Luxury Liner’s Cup success ‘best run ever’

Press, 30 December 1988, Page 28

Luxury Liner’s Cup success ‘best run ever’

By

JEFF SCOTT

Cups king, Luxury Liner paced the 3200 m of last night’s $400,000 Ansett New Zealand Auckland Cup post-to-post in even time and made it look easy.

New Zealand’s champion stayer had bettered this feat in last month’s New Zealand Cup at Addington on a lightning fast surface, but his performance to clock 3:59.9 in light rain on a sticky track last evening rates even greater.

world record of 4:00.4 for the distance in last month’s New Zealand Cup.

in 3:4. He trimmed up perfectly,” said the younger Purdon. There was not a fitter looking horse before the race.

Kylie’s Hero half-way down the straight last evening, but “Luxury’s” endless reserves of stamina shone through for the thirty-fourth time in 91 career starts.

Luxury Liner was timed over his first mile from the 3200 m mark in 2:00.2 and his last mile in 1:59.3, running even fractions in spite of being three wide with cover in the middle stages.

Luxury Liner, which became the fifth pacer to win both the New Zealand and Auckland Cups iin the same season, lifted his career earnings to just over the $1.5 million mark.

Kylie’s Hero, given an economical run three and four back on the inner, finished strongly when he cleared a pocket for second.

“That would have to be his best run ever. It was a real gutsy run,” said Luxury Liner’s elated senior co-trainer, Roy Purdon, after the win.

“He’s real tired after that, but this is the great thing about him, his recovery,” said his junior traning partner, Barry Purdon.

He is the seventh dual Auckland Cups winner joining Man O’War, Gold Jacket, Captain Sandy, Soangetaha, Cardigan Bay and Delightful Lady.

Gina Rosa, which led early, trailed Rostriever Hanover from the 1900 m and was three back on the inner when the winner took command at the 1000 m, looked likely at the top of the straight but came to the end of her run with 100 m to run. She held on for a third a length and a quarter back with another Canter-bury-trained pacer, Rostriever Hanover, unable to quicken in the run home, satisfying trainer Pat O’Reilly jun. with his fourth.

Luxury Liner again showed his greatness by overcoming a 15m handicap, looping the field 1000 m out, then repulsing the challenges to win, in the end, quite comfortably by three-quarters of a length.

Luxury Liner had put on more condition than the Purdons would have liked after his Sydney campaign earlier this month, and they poured plenty of work into the gelding after his first- 1 night eighth. “Condition means' every thing to him. I brought him to Alexandra Park on Tuesday and worked him over 2400 m

The Purdons will now prepare Luxury Liner for a flying mile at Cambridge next Wednesday, while they have February’s rich Winfield Cup in Melbourne and the Perth Inter-Dominions in February on his programme. Luxury Liner’s reinsman, Tony Herlihy, was a little worried about

His over-all time from 15m behind was a race and track record 4:3.8, lowering the previous race record set by the same horse a year earlier by 1.3 seconds. He set a