Cup class one step away

Press, 26 September 1988, Page 30

Cup class one step away

Viewfield Prince will attempt to take the final step to New Zealand Cup class in the Yaldhurst 20,000 Pace at the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday week, following his authoritative return to form in the Almac Potato Methven Cup on Saturday. Co-trainer, Kevin Townley, who took over the training of the Nordel Skipper gelding three weeks ago with his father Doody, had anticipated a good performance on Saturday after the gelding’s sound seventh at Addington a week earlier. "After the ground he lost early, he must have gone similar sectional times as the winner, Imperial Time,” said Townley. Imperial Time was timed over the 3200 m post-to-post in 4:3.1 for the extreme distance at Addington. The majority of punters didn’t notice the merit of his performance and Viewfield Prince, which had previously raced well on grass and was being tried with earplugs on Saturday, was at the luxurious odds of 28-to-one. A virus had earlier kept the six-year-old off the winners list for 18 months. “It has been a lifetime ambition of mine to have a horse in the New Zealand Cup, but we’ll wait and see whether he gets there,” said Viewfield Prince’s Oamaru owner, Bill Wilson, a retired farmer. Viewfield Prince’s previous trainer, lan Cameron, arranged the transfer of the horse to the Townley stable at the start of the month, en-

abling him to continue his association as the reinsman of the fine four-year-old, Starship. Mr Wilson bred Viewfield Prince and earlier raced him in partnership with Christchurch’s Peter Toomey. Viewfield Prince is a grandson of Mr Wilson’s first racing interest, the Scottish Hanover mare, Bold Vida, which won a race at Reefton in a short career. Viewfield Prince’s dam is the unraced Lordship mare, Viewfield Lady, a half-sister to the 1:57 North American performer, Viewfield Lass. Viewfield Lord, sixth in a maiden event on Saturday, and Viewfield King, a promising three-year-old by Clever Innocence, should keep the family to the fore in the coming months, while Viewfield Lady has a two-year-old by Bill’s Brother, is in foal to Vance Hanover, and will return to Clever Innocence this spring. After being sent to the front at the 2400 m, Townley took a trail from the 1400 m with Viewfield Prince. Held up until the last 100 m, Viewfield Prince was giving the favourite, Wait A Moment, two lengths when he cleared the ruck, according to Townley but charged through to win going away by a length and three-quarters in a respectable 4:16.6 for the 3200 m. Wait A Moment, shuffled back to the rear on the home turn, staged a big sprint to hit the front at the 100 m, but weakened a little on his run near the finish, with Final Offer finishing strongly from midfield

for third, shading Jay Ardee. Starwin Boy, although he didn’t have to leave the fence at any stage, produced a highlight of the race to run fifth after failing to begin cleanly and settling down 100 m from the leaders in the early stages. ■ Von Luckner, after dashing to the front 1000 m out, had the field of C 3 and faster pacers torn apart half-way down the straight in the Methven Hotel Pace. The Colonel Kenton entire eventually won easing up to win by three and a half lengths for his trainer and part-owner, Greg Cowie.

This was the four-year-old’s sixth win from 24 starts and came after two solid fifths against his age group in the Superstar series at Addington. He was only .5 of a second outside the Methven track record for 2600 m and could . easily have mastered it if pressured.

Falcon Hanover finished strongly from the middle for second, shading Smirk Jones by a head for the runner-up’s cheque. Twilight Time, caught wide early, fought on for fourth, with Noble Alm doing his best work at the finish, next. The favourite, Charles Nero, tangled at the start and never emerged, beating three, however, he was later found to have had his tongue over the bit. Agile and Unique Blue Chip, which fought out the finish to the Nevele R. Stud Methven Three-Year-Old Stakes in track record time for their age,: will clash again this Satur-. day in the Liquorland Sires’ Stakes Heat at Ashburton. The winner of the first two-year-old race in the South Island last term, Agile was affected by a virus later in the season, but beforehand in February had also beaten Unique Blue Chip into

second in the $40,000 D.B. Draught Stakes at Auckland in 2:00.7 for the mile.

The Smooth Fella— Nardia colt stormed into contention at the 300 m on Saturday and comfortably held out his arch rival by a length in 2:37.8 for the 2000 m, 2.8 seconds quicker than the previous best by a three-year-old at Methven set by Starship in the race last year.