The quality field that will parade to the Ascot Park 457m traps on Sunday afternoon to contest the $6,000 Colin And Orma Gray Memorial Invercargill Cup (race 8, 2.11pm) is worthy of Black type status.
Pic: American Warrior delivering his 25.69s Ascot Park 457m track record (pic Dave Robbie)
It is one of the strongest overall fields that has been assembled for a long time on the world’s most southern located greyhound track. However, in saying that there will be a domination favourite for the event.
American Warrior grows an extra set of paws whenever this powerful Dave and Jean Fahey prepared greyhound places his paws on the big, sweeping one turn tracks like Ascot Park. He is unbeaten in his nine races on the horseshoe circuits – three Cambridge 457m wins (including the Waikato Cup), one each over 375m and 457m in Palmerston North (including the Palmerston North Gold Cup) and four 457m wins at this venue (including the Far South Challenge).
Throw into the equation his super trap eight stats (8 races, 6 wins & 2 minors), then the ominous task that his rivals face in Sunday’s event is very obvious. Also the current New Zealand Cup title holder, he will be looking to rectify another career highlight that was recently removed from his name.
He was the Ascot Park 457m track record holder (25.69s) until his kennelmate Min Ho slipped through his recent 457m assignment around here in 25.65s. The long-range weather forecast for Invercargill on Sunday looks ideal, therefore regaining that 457m track best time looms as a realistic possibility for this winner of $113,035. Here’s a look back at American Warrior’s earlier 457m track record (Southland, 27 September – race 9).
It was the locally Roy Hamilton trained southern chasing star Southern Lights who chased the Warrior home in that record breaking race. He has since gone on to deliver a series of top 457m races at his home venue. He then stepped up to 630m racing during his last assignment here which resulted in an easy victory. He is required to overcome the tricky five trap draw he has been allocated for Sunday.
Gamely chasing Southern Lights home in that 630m race was Can’t Catch Tim for Ray Adcock. He has also compiled a tidy Ascot Park record, but it is his potency from the ace trap that really stands out. He owns outstanding stats whenever he is sighted wearing the red racing vest – just go back two races ago to confirm that when he delivered his strong Dunedin Cup victory after leaping from the one trap. He will be loaded away into that trap on Sunday afternoon.
Adcock has a strong back up contender with Eagle Tee, who is also a proven Ascot Park 457m chaser, for this event. She returns south following her brave recent 520m New Zealand Oaks second placing, where she contested the pace throughout. It is her on the pace racing tactics that sees her keeping herself in a stakes earning position in her races. She must adopt that tactic after exiting from trap four. Adcock also provides the only reserve for the race with Epic Dream. She is another who is generally sighted racing on the pace, however, she will be giving a slice of class being C4 graded if she’s required to line up here.
Colin And Orma Gray Memorial Invercargill Cup contenders (from left): Southern Lights, Can’t Catch Tim, Eagle Tee
Another Canterbury trainer who has dual kennel representation here is Craig Roberts. Cawbourne Kristy owns early pace which she has displayed lately. However, she has peaked on her gallop during the run home in her most recent 457m, 545m and 520m assignments. She is expected to push forward after jumping from trap seven.
Kennelmate Mina Allen was the recent winner of the $7,500 Flair Ladies Bracelet over 520m. She tends to be sighted finishing stoutly from midfield positions, therefore she is likely to be reliant on receiving early racing luck after she hops away from the six trap here.
Know Hassle is a Gary Cleeve prepared chaser who also brings respectable Ascot Park 457m track stats south with him. His prospects in this event are also likely to hinge on what type of early racing passage he receives. Jumping from trap three here presents him with the opportunity of being able to get handy to the early pace.
Completing the drawn field is the Robin Wales and Josh Lane trained Opawa Norris. He was stopped dead in his tracks when after trying to push forward early, he ran into a brick wall going into the first turn in his last Addington 520m outing. He wasn’t able to recover from that, which led to him dropping out the open class chasing ranks. Drawing trap two here suggests he can potentially boost the combos owing to his sound track and inside trap stats.
Colin And Orma Gray Memorial Invercargill Cup contenders (from left): Cawbourne Kristy, Mina Allen, Opawa Norris - pics supplied by Dave Robbie - drobbie@ihug.co.nz – 021 607 869 for all your South Island race photos
By Peter Fenemor
