Warrior slays Inter rivals
AS THE countdown to tonight’s second round of TAB Inter Dominion heats continues, we travel back in time to relive past editions of the Championships hosted by Club Menangle.
THE weeks leading into the 1994 Nissan Inter Dominion were crammed with news.
Leading bookmaker John Kennedy had installed New Zealander Chokin as a 3/1 favourite to capture the series, on the strength of several outstanding performances, including his Miracle Mile triumph.
Champion reinsman Vic Frost accepted the drive behind Valley Champ for the series from trainer Des Parr.
American mare Shady Daisy, which was touted as a possible starter in the 1993 Inter Dominion, was again withdrawn by her owners who were reluctant to make the trip to Australia.
Another high profile casualty from just weeks out from the opening night was Master Musician, which succumbed to leg injuries.
The most shocking news heading into the carnival came just three weeks out from the opening round, when defending champion Jack Morris, was scratched.
NIGHT ONE
Having undergone a vigorous training regime in the care of Clive Herbert, Franco Ice was drawn ideally in barrier one, but was withdrawn due to injury on the morning of the race.
The opening heat went the way of Warrior Khan, which was hurriedly prepared for the series by premier trainer-driver Andrew Peace.
Beginning from barrier seven, Warrior Khan was midfield with a lap remaining as Christopher Vance and Gold Label set a solid tempo of 60.2 seconds for the first half of the 1960-metre qualifier.
Gold Label had been stuck three-wide and then taken to the ‘death’, but was over-racing, and ultimately began to tire over the final circuit.
Producing a brilliant finishing burst, Warrior Khan was too swift for Christopher Vance, which fought on valiantly for Tony Herlihy, with Blossom Lady grabbing third.
“I was confident I had put enough work into him, but he usually takes two or three runs to really hit his straps,” Peace said of Warrior Khan, which was having his second run since November.
The final two splits were 28.6 and 29.1 seconds, resulting in 1:57.2 – slashing the previous track record held by Flying Brownie by four-tenths of a second!
Halyer, the Tasmanian which started at 5/1 in betting markets, came from one-out three-back with a lap remaining to overhaul Insutcha and Lake Street in the concluding stages.
David Aiken, driving Insutcha, lodged a protest against the winner, claiming Neville Webberley and Halyer crossed to the rails too soon and weren’t clear of his pacer when doing so.
The margin between the two was a head, but Stewards quickly dismissed the protest.
Aiken put that particular disappointment behind him just 30 minutes later when American pacer Ultra Jet captured heat three.
Working around the field to sit outside pacemaker Young Mister Charles, Aiken got serious along the back straight with the pair overhauling the frontrunner close to the line.
Chokin was forced to pull out all the stops in holding out West Australian Valley Champ, with West Australian Justaboyden third in a mile rate of 1:58.1.
NIGHT TWO
Top horseman Fred Kersley remarked Justaboyden was a little tougher than most people gave him credit for, and he showed that, by fighting back to win after being headed by Weona Warrior.
Zipping home in 56.9 seconds, Justaboyden beat Weona Warrior and NSW mare Exceptionally Smooth in heat seven.
In other action during the midweek 2700-metre heats conducted on Tuesday at Harold Park, grand old mare Blossom Lady showed no signs of slowing down when successful with Anthony Butt in the sulky.
Despite suffering a check, which Butt believed cost her six lengths, Blossom Lady made up significant ground from back in the field, and despite a hard run, beat Lake Street in 1:59.6.
Tigerish, another Kiwi, was third with series favourite Chokin fifth.
Ultra Jet made it two-from-two after working around the field for Aiken, he was afforded the one-one at the expense of Almost An Angel.
Sprinting sharply, Ultra Jet beat The Unicorn by a narrow margin.
Heat six saw a dramatic two-horse war between Chris Gleeson’s Medowie Prince and Vic Frost’s Valley Champ.
Beaten for early speed by Sabilize, Medowie Prince was given time to settle before being sent around the mare to find the front, while Frost took his time before working around the field to sit outside the leader.
With a quick 59.5-second run for the first half of the 2700-metre contest, the third and fourth splits of 29.1 and 29.9 seconds resulted in a sizzling 1:58.9 mile rate – shattering Frost’s former champion Westburn Grant’s track record (2:00.5).
Valley Champ had a head to spare over Medowie Prince.
Warrior Khan, after suffering severe interference early and dropping back to the tail of the field, did a remarkable job to grab third.
NIGHT THREE
Brian Hancock left it late to ensure Weona Warrior earned a spot in the Final.
Snaring heat 11, the five-year-old was last with a lap remaining before overhauling the entire field during the final circuit.
Weona Warrior defeated Young Mister Charles and Justaboyden.
Blossom Lady again returned to scale to a standing ovation after winning heat nine.
Dropping back to the tail of the field after starting from gate seven, Blossom Lady was afforded a three-wide cart into the race a lap out courtesy of The Unicorn.
At the quarter, Franco Tiger, which led, began shortening stride as Meadowie Prince hit the front, but was quickly under siege by wider runners.
Coming four-wide, Blossom Lady stormed to the front to beat the fast-finishing Insutcha by three metres, with Gary Hall’s Zakara third.
Warrior Khan showed he was going to be a force on Final night, by coming from back in the field to defeat Chokin and Halyer.
After the race, Peace declared the son of Genghis Khan was in as good a shape as he was when second to Jack Morris in the 1993 Inter Dominion.
Herlihy, behind Chokin, was quoted as saying his horse didn’t have his usual high speed and would appreciate the week’s break before the Final.
Valley Champ took out the final heat for Frost and Parr, once again, erasing a Westburn Grant track record in the process!
Leading throughout, the West Aussie accounted for Ultra Jet and Dark Paul in a 1:57.8 mile rate.
FINAL
The $400,000 Inter Dominion Final was the centrepiece in Harold Park’s March 11 program.
Just two days before the big one though, disaster struck with long-time favourite, Chokin, withdrawn from the Final by trainer, Barry Purdon.
Having had the gelding’s blood count taken earlier in the week, it returned an abnormally high white cell count of 13,000 – almost double what it should be!
Chokin was withdrawn from an Inter Final the previous year.
Chokin’s scratching paved the way for first emergency, Meadowie Prince, to gain a start from gate six.
Come final night, it was the two standout performers of the series in Ultra Jet and Valley Champ which set the race up for ultimate winner, Weona Warrior.
One of the outsiders at 25-1, Weona Warrior was given the run of the race by Hancock as the two leading point scorers ‘cut at each other’ up front.
Frost behind Valley Champ kept a quick speed on throughout after finding the lead from barrier three, while Aiken was content to sit outside him with Ultra Jet.
Medowie Prince sat behind the leader, with Justaboyden one-one being trailed up by Weona Warrior.
Such was the tempo those back in the field, namely Blossom Lady and Warrior Khan, couldn’t make sufficient ground around the pack and put themselves into the race.
A lead-time of 1:21.9 for the 2700 metres was run before the first half was paced in 60.9 seconds (30.6, 30.3).
With Butt making his move with Blossom Lady three-wide a lap out, Hancock was sitting patiently off the speed with Weona Warrior and realised he would be right there at the finish.
“After 400 metres I knew we were going to be there at the finish,” Hancock said.
Justaboyden began dropping out at the bell, with Weona Warrior now travelling just off the leaders and waiting to pounce after having done no work.
With the final half run in 59.2 seconds, Weona Warrior overhauled the front-runners in the shadows of the post to defeat a gallant Ultra Jet, with Valley Champ third.
It was Hancock’s third victory in an Inter Dominion and second as a driver.