 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 1976
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
1976 NZ FREE-FOR-ALL
The ease with which Master Dean won the NZ Free-For-All makes one wonder what might have been the outcome had he not ruined his chances at the start of the Cup.
The Honest Master stallion had no hope in the big event after his duffer's start but from the second line of the mobile in the sprint he gave his opponents no chance only Final Curtain worrying him at all in the latter stages. The power of the Prebbleton-trained horse showed to reach the front with a round to go did not augur well for his opponents and sure enough he went to the line strongly in the comparatively slow time of 2:30.3.
It was also a tribute to the skill of Mike De Filippi in his rating of Master Dean at the front and most certainly a tribute to the horse's trainer Alec Purdon. Alec had given Master Dean an intriguing preparation for the Cup which consisted of only one race. Although there was plenty of comment about this some experienced observers murmured appreciatively that this was a 'old time' Cup preparation when this sort of programme was more common. Purdon did it extremely well, for Master Dean looked like a million dollars on Cup Day. But the training schedule was not to finish the way Master Dean's connection's had hoped. But he made up for it in the Free-For-All - partly anyway - and will be an early favourite for the Matson Free-For-All and the Stars Travel Mile.
A horse with an enviable record as a sprinter Master Dean has now won 12 races and nearly $43,000 in prize-money. But he can stay too and he has one of the best two mile times of all the Cup class horses. Master Dean has always looked an ideal type for North America but owner Noel Borlase has refused all offers to date. On the other hand he has stud potential in this country.
Final Curtain was not well served in the running - he also drew the second line - but Barry Purdon had him up to challenge at the right time. Forto Prontezza, the early leader, didn't have the best of runs at the business end and just held the fast finishing Stanley Rio. Captain Harcourt was a disappointing fifth after enjoying a good run though he did have to go hard in the first quarter (cut out in a tick under 29 seconds) which might have taken the edge off him. He doesn't seem to quite have the brilliance he showed last Autumn on this trip. Palestine really only plugged while Lunar Chance had to improve wide from hear the back and this took the edge off him. None of the others really looked in it, some preferring more ground but Ripper's Delight was expected to go better.
Credit: David McCarthy writing in NZ Trotguide