Honkin Vision digs deep for Championship honours

Press, 26 June 1989, Page 34

Honkin Vision digs deep for Championship honours

Auckland correspondent

Honkin Vision had to call upon all his champion qualities to win one of the best races seen at Alexandra Park in the $150,000 Benson and Hedges Championship at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday evening.

He had his reputation dented with his failure in the "Prelude” the week before. His average run for seventh behind Mark Hanover had to be forgiven a little when it was establisehd he was suffering from a virus earlier in the week. But tender loving care from his Southland cotrainer and driver, Henry Skinner, plus Auckland veterinarian, John May had Honkin Vision at peak fitness for Saturday night’s big event. Skinner was out to show he had the best two-year-old in New Zealand. And so it proved as he outgunned Mark Hanover for the lead when he scorched out from his No. 6 spot to cross over and take the lead from Mark Hanover. Turning for home Honkin Vision was hotly challenged by Western Legacy, which had attended him from the 1000 metres.

Mark Hanover helped make the race a memorable spectacle by coming home strongly -for third,

On Saturday he made the score between him and Mark Hanover three to two in his favour and now looks set for the top two-year-old honour this season. He has had 11 starts for eight wins, a second and a third and $247,630 in stake-earnings. For the connections of the beaten division there were few escuses and neither Maurice McKendry (Western Legacy) nor Mark Purdon (Mark Hanover) ■. wanted to detract from the winner’s performance. “I thought we had Honkin Vision on the turn but he just kept on fighting,” said McKendry. “It was a tough run from my bloke, but you couldn’t take anything away from the winner as he had to work hard early.” Purdon could not hide his disappointment in not doing better than third, but was full of praise for the winner.

a further half head back. Skinner and Honkin

Vision had done what they had set out to achieve when they arrived in the north more than six weeks ago from Ryal Bush, near Invercargill.

They had taken out both the prestige events for two-year-olds — the $145,000 Cigna Sires’ Stakes Final at Alexandra Park on May 27 and Saturday night’s $150,000 Benson and Hedges New Zealand Two-Year-Old Championship. Skinner said Honkin Vision would now go out for a well-earned spell. Skinner, a former

jockey has won other big races, such as the 1979 Auckland Cup, 1976 and 1978 New Zealand Messengers at Alexandra Park, but Saturday’s win

For a few seconds it looked as though Western Legacy had mastered Honkin Vision but the Southlander fought on right to the finish line and just managed to hold off Western Legacy by half a head.

obviously meant a lot to him. Honkin Vision, which was subject to numerous offers earlier in his career, before it was established an off-hind fetlock injury made him a day-to-day proposition.

Mark Hanover and Western Legacy are likely to have one more run before being turned out. Both are set to contest the $25,000 Letterkenny Lodge Thames Juvenile Stakes at Alexandra Park on July 7.