Metro Boy makes winning return

Press, 9 August 1988, Page 35

Metro Boy makes winning return

By

JEFF SCOTT

Metro Boy overcame a bout of the equine herpes virus lasi season to bounce back with a resounding three-length win in sman time at the Timaru Harness Racing club’s meeting yesterday.

The Enterprise gelding, a firm favourite, swept to the lead with 1200 m to run of the 2600 m Bailey Mazda Pace then powered clear again turning for home. A close relative of Our Maestro, this year’s InterDominion Pacers Grand Final winner, Metro Boy cruised to the finish pacing the distance in 3:24.6. He was timed over his last 2000 m in 2:32.3 and his final 800 m in 58.6. “He’s got a bit of zip, but he’s still a bit green,” said Metro Boy’s winning reinsman, Michael de Filippi, who was suitably impressed with the favourite’s performance.

Metro Boy had a promising three-year-old campaign halted by the virus in February, although he had yet to finish further back than fourth in six starts for the season. “We were very worried about him,” said the gelding’s Morven part-owner, Mrs Cath Heffernan, yesterday. “He’s come back very well. He’s been in work for three months.” Metro Boy has the New Brighton club’s DB Superstar series next month as his immediate four-year-old mission. Mrs Heffernan, who races the gelding with her husband, Pat, the latter doing the training, says

Metro Boy is just like his sire, Enterprise, which won 23 races, including the 1984 Auckland Cup and an Inter-Dominion consolation at Adelaide, for the Heffernans. “He just goes on his own like Enterprise,” she said. “You can sit parked with him or take him to the front, it doesn’t seem to make any differenc6. n Enterprise (1:58.2) attracted 47 mares at the Heffernans’ Enterprise Farm last year and has 25 unconfirmed bookings this year. The Heffernans had several approaches from buyers wanting them to sell Metro Boy last year

and had renewed interest again yesterday from a Christchurch agent. However, Mrs Heffernan said the gelding was “not for sale.” Meanwhile Metro Boy, which took his career record to three wins and two seconds in eight starts yesterday, is doing much to generate interest in his sire, whose first main crop are two-year-olds this year.Strollalong, which received a good run in midfield on the outer, ran on strongly for second behind Metro Boy, threequarters of a length in front of Cambric, which was handy on the outer throughout.