 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 1996
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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| The Hayes Family & Chiola Cola |
Chiola Cola gave nothing else a chance in the $100,000 DB Draught Dominion Handicap, adding to the Air New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All he won on the track a week earlier.
After setting all the pace, he pulled away to win by more than two lengths from back marker Pride of Petite, with a length back to Diedre's Pride.
The black entire son of Chiola Hanover was ably rated by Shane Hayes, who trains the 8-year-old for his father Don Hayes, and Harold and Iris Harowitz of New York.
Chiola Cola wasn't up to the class in Scandinavia last season but he came through his quarantine in Malmoin good shape to resume work. He tied up in his first race but he has improved with each race since the addition of half blinds followed his eighth at Ashburton on Labour Day where he went off stride soon after the start. Pride of Petite had no luck in the early running, but tried hard till the end.
The win gave Chiola Hanover his first Dominion winner, as well as cementing his place on the top of the sires premiership for trotters.
It was the 15th win for Chiola Cola, who ran third in the Dominion last year. He has been an honest campaigner, thoroughly reliable, and now recognised for the genuine big-time competitor that he is.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in NZHR Weekly