imperial Time, a five-

year-old son of Farm Timer, gained his eighth win last evening and is now eligible to start in next month’s Kurow Cup at Oamaru. “He hasn’t had a lot of luck and has only really started to come right in the last few weeks,” said Jones after the race. Imperial Time, which has been> restricted for much of the last 12 months by the effects of a virus, appeared destined for top company as a three-year-old, placing third behind a stablemate, Laser Lad, in the Great Northern Derby, and won five races last term as well as finishing fifth behind Trident in the New Zealand Messenger Final. Imperial Time, which was timed over his last 1600 m in. 2:2.81s last evening was the ninth favourite in a field of 15, returning odds of 23-to-one. He had indicated a win was close at hand when running Black Douglas to a nose at the Rangiora trials on July 10 after starting from 90m. Jack Carmichael would have been given the drive behind Imperial Time last evening had he not had his own stable runner, Beau Peer, in the field. Jones had planned to offer the drive to the veteran horseman on his final night of race driving as Carmichael had handled Imperial Time the day he qualified. Beau Peer finished seventh. Weltimed hat-trick Weltimed won his third consecutive race when he courageously held out Venturer by a long neck

in the Avon City Ford Mobile Pace last evening.

The three-year-old improved to sit parked 1200 m out in the 2600 m event and gained the measure of the pacemaker, Strollalong, inside the 200 m. Venturer stormed home wide out for Jack Carmichael but too late to threaten the Lauristontrained gelding, which credited Mike de Filippi with his sixty-ninth driving success for the season. Strollalong, which worked hard over the first 800 m before reaching the lead, lasted gamely for third, a short length back. Weltimed, which posted a splendid 3:19.44 last evening, has improved markedly since a spell and should make further progress through the grades in the new term.