Smart Paleface wins Moonee Valley feature

Press, 7 August 1989, Page 31

Smart Paleface wins Moonee Valley feature

NZPA-AAP Melbourne Smart Paleface shook the feature race jinx from his back with a decisive victory in the Victoria Youthful Stakes Final at Moonee Valley on Saturday evening. The Ron Peace-trained colt had won heats of five feature races this, season — the Victoria Breeders’ Plate, the Edgar Tatlow Stakes, the Bathurst Gold Crown, the New South Wales Sires’ Stake and the

Youthful Stakes. But this was the first time the son of Paleface Adios had won a major race. Smart Paleface, backed from 5-4 to even money favourite, scored a comfortable win by iy 2 metres from the fast finishing Buy Afella (16-1), with 31/2 metres to Whisker Betts (40-1) third. The colt clinched the sAustlo,ooo race when he

worked his way to the lead with 1600 m to travel. With reinsman Andrew Peace able to dictate terms in front, the colt was able to record a leisurely first half of the last mile. Smart Paleface responded when Peace asked him for an effort and he ran his last 800 m in 59.7, a good effort considering the rainsoaked track.

. The former New Zealander Buy Afella, backed from 20-1 to 16-1, looked a shady unlucky hot to finish closer after having a chequered run in the straight Another former New Zealander, That’s True, a solid 3-1 second favourite, raced on the outside of Smart Paleface, but was a spent force with more than 400 m to travel and weakened to finish sixth.