Happy Hazel, Sundon create national records at Addington

Press, 8 March 1989, Page 46

Happy Hazel, Sundon create national records at Addington

By

JEFF SCOTT

The New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s meeting started ominously last evening with Happy Hazel and Sundon creating national age-group records in the opening two events. Happy Hazel, ideally suited by the mobile 2600 m of the $B5OO John Brandon 30 Fillies’ Triple Crown Classic, showed her true worth, sprinting up on the corner before coasting to a three-length victory in 3:15.9, a mile rate of 2:01.3. This shaved .5 of a second off Young Eden’s previous best for a three-year-old filly, set in the 1987 New Zealand Oaks. Happy Hazel, which established a national mark for 2000 m for fillies at the New Zealand Cup meeting, reinstated herself as the best South Island filly last night after a luckless time since resuming last month.

“She is a great stayer. Mile racing doesn’t suit her as well but she was a bit short on fitness when I last drove her in the opening D.B. Fillies’ mile

heat,” said driver, Robert Dunn.

Seventh for Dunn that evening, Happy Hazel was an improver’s third for Peter Jones in the Blenheim D.B. heat before letting her supporters down with an early lapse from a stand at Addington on February 15. “She was a lot sharper at the trials last week when Jim Dalgety (Happy Hazel’s breeder-owner-trainer) wanted to give her a quiet run and a sprint home over the last bit,” said Dunn, who will retain the drive behind the filly in the Oaks races and D.B. Fillies’ Final in the autumn. Jones has been forced to relinquish the drive on Happy Hazel as he trains Laprida, a battling fifth, after a let-up, in the fillies’ race last evening, but which is still being targeted for the Oaks and D.B. Fillies’ series.

“I’ve said all along that Happy Hazel will win the feature fillies’ races,” said Jones.

From the first crop of the only son of Armbro Omaha at stud in New

Zealand, Alberton (1:56.6), a former Canadian Two-Year-Old of his year, Happy Hazel is bred to be a classic performer being from a Franklin Cup winner in Jovial Jeanie (nine wins). Jovial Jeanie’s dam, Bellajily, won nine races in New Zealand including the 1963 New Zealand Derby, while her sister, Van Glory, won 11 races including the 1971 North Island Oaks. Their dam, Malabella, was the runner-up in the 1954 New Zealand Oaks.

Mayfair Royal, which trailed to the straight, outfinished the Kerslaketrained maiden, Maree Adios, for second by two lengths. Maree Adios, having only her fourth race start, tried gamely to lead from end-to-end fought gallantly after being headed by Happy Hazel on the home turn.

Sundon still unbeaten

The unbeaten three-year-old trotter, Sundon, had the Addington crowd

on their toes as he showed his champion qualities in the Caltex Dealer’s Trot.

Rua Kenana, the North Island open-class trotter and a year older than Sundon, issued a likely challenge early in the run home but Sundon, which led from the 2000 m, always had the situation in control, winning comfortably by a length and a quarter. Sundon, which will attempt to equal Noodlum’s New Zealand record for a winning sequence of 15 in the New Zealand Trotting Stakes at Addington on Easter Saturday (March 25), slashed two seconds off the national three-year-old trotters’ mark for 2600 m (stand) by recording 3:24.4 last evening.

Dragon’s Pride held the former record for three-year-olds, set at Addington nine years ago.

“Rua Kenana doesn’t trot too bad does he?” said Sundon’s co-trainer and reinsman, Fred Fletcher, tongue in cheek, after the win.

Fletcher, who prepares the Arndon colt with

Mark Smolenski, never really had any cause for concern. Fletcher kept the colt up to his work by hitting the sulky shaft down the straight with Rua Kenana being kept at bay by a length for most of the run home.

Sundon had three days off after his Hambletonian Classic win at Ashburton in New Zealand record time 11 days ago and has thrived since.

“Young horses don’t need a lot of work when they are racing,” said Fletcher.

Arnee’s Frolic, a stablemate of the winner, fought gamely for third, albeit 12 lengths away, after tracking Sundon until the home turn. Officially aged three, the Arndon filly was a May foal and is still, in real terms, a two-year-old.

Sundon, in real terms, only turns three this month.

He was timed over his last 2000 m in 2:33.3, his last mile in 2:1.3 and his closing 800 m in 58.3 last evening.