Wins earn mares Cup selection

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 32

Wins earn mares Cup selection

By

JEFF SCOTT

Truso, Strathbawn and Miss Mischief assured themselves of selection in next Monday’s $7OOO Westport Retailers Cup (C2 and faster) when successful at the Rangiora Harness Racing Club’s summer meeting on Saturday.

The outsider of the 18horse field in the C 3 Peter Cocks, Ltd, Pace, Truso, a proven grass-track performer but having her first start since April, rocked punters with a 71-to-one upset in the second leg of the day’s T.A.B. double. “I’m still in a state of shock,” said Truso’s excited part-owner, Barry Holland, some 10 minutes after the event. Mr Holland, a former news editor of “The Press” and now a subeditor of the “Christchurch Star” newspaper, races Truso in partnership with a cousin,. Graham Purvis, who trains the six-year-old at Rangiora. Purvis, who had only given the mare one public workout, at Hororata, in this campaign, was also taken by surprise with Truso’s forward showing. “She’s had a few problems with soundness and the vets advised Graham to keep her racing to grass surfaces,” said Mr Holland, who only had a token bet of a dollar to win and two dollars for a place on Truso on Saturday.

This was her third grass-track win and fourth in total from 22 career outings. She raced eight times last season, all on grass surfaces, but was among the tailenders in both her outings over 3200 m.

“She failed in both the Westport and Reefton Cups last year, but hopefully she’ll see out the distance better this time round,” said Mr Holland. From the first crop left

by the sire of Jay Bee’s Fella (1:55.8), Son of Afella, Truso was purchased cheaply by Mr Holland for $7OO at the 1984 Southland Yearling Sales.

“I had promised a buyer in Adelaide a horse, but then he didn’t want to carry on and I was left with Truso,” said Mr Holland. Her dam Truant Clare (by Truant Hanover, most notably the dam sire of former Australian champion, Popular Alm), is from a half-sister to Idle Fancy, the dam of Gordon Middleton’s former speedy juveniles, Fancy Fred, Fancy Dick, Fancy Matilda and the ill-fated Fancy Wally. This family has also left the useful squaregaiters, Marawiti (six wins), Laplander (eight wins), Pompano (four), and Fabian (five). Truso is in her last season of racing, having been bred with the Nero stallion, Rockne Lobell (1:54.8), this spring. Given a good run handy on the outer on Saturday by regular reinsman, Tim Butt, Truso finished fast in the straight to win going away by half a length from another Westport Cup candidate, Star Supreme, which tried to lead over the last 1800 m. Fiddler, which made a run to be in the open in the middle stages, was a creditable third, threequarters of a length away.

Likely favourite

Strathbawn probably earned early favouritism for next week’s Provincial Cup with her eye-catching

track record win in the Cl Rangiora Farmers, Ltd, Mobile Pace.

The five-year-old daughter of Smooth Fella and Classiebawn, leased by the Rangiora trainer lan Cameron for 12 months, raced in the open throughout and was always in control of the situation, winning by three-quarters of a length in 3:23.4 for the 2600 m. This was well inside Jake The Peg’s rather accessible former mark of 3:25.8.

“She’s from a good staying family and has improved out of sight in the last few weeks,” said Cameron.

The run of the third horse, Clever Maddie, was also a game one after being caught three wide in the open for most of the running.

Mischievous mood

Miss Mischief was also in track-record winning mood in the -C2 P.G.G. Coronet Turf Ryegrass Mobile Pace, pacing the 2000 m in a smart 2:32.3, .5 of a second inside the previous best held jointly by Peta Eyre and Ross Byrd. The four-year-old Noodlum mare was recording her third win in 26 starts for her Halswell ownertrainer Don “Shorty” McDonald.

Miss Mischief, which had been racing well from awkward draws in recent times, came with a well-timed run to give Jim Curtin his second driving success for the day, having earlier reined Sandy Del to win the Twiggers Trot.

However, Curtin will be unable to drive the mare on the first day at Westport as he has commitments at Ashburton. The favourite, Dreamin Scheme, was caught late in the piece, with Dixie Tryax running on strongly late for third.

Dakota strikes again

Dakota, which is set to continue his rapid rise through the grades at the Canterbury Park New Year meeting, was untroubled to post his sixth win from 21 starts in the C 5 D.B. Draught Handicap Pace.

The impressive Noodlum entire capitalised on a good trip throughout by trainer-reinsman, Carl Nordqvist, winning by a length from the solidfinishing El Fashion, which tracked him throughout. “He’s thriving on a bit of quiet work but this is his first campaign when he’s had a bit of racing and he’s just getting better and better,” said a coowner, Martin Nordqvist, who races him with the trainer and their father, Jim Nordqvist, aged 71. Willem Vink, three back on the inner until the straight, ran on in cramped quarters for much of the run home for third, a length and a quarter away, with the pacemaker, Nimble Phil, wilting to finish fourth. Dakota, which took his earnings to $27,000, was cnly required to pace the 2600 m in 3:28.1, the leaders only really sprinting in from the 400 m in 27.9.