Trainer has no regrets

Press, 8 November 1988, Page 41

Trainer has no regrets

By

DAVID McCARHTY

Norman Wood, co-trainer of the smart three-year-old, Purdah’s Pride, does not regret his decision not to bring the youngster south in time for the Cambridge Stud Two Thousand Guineas tomorrow.

The Western Bay colt, owned by Mr Wood and his wife, Jane, who is also his partner in their Manukau (near Levin) training establishment, will now make the trip south to Riccarton for the Queenspark Canterbury Gold Cup on Saturday. Purdah’s Pride won the Wanganui Guineas and ran third to Straight Order and Secret Indian in the Wellington Guineas. It was then that the Woods decided to bypass further Guineas events in favour of greater tests of stamina and found the Canterbury Gold Cup proved an attractive proposition. “There are virtually no middle-distance races for three-year-olds outside handicaps at this time of the year. We are looking at the Derby with this horse and we need to be doing something with him.

The Riccarton race is ideal. I suppose some will say we could have run in the Guineas as well but we feel his forte is over more ground,” Norman Wood said yesterday.

The two-year-old, Eno, and the New Zealand Cup candidate, Kimberley Road, were nominated as definite Riccarton starters by Mr Wood after he watched the first day of the Riccarton meeting on television on Saturday, and he may also bring last-start winner, Lady Burwick, south for the Avon City Ford Handicap. “The track seemed in magnificent order. The club have obviously put a lot of work into preparing it. That confirmed the trip for us,” Mr Wood said. Eno is a two-year-old by Zephyrvescent which the Woods stand at stud them-

selves. A three-quarter brother to the successful sire Zephyr Zip, Eno is the first of Zephyrvescent’s first crop of 11 foals to race and has been placed twice. One of his second placings was to Wise Counsel at Trentham and the latter is also expected at Riccarton.

Lady Burwick won at Rotorua on Labour Day and has come through the race so well the Woods are considering a southern trip and will decide on that today.

Purdah’s Pride has not raced since the Wellington Guineas but worked extremely well over 1200 m at Otaki over the week-end according tb Mr Wood. The team will travel tomorrow evening and Jim Walker will be the rider for the stable at the meeting.