Mark Hanover proves point

Press, 21 October 1989, Page 40

Mark Hanover proves point

By

JEFF SCOTT

Mark Hanover compensated his connections for his first night disqualification when he overcame the hardest run to narrowly win last night’s thrilling Lion Brown Rising Stars Final at the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting. A catch drive for the polished Templeton, reinsman, Anthony Butt, Mark Hanover was left parked in the open throughout, but responded tenaciously to Butt’s urgings to defeat arch-rival and pacemaker Honkin Vision by a head.

“He is a good, tough horse. I thought Honkin Vision would have too much early speed for him and thought I could end up in the one out and out back sit if something else came around. But it didn’t turn out like that,” said Butt.

Not fazed by ending up parked, Butt did not try Mark Hanover with the whip until just inside the 200 m when a

length and a quarter from Honkin Vision. The Vance Hanover-Miss Clevedon gelding, renowned for his toughness, immediately cut back the deficit to a length and slowly but surely worried the favourite out of the major prize. Butt, gaining his tenth driving success of the season, but by far the most rewarding, waited until the last 50m before really getting to work with Mark Hanover and judged his run to a nicety.

The opportunity to drive Mark Hanover, after Mark Purdon’s suspension last week, came as a complete surprise to Butt, a champion junior reinsman before taking on a senior role last season..

His only other drives for Mark Hanover’s trainers, Roy and Barry Purdon, were in a couple of races confined to junior reinsmen series; and behind a loose-class pacer at Blenheim a couple of seasons

ago before she transferred to the Jones stable.

Mark Hanover, now the winner of $187,570 from 11 wins in 19 starts for the Reid family (who race Luxury Liner) and Roy Purdon, will remain in Canterbury at Jim Dalgety’s stables along with stablemate The Unicorn for racing at next month’s New Zealand Cup meeting.

The first foal of the former Cup class mare, Miss Clevedon (by Noodlum), Mark Hanover will get a last chance to qualify for the Liquorland Sires’ Stakes Final on Cup Day. The rich final is run three days later.

The Purdon cup hopes, Luxury Liner and Reba Lord, will also be joined by intermediate grade pacer Little Buckeroo as other representatives for the Clevedon stable at the N.Z. Cup meeting. Mark Hanover, winner of the

N.Z. Welcome Stakes at Addington last Easter, and also a sub 2:00 two-year-old mile winner on the course, credited North Island stables with their third win in the Lion Brown Final in the last four years.

He paced the mobile 2000 m in a smart 2:28.9, a mile rate of 1:59.9, with the leaders running their last 800 m in 57.3.

Honkin Vision, which ran a comfortable 28.7 second opening quarter and backed off over the opening half in 61.3, tried gamely under a desperate drive over the last 200 m by cotrainer Henry Skinner, but could not withstand Mark Hanover’s bold late surge.

The Unicorn, given every chance handy on the outer by Tony Herlihy, ran on for third, a nose away, with Chuin, second last to the 500 m, running on to take fourth in a gap of 4y 2 lengths.