Gay Voyager plots course

Press, 4 September 1989, Page 33

Gay Voyager plots course

By

GARRY FERRIS

Gay Voyager plotted a course through fallen runners to win the County Hurdles at Ashburton on Saturday. Gay Voyager was handy, disputing the pace, for most of the 2600 m event and the gelded son of Gay Apollo-Raingirl came to the last fence closely attending the favourite, Matt’s Choice, Remus Lad and Replete. But the point of landing proved more than a hurdle for the majority in the leading division. Matt’s Choice was first into the fence, and looking the winner, but got in too close and could not keep his feet. He crashed to the ground, with his rider, Chris Johnson, joining him on the turf. Replete, which was travelling comfortably, had his legs hooked from under him by the sprawled Matt’s Choice and was sent, complete with jockey Corin Pemberton, to the ground. A tiring Remus Lad added to the casualties at the last, departing company with Steve Hutchinson. Gay Voyager, jumping close to the inside rail, veered out on balancing and an ironless Dan Crozier managed to guide the five-year-old through the melee of horses and jockeys and was left’ lengths clear, albeit on the outside of the track, with a short run to the line. The 10-year-old, Sir Zatopek, a once promising steeplechaser on the trail back to the top after injury, came through to take second unchallenged, four lengths from the winner. Two and a half lengths back was Harto, making the most of his chances to grab third, a neck in advance of Schomberg, which was having his first run over hurdles. Gay Voyager, proving the race is never over to the final bound, was registering his second win in 13 appearances, and his first over hurdles. He had run Matt’s Choice to a nose at Oamaru on August 21 at his previous start. The second favourite, Decoy Lad, last to finish, clipped the heels of a runner in front on the turn and lost his chance, although looking well beaten at the time. All riders and horses involved in the fall at the last fence escaped uninjured, apart from Chris Johnson who received abrasions to his nose and lip.

Matt’s Choice was ironically omitted from the field for the hurdles due to a clerical error at acceptance time and the

field had to be redrawn. • The locally-trained Miss Vogue returned to the scene of her maiden win to take out the White Robe Lodge Stud Handicap.

A winner at this meeting in 1987, Miss Vogue has always shown a fair amount of speed, but has proved something of a hard catch for punters. The six-year-old daughter of Schweppeshire Lad and Classic Belle left maidens at short odds, but three subsequent wins have produced more than useful odds. Her win on Saturday resulted in a healthy $35 win dividend — a more than pleasing result to many local supporters who would have been laughing all the way to the totalisator. Her Ashburton trainer, Graham Trolove, intends to line her up on the second day of the meeting, tomorrow. Jan Cameron had Miss Vogue up in contention from the extreme outside barrier position and the combination stayed wide for the majority of the race. Cameron asked the mare for an effort on the home turn and. they set off after the leader, Schwepps Best, which was doing a fair job out in front. Schwepps Best began to feel the strain inside the final 200 m and Miss Vogue was urged to the lead by Cameron. They held out a late bid from the well-supported Ballesteros to take the decision by a length. Ballesteros held a comfortable margin over Schwepps Best, which stuck on well. Miss Vogue’s stablemate, the star performer in the Trolove team, Dogwood, has a North Island campaign in the pipeline. Trolove plans to start Dogwood in the $lO,OOO 05 wins race over 1400 metres at Hastings this Saturday. The , son of Golden Elder’s performance in that will determine the next move. A winning run could sway Trolove to line him up in the weight-for-age $50,000 Beamish Bloodstock Stakes, over 2000 m, on the second day (Wednesday, September 13) of the meeting. The $9400 0-5 wins 1600 m race on the second day is an option. The $75,000 Honda Metric Mile at the Marton meeting at Awapuni on September 16 is in the back of Trolove’s mind for Dogwood, but he will play things by air until after Saturday’s race. “I would say he would have to win at Hastings just to get in the field at Awapuni. We’ll just wait and see.”