Race against time for Comedy Lad

Press, 1 February 1986, Page 26

Race against time for Comedy Lad

Special correspondent Auckland The Clevedon trainers, Roy and Barry Purdon, are waging a battle against time to have Comedy Lad racefit for the Auckland Trotting Cup next Saturday. "I wouldn't mind,” said Roy Purdon yesterday, “if the race were a week later. As it is, we can only hope for the best.” Comedy Lad, which is owned by the Cup sponsor, Mr Max Harvey, suffered a knock on the near hind leg a few weeks ago. The resultant bruise became quite swollen and forced the Purdons to refrain from giving him any hoppled work.

“He hasn’t been lame but hoppling him could have caused jarring.” Comedy Lad will be given a strong run at the Pukekohe organised workouts tomorrow. He has been swum a good deal in the pool- at Takanlni and this form of exercise will be con-

uhuuu. Comedy Lad was a creditable third to Roydon Glen and Hilarious Guest in last year’s Max Harvey Auckland Trotting Cup and he was an unlucky fifth in the Toyota New Zealand Cup at Addington last November.

The Max Harvey Auckland Trotting Cup has an open limit, after all. According to the official programme published in the New Zealand Trotting Calendar, the race was for "horses assessed at OC.”

This would have ruled out the nominations of horses on the fringe of cup class. The secretary of the club, Mr Jim Patterson, has confirmed that the conditions for the cup should have read front OC.

“With a front OC,” he said, “any horse, except a maiden, can be nominated.” A It is a wise policy because it allows the selection of an in-form C 9

pacer ahead of open class pacers well out of form or possibly past their best.

A gaping hole in the roof of the Derby Stand in the outside enclosure at Alexandra Park caused by last week-end’s storm is still there but the building was approved as safe for last night’s meeting. Something like a whirlwind developed under the roof and blew about a third of it away. A spokesman for the club said yesterday that engineers and insurance assessors had inspected the stand. “Much needs to be done,” he said, “before a decision can be made regarding repairing the roof.”

“It is perfectly safe. We were thankful that it didn’t rain on the first night of the cup meeting.” There was a good chance of the affected part of the stand having temporary covering for cup night next Saturday, he said.