TROTTING VANITY SHOW AT GOOD ODDS

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30960, 17 January 1966, Page 4

TROTTING VANITY SHOW AT GOOD ODDS

Washdyke Win First For A Year

Vanity Show improved on a bleak record this season when she won the South Canterbury’ Handicap at Washdyke on Saturday at good odds for her Dunedin owner, Mr L. Duff. The aged Van Dieman mare was the seventh favourite of 13 and paid £l2 2s and £3 17s 6d for a win-and-place. It was her first win for 12 months, almost to the day.

The last time Vanity Show was successful was at the Wellington meeting at Hutt Park on January 16 last year. Meantime, she had had nearly 30 starts for three seconds, one of those placings this season.

Vanity Show’s Templeton trainer, C. C. Devine, had her handily placed all the way. She ran into the last mile on the inner of Mitcham in the fourth line. At that stage Lottery Song led Fury River and Mile End, which were running in Indian file. The favourite. Indecision, was then secondlast on the inner and the second choice. Bright Highland. ran alongside him. Don Caesar and Heriot were in the line ahead of these two.

Lottery Song continued strongly in front around the home turn. Mitcham and Throwaway had both improved to share the second line with Fury River. Idle Man had improved from the fifth line to follow these four and Vanity Show was up with him.

Vanity Show was brought four wide to challenge Lottery Song, Fury River and Idle Man for the lead as they came to the furlong and Don Caesar was coming into it right behind these.

Vanity Show went clear near the half-furlong and won by three quarters of a length. Fury River beat Idle Man for second by a similar margin and Don Caesar was a nose away fourth. There was a length and a half then to Landlord, Indecision, which failed to raise the hopes of his backers at any stage of the race, and Lottery Song almost in line. Mile End was next, then Mitcham, Throwaway and Bright Highland, another which showed little dash.

The South Canterbury Handicap was the first leg of the T.A.B. double on the second day of the Timaru Trotting Club’s summer meeting. The second leg of this double, the Winchester Handicap, was won by Legendary,

which was also seventh favourite each-way. Mr B. Prebble’s Morano mare paid £l6 10s and £4 5s for a win-and-place and £432 2s for £1 with Vanity Show in the double. It was also the first win of the season for Legendary, which had better form than Vanity Show, having been placed twice in her recent races.

Legendary was five places back on the inner until the half-mile. W. R. Butt worked her away from the fence on the home turn but her chance of victory then did not look bright. She still had six horses to pass two furlongs out, but a strong run carried her into second place near the furlong and into the lead closer to home. At the finish she was going away by a length from Gold Maru, which had tried for an all-the-way win. Friendly Tom, which broke at the start and was still far from the leaders at the halfmile, came home strongly for third. He was a length and a half from Gold Maru and the same distance ahead of Waltz Away, another which came from far back.

Flying Over, which ran tn the same line as the winner until the home turn, was fifth in a similar gap. Epona, whieh received the run of the race to the straight, weakened to sixth ahead of the each-way favourite, Doug’s Choice, which failed to quicken after sharing the , third line until the home turn. Legendary gave W. R. Butt his third driving success of the day. In the previous race he had driven Johnny Gee, which he races himself, to victory. He also had the winning drive behind Waitaki Smoke in the Pukakj Handicap.