By MIKE DILLON
Alvin Clark had two reasons to celebrate at yesterday's Counties trials.
First he learned his class mare Pace Invader had been allotted a comfortable 51.5kg for the $A2.5 million Doncaster Handicap.
Ten minutes later Pace Invader showed she has trained on exceptionally well since winning the group one Thorndon Mile at Trentham by scoring an impressive 1200m trials over speedy War Paint and Nahayan.
What impressed Clark so much was not the head margin, but the fact he felt Pace Invader was a long way from full fitness. The mare was noticeably big on condition.
War Paint looked likely to win after leading and Pace Invader, from fifth, showed a fair amount of tenacity to win in the last few strides.
"She will run in the Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha and then go to Sydney for the Coolmore Classic and the Doncaster," said Clark, who has approached Darren Beadman to ride the mare in Australia.
Nahayan gave a hint her frustrating days could be behind her by racing truly to the finish to be third, one length back after making a likely challenge at the 220m.
She is still a one-win horse and will resume at Counties on Sunday week, a meeting for which the Counties Racing Club announced yesterday it would refund the nomination and acceptance fees for all starters.
"She should be hard to beat in a one-win, set weight 1600m, shouldn't she?" enthused co-trainer Stephen McKee.
The McKees decided Sunline did not need a trials outing to fit her for Saturday's Apollo Stakes in Sydney.
Sunline has been handicapped at 57.5kg in the Doncaster, a weight co-owner and trainer Trevor McKee is happy with.
It is 2.5kg behind topweight Intergaze and 1.5kg less than Tie The Knot and only 1.5kg ahead of talented 3-year-old Testa Rossa.
Bruce Wallace is still undecided whether to run Able Master in Saturday's $100,000 Lion Red Stakes at Ellerslie after the big stayer's second to Pheroz Honor in the open 1600m trial yesterday.
Pheroz Honor beat Able Master by one length and Wallace was pleased with the way the horse pulled as he continues his preparation for the 2400m $4 million Dubai Sheema Classic later this month.
"He didn't blow at all and he could probably get away without running again before Dubai, the balancing thought is that it's a long time between the Auckland Cup and the Dubai race."
If Able Master starts at Ellerslie be will be ridden by his Blue Star Auckland Cup-winning jockey Grant Cooksley, who is making the trip from Macau to ride Sarwatch in the $100,000 Grosvenor Championship Stakes.
Another former Kiwi jockey, Eddie Wilkinson, arrives from Singapore today to ride Showella in the Lion Red Stakes.
Wilkinson cannot get leave from his Singapore contract to ride Showella during the Sydney autumn carnival, and has been replaced by Damien Oliver.
Racing: Pace Invader holds on to win
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