Spangles bright star of Hazlett Stakes

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 32

Spangles bright star of Hazlett Stakes

Special correspondent Dunedin Spangles, an easy winner of the Air New Zealand Hazlett Stakes at the Otago Racing Club’s meeting at Wingatui on Saturday will back up in the Timaru Cup tomorrow week. Her Riccarton trainers, Dave and Jan Kerr, have thus set her a similar programme to their Hazlett Stakes winners, Clansman and Canterbury Belle. Clansman won the 1983 Hazlett as a four-year-old (the same age as Spangles) by three lengths in 1:37 for the metric mile and three days later prevailed by half a head in the Timaru Cup in 1:35.4. Canterbury Belle won by a length and three quarters in 1:35.6 with 57.6 kg in the 1986 Hazlett but she went under by a nose to Random Chance in the Timaru Cup, then run under weight-for-age conditions. It is now a limited handicap, to the Hazlett. The Dimple, another female, won the HazlettTimaru Cup double in 1982.

Spangles came from a trailing position on Saturday to score by more than two lengths in 1:38.6 for the metric mile, allowing for the false rail from the 800 m to the 300 m. Canterbury Belle was bred and raced by Nick and Carol Wigley, of Kaiapoi, who share the ownership of Spangles with Nick’s parents, Sandy and Bing Wigley of Christchurch. The win was timely as the Wigleys, who operate the Inglewood Stud, have a half-sister by Long Row to Spangles in the Karaka sale catalogue. Armatrice, the dam of Spangles, has just foaled a colt to Kingdom Bay and she has been bred with Truly Vain. Spangles is by Star Way, to which Canterbury Belle recently produced her first foal, a filly. Canterbury Belle, a grand race mare which the One ThouJsand Guineas among her ’ wins, has returned to Star Way. Spangles has recaptured the brilliance she displayed when she won her

first three starts last season. She was unplaced in four further starts at that age when affected by jarring up and a virus. Spangles led out on Saturday then Paul Richards steadied her to trail when Polacca and Shorty Bijou took over the pacemaking at the 1200 m. Spangles burst through when the gap came at the end of the false rail near the 300 m.

Bright Prelude ran on from fifth for second, in her first race for 11 weeks. She was half a length clear of Shorty Bijou, the outsider of the field. Ultra Sound, close up on the outer, was a long neck back fourth. She also has the Timaru Cup on her programme. Camallino Star, a costly failure on Saturday, will attempt to redeem herself in the Timaru Cup, a race she won last year. She settled sixth on the outer and wilted to eighth.

“I have ridden her back twice and she has gone bad both times. She just seems to hate other horses close to her,” said

her rider, Grant Davison. “She really didn't have a race.” Dave and Jan Kerr won with their three runners (Spangles, Sullom Voe and Beechwood Beauty) at the meeting and the stable apprentice, Lorna Cook, had a perfect record when she rode the last two. Cook, aged 19, has now had four wins in four rides for the Kerr stable since she transferred there early . last month. She had previously had three wins in 49 rides over two years when apprenticed to Tom Lalor. Beechwood Beauty and Sullom Voe both staged big runs after dropping back in the early stages. Beachwood Beauty outfinished the favourite. Fiesta Point, by a nose. Fiesta Point had trailed On Appeal in the lead and reached the front near the 200 m. Beechwood Beauty has now had three of her four wins at Wingatui. It was a day for the females, seven of the nine winners being either fillies or mares.