Schooling may be the secret ...

Press, 11 December 1989, Page 37

Schooling may be the secret ...

By

DAVID MCCARTHY

A schooling session over four hurdles on race morning may have helped the veteran, Infinite Secret, return to winning form in the Lane Neave Ronaldson Handicap at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting on Saturday. It was the handsome Long Row stallion’s first win since he defeated Royal Grit in the King’s Plate at Ellerslie in December last year. Infinite Secret joined Royden Bergerson’s Riccarton stable in the spring and is now owned by the trainer, in partnership with Bill Lloyd, John Marlow and lan Watson. .

His immediate aim is the Timaru Cup, with a possible trip to Trentham for the Jarden Mile should he win again next time out. Infinite Secret was at false odds On Saturday, especially with the defection of pre-post favourite Pericolini. His first start for Bergerson in the South Island produced a seventh at Banks Peninsula when he was unable to work into the clear in the straight and he also met trouble when well-beaten over 1200 m in the Stewards. Grant Davison had him wellplaced for most of the way on Saturday, but thought he may

have overdone it halfway down the straight. “We had to wait a good while to clear a gap for him and then he took a few strides to wind up and I thought we might not make it. But he went to them strongly at the end,” said Davison. It was Davison’s seventeenth win for the season and his first at Riccarton since Associate scored in the Classic Trial in October. Bergerson had been somewhat concerned at Infinite Secret’s race performances since shifting south. Even though the stallion had had little luck, his raceday zip had not matched some brilliant trackwork. . '

After the Stewards, Bergerson changed tack and the horse had had only one fast gallop leading up to Saturday’s race. The schooling session in the hands of stable assistant Gail Murray, provided further sharpening and also revealed some potential in that field, according to Bergerson. Hot Ice, surely one of the most honest horses foaled, looked to have the race in safe keeping 100 m out after attending the pace and was caught late. Art Banquet showed the sort of improvement the Didham stable had been hoping for with a stout finish for third.