Fillies were too good

Press, 16 April 1979, Page 15

Fillies were too good

By

G. K. YULE

Fillies proved too good for 1 the colts and geldings in the two restricted-age races at Addington Raceway on Saturday. Thriller Dee gained a 1 clear-cut win over the three-year-old trotters and Regal ! Cheval did best in a keen finish to the Standardbred Stakes Final. A start in the Rossi An-1 t <<> Stakes at Alexandrah Park and a restricted age i race at Cambridge are on the programme for the Mor- ! rinsville-trained Thriller Dee. I] which made short work of her rivals in the New Zea- I land Trotting Stakes. Sh'e gave her southern rivals a real lesson, improving sharply to take the lead racing to the 800 m. She I

sprinted from there in Imin Is and won by five lengths from Eee Tee and Gerry Nova, with Now Then a fair fourth, clear of Del Miller, which showed nothing over the last 900 m. Raced by Mrs Gwen Dickie, Thriller Dee is trained at Morri nsville by lan Hunter. She is by Crockett I from Gay Marlene, a daugh-! • ter of Johnny Globe and' Gay Tune, whch was bred near Leeston by Mr Ted! iSunckell. Gay Marlene won, I five races for Mrs Dickie’s j Hate husband, Ivan, and! Thriller Dee is her second! foal. Mrs Dickie also owns a two-year-old filly by Great Evarider, a yearling filly by Tuft and a weanling colt by Game Pride, while the mare I

i is in foal to Sergeo Hanover. > “I tried several times to r sell Thriller Dee, but nobody • wanted her,” said Mr Dickie , on Saturday. “She failed to : raise much interest when offered at the northern year- ■ ling sales and even when I put into work and showing i promise nobody would buy t her. The same happened to •Iher yearling half-sister at lithe northern sales this I I! year,” she added. 1! Regal Cheval raced fairly! i ihandy to the pace throughliout her race. She was pulled II off the races by Michael de 11 Filippi with about 400 m to . run and gave the pacemaker, i Wickliffe, a handy start . from the straight entrance ’ where she was alongside the ’ favourite, Ryal Pont. i| Regal Cheval was inclined

to run about in the straight, but de Filippi kept her away from the others and she won handily by half a length. Armbro Star came strongly along the rails to beat El Guago by half a head for second after the latter had been in the open for most of the way. Ryal Pont made ground for fourth, ahead of Treasurer, with Wickliffe dropping out to head the other.

! Raced in partnership by Maurice Vermeulen and his wife, Margaret, she is by El Patron from the smart performer, Royal Cheval. Among her racing during the remainder of the season will be events for fillies at the Canterbury Park meeting late in May and at Hutt Park early in June.