Matts Scooter video star

Press, 25 January 1989, Page 31

Matts Scooter video star

Excellent footage of Matts Scooter’s fastest standardbred mile in history is an added bonus in the second video cassette volume of Australasian Hamess Racing. Not satisfied with giving buyers a comprehensive visual display of the final stages of all the feature events in Australia and New Zealand in 1987-88, the producer has also obtained highlights from North America to outdo the popular first production.

Matts Scooter’s 1:48.4 time-trial at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, is supported by three other North American features,

the Little Brown Jug won

. by BJ.’s Scoot, the Woo- > drow Wilson Finajhvon by

Casa Branca in 1:52.6, and Jaguar Spurs in the Driscoll Series Final in 1:50.2. But these United States highlights are only four of more than 70 race finishes packed into an hour and forty-five minutes on video.

Village Kid is seen winning the Australian Pacing Championship, the Miracle Mile (defeating Happy Sunrise), the Treuer Memorial, the Benson and Hedges Perth Cup and Fremantle Cup.

Other free-for-all stars in Our Maestro (InterDominion Final and West Australian Gold Nuggets) and Luxury Liner (N.Z. Free-For-All and > Auckland Cup) feature pfomin-

ently, as does Lightning Blue’s N.Z. Cup and Tasmanian Easter Cup successes.

Bag Limit’s Winfield Cup (with Luxury Liner rattling home for second), Thorate (Brisbane Winter Cup), Happy Sunrise’s spring wins in New Zealand, Bionic Chance (N.Z. Breeders’ Stakes) and Gina Rosa (Ashburton Breeders’ Stake) complete the aged pacing section.

From there the age group highlights are relived including Rowleyalla’s 1:52.6 time-trial at Albion Park. Other notable three-year-olds featured include: Dillon Dean, Godfrey, Another Bart, Genuine Product, Julie Vance,.

Vulcan Lady, Khmer Jitsu, Provocative Handibank and Carome Julie.

The juveniles were just as interesting with Tight Connection, Inky Lord, Mazzini Magic, Rockleigh Victory, Hammer, Gitten and Happy Haldon shown going through their paces.

Some races from Alexandra Park will provide Cantabrians with a glimpse of what did actually happen after Television New Zealand’s reduced coverage last term. At last we can see Rostriever Hanover’s Messenger success and Elmer Gantry’s Lion Red Mile in 1:56.7 in the four-year-old section. The trotters haven’t been forgotten either with recordings of the ill-fated

Simon Katz (Dominion Handicap), True Roman (Inter-Dominion Trotters Final), Sundon, Robbie Hest, Table Card, French Accent, Highwood (Rowe Cup), and Fair Tally (Australian Trotters’ Championship). To compliment the finishes, there are a couple of interesting background items on Gavin Lang, Australia’s leading reinsman last term, and Cane Smoke, an aged Queensland gelding which has displaced Paleface Adios as Australia’s biggest winning pacer with 108 career wins.

All in all, this comprehensive video package is a valuable live record of what did happen in 198788. . a.'