Comedy Lad firm favourite tonight

Press, 25 June 1983, Page 19

Comedy Lad firm favourite tonight

Special correspondent Auckland In spite of having an awkward barrier position, Comedy Lad looks sure to be a firm favourite in the New Zealand Juvenile Championship at Alexandra Park this evening. He has the outstanding record of six wins and a third from as many starts and a runaway win in fast time (2min 2.95) for a mile on the opening night of the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting last Saturday showed he was in tremendous form. That was his second race from the stable of the country’s leading trainers, Roy and Barry Purdon, since he was bought from a Southland owner by Mr Max Harvey, of Auckland. He also won the other one easily, at Alexandra Park on May 28. Following the scratching yesterday of Rally Man, Comedy Lad will start from the inside position in the second row. He will be right behind Lord Louie, a highly re-

garded gelding from Rangiora. Lord Louie was a decisive winner over 2000 m at Addington on May 27, bringing his record to two firsts and two seconds from four attempts. He is obviously pretty good but he has not raced on a right-handed track, and No. 1 at the 2200 m start is not necessarily the best position. Horses drawn further out have had more time to work up top speed and, very often, the one on the rails is headed off before the first bend. If this happens with Lord Louie, Comedy Lad could wind up badly placed. Even so, he looks the one to beat. The premier race of the season for two-year-old pacers, the $30,000 New Zealand Juvenile Championship usually draws all the best youngsters, north and south. This year, there are only two southerners in the field: the other, Proprietor, has finished well back in each of his three races.

Natural Guy, the leading stake earner among two-year-olds this term, was to have contested the race but he was withdrawn after a moderate showing at a matinee meeting at Kumeu last Tuesday. The line-up is further weakened with the absence of Paleface Tryax and Tucker’s Rule. The field is, nevertheless, pretty strong. Comedy Lad apart, Slugger, Skipper Byrd, Lonero Dream and the fillies, Lucy Lumber and North Fleet, are northern youngsters with plenty of ability. The Christchurch four-year-old, Portfolio, makes strong appeal in the Beachlands Handicap, the second leg of the T.A.B. double. He had none the best of the running in the corresponding race on the first night of the meeting last Saturday — being parked out for most of the last round — and only just failed to hold second. His main opposition looks like coming from Golie Be Good and Nandina Alwyn.