 |
|
|
|||
6th November 2008 - Vol 31 |
|||||
Courage stock are really flyingCan Return Fire, Eric's Legend and Sleepy Tripp, a trio of New Zealand bred pacers by Courage Under Fire, flew the flag for their sire with important wins in October in Australia and NZ.
He is unbeaten in five outings this term highlighted by his sparkling win in the $20,500 Dr Pat Cranley Memorial at Gloucester Park in a new lifetime mark of 1:56, beating top pacers such as Im Themightyquinn and Argent Treasure. He will be well in line for the forthcoming $175,000 WA Golden Nugget and $125,000 McInerney Ford Classic at Gloucester Park. The Mark Purdon stablemates Eric's Legend and Sleepy Tripp both won heats of the NZ Sires' Stakes and will be among the leading fancies for the $200,000 Group 1 Final at Addington on Cup Day. Eric's Legend, who was Group placed as a two-year-old, is unbeaten in three attempts this season and underlined his ability with successive wins in 1:56.8 and 1:58.2 at Winton and Dunedin respectively. On the other hand, Sleepy Tripp posted his second win from as many starts in the Sires' Stakes heat at Addington, peeling off a 57.3 seconds last ‘half' after coming from a back row draw and racing wide in the last lap. Courage Under Fire was also represented by the promising Roadnight Charlie, who won the $20,000 Tuapeka Cup over 3200 metres at Dunedin, the Addington winners Franco Natura 1:57.7, Strathcarn 1:58.8, London Courage 1:59.7 and Nimitz, and the three-year-old Almost A Christian, a brilliant winner at Winton in 1:57.5. Im Full Of Fire, bred in NZ and raced in Victoria, became Courage's latest $100,000 Club member when he resumed from a let-up with successive wins at Ballarat and Horsham. Other notable Australian winners were Delma Courage 1:57.6, Pablito (Gloucester Park), Britagne 1:58.6 (Newcastle & Bankstown), Hold The Line 1:58.1, Landscape, Arden Bannister and Courage Point (8 wins from 12 starts).
|
|
Three more for the ‘Beach'Somebeachsomewhere, a son of Stallion Station's flagship sire Mach Three, gave further evidence over the last month that he is one of the best three-year-old pacers ever produced in North America. He beat the top colts in commission at The Red Mile, Lexington and the half-mile track at Yonkers. Lining up in a $293,000 division of the Tattersalls, the ‘Beach' led for the last three quarters and was completely untroubled to win by open lengths in 1:47.8. His next outing, the $650,000 Messenger Stakes, run at Yonkers, proved a much more difficult assignment. Aiming for his eighth consecutive win, the ‘Beach', starting from the extreme draw, moved upsides with the Little Brown Jug winner Shadow Play at the half-way mark. The pair settled down for a ding-dong battle up the home straight with the ‘Beach' scoring by the narrowest of margins in 1:52.2 - a top effort on the sloppy track. It was Somebeachsomewhere's 12th win from 13 starts this year and took his seasonal earnings to a whopping $2,075,003 - the highest amount by a pacer in North America in 2008. He boasts career earnings of $2,848,299. Somebeachsomewhere is slated to stand at Hanover Shoe Farms' Pennsylvania plant next year at a service fee yet to be announced.
Riverboat's winner in 1:51.8Sailing Cruise, a three-year-old Riverboat King colt, is carrying the flag for his sire in North America. The youngster took full advantage of a perfect trip to down a top field in a $US137,375 division of the James Dancer Memorial at Freehold's half-mile track in 1:51.8. It was his eighth win from 21 starts this year and boosted his lifetime earnings to excess of $US280,000. Meanwhile, Riverboat King's Australian flagbearer Riverboat Star continues to march through the grades at Albion Park. He won three times inside 2:00 recently headed up by a sizzling 1:54.8 effort on October 14 and is being aimed at next year's Gold Coast Interdominions. The NSW pacer Finn is another ‘Riverboat' to impress, winning twice at Menangle within a week and taking his record to eight wins from 12 starts. |
|||
|
|
|||||
