Max Bowden has successful touch

Press, 28 September 1988, Page 47

Max Bowden has successful touch

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JEFF SCOTT

Max Bowden’s habit of making successful business transactions has mushroomed into the standardbred world in the last decade. Good management, luck, foresight, call it what you like, but Max has come up trumps again. The man whose faith and judgment in securing a lightly-raced son of Nero for stud duties in New Zealand was endorsed with Clever Innocence’s rapid early rise to prominence, and he is hoping the same faith will ring true again next year with a hot piece of North American bloodstock. He is Kiwi Almahurst, whose sire, Direct Scooter, gained worldwide recognition last week-end as the sire of the world’s fastest pacer over one mile, Matt’s Scooter, which time-tri-aled at the Red Mile circuit in 1:48 and fourtenths. Kiwi Almahurst, conceived in North

America and born in New Zealand on April 22, 1987, is a two-year-old to New Zealand time, but is about five months behind in age I of most two-year-olds here. “He worked a mile in 2:15 and his final quarter in 29s last month,” said Mr Bowden of Kiwi Almahurst, which was given his early education by Rangiora’s Erin Crawford. Turned out now until around Christmas time, Kiwi Almahurst is unlikely to race this term. Mr Bowden hopes to qualify the youngster late in the season and have him on the racetrack as an early three-year-old. “He’s not eligible for the Sires’ Stakes. I feel if we just give him a bit of time, he won’t let us down,” he said. Kiwi Almahurst is believed to be only one of two foals by Direct Scooter (p 3 1:54) in New Zealand. The other was a colt foaled in the North

Island last month. Direct Scooter, a son of Sampson Direct, has a Volomite line pedigree and is a complete outcross of the dominant Meadow Skipper line. Volomite, the first stallion to leave 100 pacers and trotters in 2:00, was the world’s leading sire at the time of his death. Light Brigade (four times leading N.Z. sire and eight times leading broodmare sire) was Volomite’s top son to come to New Zealand, while others included Flying Song (the damsire of the 1978 New Zealand Cup winner, Trusty Scott) and Stormyway. Kiwi Almahurst’s dam, Ruth Almahurst, is by Most Happy Fella from a Sampson Hanover (by Volomite) mare in Reba Hanover, giving the colt a double up of Volomite blood. Direct Scooter won SUSBOO,OOO in his career, a creditable amount after not being eligible to contest the major classics.

His star colt, Matt’s Scooter, a $U517,500 purchase, has won both the SUSSOO,OOO New Jersey Classic in 1:52, and the SUSI million Meadowlands Pace in 1:52.4 this year. He was chased home in the New Jersey Classic by another Direct Scooter colt, Armbro Global (a 1:53.8 two-year-old of a year earlier), while Armbro Global ran third in the Meadowlands Pace. Kiwi Almahurst’s dam, Ruth Almahurst, was one of two North American mares Mr Bowden purchased at bargain prices three years ago. Ruth Almahurst was purchased for SUSI 9,000 at a Garden State sale at the Meadowlands. A storm blew up on the day, most had left before she entered the ring, according to Mr Bowden. Ruth Almahurst (2:00.4, half-mile track), won 17 races and 5U5107.948. She is one of 18 foals from Reba Hanover, 16 of which have been winners.

Reba Hanover’s family features 20 sub 2:00 performers, close up, including Miafirst (p2, 1:54.8 and $U5272,193), Happy Tree (p2, 1:56.2), Rita Almahurst (p 3 1:55), Rampage Almahurst (p 3 1:56.6), Mannart Niawave (p 3 1:56.2) and Cunning Bunny (p 3 1:54.8). “Ruth Almahurst was bred with Direct Scooter to New Zealand time in 1985, but slipped. The next time it was to. North American time (Kiwi Almahurst). She wasn’t bred two years ago because of the lateness of foaling, and is now in foal to Preux Chevalier,” said Mr Bowden. His other purchase was Shimmer Bell, a sister in blood to the world’s fastest race mare, Fan Hanover (1:50.8), while since her purchase, a sister, Nadia Lobell, has won $U51,007,119 and paced 1:53.8. Another sister of the Albatross mare is Central Park West (p2, 1:53.8, and p 3, 1:56.8). Shimmer Bell, pur-

chased for just SUS6SOO, slipped her foal to No Nukes in 1985 and the service fee of SUS7SOO was refunded. Shimmer Bell slipped her next foal to Direct Scooter a day after arriving in Christchurch, however Mr Bowden now has a Preux Chevalier colt from the mare. He is breeding 18-20 foals per year for syndication by his company, Max Bowden Standardbreds, but foals from his North American-bred mares will be kept a separate identity. Mr Bowden has bred, or reared for others, such winners as Charles Nero, Global House, Jeka, Quick Away, Kiwi Supreme, Prime Rate, Ideal Society, Megatrend, Sweet Innocence, Local Nero, Innocent Man, Downtown Man and Forward Game, in recent years, plus a long list of qualifiers waiting to take their mark, but potentially the best of them could be Kiwi Almahurst. Time will tell.