National Favourites Will School Today

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29272, 2 August 1960, Page 4

National Favourites Will School Today

West Derby and Peter Keith will school in company over the steeplechase course at Riccarton today. They are two of the early favourites for the Grand National Steeplechase, and their displays today could have some bearing on Grand National betting.

West Derby’s owner, Mr A. E. Preston, will fly to Christchurch from Wellington this morning to watch his horse school, and will return north later in the morning.

B. J. Langford, who will ride West, Derby in the Grand National, will arrive from the north this morning. He is travelling south with Ozanam, another member of the Preston team. Ozanam will run in the Hunt Cup on the second day of the Grand National meeting. West Derby arrived, from the north on Sunday. He was accompanied by the hurdler, Cadbury, which was unplaced in his three starts last season. Cadbury is a five-year-old gelding by Reversal, sire also of West Derby. Fend, one of the early favourites for the Grand National Hurdles, arrived from the North Island at the week-end and did pace work on the sand yesterday.

Fend has fixed ideas as to what he should do in training. Yesterday R. J. Turnwald rode him on the sand, but to get him there he ran alongside him from the stalls and for some little way along the track.

Turnwald- jumped into the saddle while Fend was still trotting, and the Cambridge hurdler swung away into a canter and

finished his work without any bother. J. R. Potter will ride Fend in the Grand National Hurdles, and Turnwald will ride County, another member of J. W. Winder’s team. County was runner-up to Armed in the Grand National Hurdles last year, but Fend is a newcomer to Riccarton. Horatius (R. J. Blair) jumped the three brush fences on the trial steelechase course at Riccarton yesterday. He went at a fast pace and his jumping was good. Horatius ran off at the second fence in the Lawford Hack and Hunters’ Steeples last Saturday.