Scottish Loch gains third trophy win since January

Press, 9 April 1979, Page 22

Scottish Loch gains third trophy win since January

By

G. K. YULE

Scottish Loch won his third trophy in a little more than two months when he outfinished Profiteer and Hurricane Squire in the Hororata Cup on Saturday. It was his second success in five days, the Cheviot Cup having fallen to him the previous Monday. His other win this year was at Nelson late in January. Earlier he won twice, while altogether he has had seven wins for his Wellington owner, Mr Roy McKenzie. Jack Smolensk! has no immediate plans for Scottish Loch, a pacer which has tried his patience. However, Smolensk! feels that the four-year-old is becoming more solid. There will be a race to suit him at Addington Raceway next Saturday and another at Ashburton towards the end of the month. Profiteer and Hurricane Squire had their chances, but were no match for the winner. They were six lengths in front of the others, notable failures among which were Lord Septemus and In to View. Both were under pressure a long way out and they dropped back before the home turn.

The Australian pacer, Rip Van Winkle, aroused great interest as he led the Hororata Cup field from the birdcage. Driven by his partowner and former trainerdriver. Michael Vanderkemp, Rip Van Winkle, jogged a

circuit of the track and then brushed over about 300 m, the last 200 m in about 14.45. “He’s never paced on grass before and didn’t know what it was all about,” said Vanderkemp. While Rip Van Winkle is destined for a stud career at Nevel R. Stud, Prebbleton, at a fee of $lOOO, next spring, it will not surprise if he comes back to racing again later on. The stud reports some 50 bookings to the son of Thor Hanover. Truant Lass, a winner at Nelson and Blenheim in the summer and a rather dismal failure more recently, produced plenty of dash to win the Coleridge Handicap with comparative ease over Band Music, a stablemate of Scottish Loch. Truant Lass paid $35.35 for a win. Band Music’s run was probably his last from Jack Smolenski’s stables. He has been sold and will leave for North America in about three weeks. CHANGE OF STABLE Smolensk! has also lost the services of Ostrava, which is now being trained by George Noble. A difference of opinion over the racing programme for the three-year-old between Smolensk! and his Auckland owner, Mr Max Harvey, was the cause of the change. Passable and Majestic Major, too, are expected to do their future racing from Noble’s team. Rapid Man, which is to race next at Forbury Park, lasted it out well to have a half-head advantage over the)

i faster-finishing and rather , unlucky Frosty Gilda, in the Farewell Handicap. There i was merit in thewinner’s run ■ as he was forced wide and I then raced in the open. He fought back gamely and looks capable of further improvement. Logan Lea created a good impression when, at this first race start, he gained a clear-cut win in the K. P. O’Sullivan Memorial. Raced by Tom and Barry Clark, and trained by the former at Greenpark, Logan Lea is a talented three-year-old gelding by the Lumber Dream horse, Dryham Lea, from Logan Cheval. Logan Lea is the second winner from among the nine three-year-olds sired by Dryham Lea, which stands at Leicester Roper’s property at Annat. EASY WIN The Trotting Stakes candidate, Eee Tee, gained the easiest possible win in the Tawera Handicap, a race in which he led throughout. He is raced and trained by Laurie Hubbard and is by Noble Lord from Local Sal, a close relation of Markalan, winner of the 1967 Trotting Stakes and a top trotter in this country before being sold to North America. Noble Lord, an open class son of Lordship, has had limited opportunities at i the stud and Eee Tee is his first winner in this country. Irton Glen came on well for second, ahead of Little John, which broke in the . run home and was subsequently disqualified.

Tuflane was promoted to third. His driver, M. W. Hamilton, was later fined $5O for careless driving and causing interference to Now Then jut short of the line. One of the easiest wins of the day was that of Delbert in the Coalgate Handclap. The three-year-old halfbrother by Armbro Del to Haughty Romeo cost his owner-trainer, Bob Cole, $4250 as a yearling. Cole had not previously trained a winner. Delbert will race next at Forbury Park and Roxburgh. He was one of two winners driven by Fraser Kirk, the other being Steelfield in the Darfield Handicap. Kirk drove Delbert with extreme confidence. He aited in mid-field for much of the way, improved wide out on the home turn, and had him under a strong hold all the way to the line, where he had a short length to spare over Span Out and Sarabelle.