HOPEFUL STAKES WINNER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27389, 15 May 1950, Page 3

HOPEFUL STAKES WINNER

Heather Dillon Brilliant Special to the Daily Times INVERCARGILL, May 14. Heather Dillon, a stable-mate of another outstanding three-year-old in Financial provided the highlight on the second day of the Invercargill Trotting Club’s autumn meeting when she won the Hopeful Stakes in brilliant style. She is one of the few youngsters who has proved capable of giving starts of upwards, of 24 yards to fields of her own age, but on Saturday she completed such a task in a decisive manner. Her 3min 20 l-ssec for the mile and a-half journey represented a phenomenal effort on a dead track. Sandyscene staged a return to form by winning the Invercargill Handicap at long odds, and Landlight repeated his first day’s placing by beating the sprinters in the Ho'lmdale Handicap in the best finish of the meeting. Sandyscene provided the major upset in the Invercargill Handicap, in which he scored a narrow decision over Dillon’s Fortune after the pair had led into the straight The field raced in close order most of the way, and Sandyscene was always within range of the pacemaker. He was challenging Dillon's Fortune at the straight entrance, with Bradley, Pretty Dillon, and Red Anthony at the head of the others. In the run home Sandyscene finished solidly to beat Dillon’s Fortune, who was prominently placed all the way, by a neck. Red Anthony, who trailed his field for a mile and a-half, moved up at the turn, and after looking like a winner inside 'the last furlong, he weakened in the last 50 yards to be half a length away third. Bradley was four lengths back fourth, with Hall Stand right up next. Heather Dillon outclassed the three-year-olds in the Hopeful Stakes, and, after racing to the front with two furlongs to run, she did not leave the issue in doubt. Heather Dillon was in fourth place behind Spring View, Plain Bruce, and Lauder Hall until passing the halfmile, and at the turn she ran round her field to be clear into the straight from Spring View, Lauder Hall, and Cellophane, who had been slow on the journey. Heather Dillon did not make a race of it over the last furlong to win by two lengths from Spring View who beat Lauder Hall by three-quarters of a length. Cellophane was two lengths back