 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 1992
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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| Laud holds out Supreme Power & Mark Roy |
Laud and Supreme Power easily turned back the challenge of seven North Islanders and one New Zealand bred Australian to quinella the $175,000 ANZ Bank Sires' Stakes Final. The race did not produce the excitement or close competition one might have expected from top of the range students.
Once Laud was able to creep over the first panel in 30.8, the others put the shutters up and allowed the favourite to control every step from there. Except for a brief surge near the 1300m when Swift Edition ran forward to sit in the breeze, Laud had it all his own way.
Trainer Cran Dalgety and driver Peter Jones thought there would be more interest in the lead out of the gate, and they were surprised when there wasn't. "I did not anticipate being in front, but it gave me a bit of confidence when we got there. I thought I would take advantage of it," said Jones. Both Dalgety and Jones thought they would be beaten for that by Supreme Power, which still began well and received a sweet trip in the trail.
A son of Andrel and the winning Mark Lobell mare Karara Lass, Laud has raced only five times and won four of them. He is raced by Allan Helleur, of North Harbour, and his brother Larry, of Christchurch. They bought Karara Lass as a yearling from Motukarara breeder Mike Fenton, although they made the initial contact to buy a colt of the same age.
Allan raced General Armbro with success some years ago, and Larry honed his interest in harness racing working for Alec Purdon in 1954, the year Alec won the Easter Cup with Onward and during the time he trained Poranui.
Neither are greatly keen on campaigning the horse in Australia. Both say the "welfare of the horse comes first."
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 12Nov92