 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 1993
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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| David Moss & Maurice McKendry easily |
Southland owned trotters finished 1,2,3 in the $25,000 Firestone Firehawk NZ Trotting Championship. Victory went to David Moss, which had finished second in the Inter-Dominion Grand Final at his previous start, from the Purdon-trained stablemates, Diamond Field and Night Allowance.
Though trained at Winton by part-owner John Cox, David Moss has been under the care of Clive Herbert, who brought the big horse south. Cox will race him at Forbury Park this week, and then send him back to Herbert, who will prepare him for the Rowe Cup and then keep him in the stable.
Once Maurice McKendry had David Moss purring along in front, and after Night Allowance had made a costly mistake back in the field near the 1900 metres, the race soon took shape. McKendry gave David Moss more rein at the 800 metres and immediately felt good about it. "When Night Allowance came up at the 700, I saw Barry had pulled the plugs. I thought then he must have done a bit," he said. In the end, the main opposition came from the ultra-consistent Diamond Field, which came fast but not in time to make an issue of the finish.
After a stylish start to his career, David Moss went through a bad patch a year or so ago, but regular saliva tests have made the difference to his health and his form. "He seems to be getting better all the time," said McKendry. Said Cox: "The testing showed that he was a little crook in the kidneys and liver. I think he may have been affected by some sprays. They have been a great help."
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 15Apr93