RACING Van Da Hum Picked In Oamaru Steeples

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29850, 16 June 1962, Page 4

RACING Van Da Hum Picked In Oamaru Steeples

Van Da Hum, a winner over country at Ashburton last month, may succeed again at Oamaru today. Van Da Hum is a candidate for the Burnside Hack and Hunters Steeplechase, a feature event at the Oamaru Jockey Club’s winter meeting.

A relatively big field of 14, since reduced to 12 by scratchings, has accepted for the steeples, which will be run over two miles and a half. Likely candidates besides Van Da Hum include Vaper and Karak.

Van Da Hum is a seven-year-old by Columcille from Sweet Lorraine, trained at Washdyke by J. C. McKerrow. Since winning the Alford Steeples at Ashburton he has been placed third in two starts at Wingatui—behind Lucky Bill and Bayline in the Otago Steeplechase and behind Balance and Karak in the Roslyn Steeples. Karak is the only one of these four in today’s field, and will be meeting Van Da Hum on slightly worse terms. Karak has 9-3, which is 31b more than he carried at Wingatui, but Van Da Hum has gone up only 11b to 10-6. A year younger than Van Da Hum, Karak is trained at Invercargill by T. Pankhurst. He has yet to win this season, but the way he steadily made ground over the last round at Wingatui suggested that it might not take him long to do so.

The top-weight, Vaper, might be even harder for Van Da Hum to beat today, in spite of his burden of 10-13.

Vaper, an eight-year-old by Super, has not been unplaced in his last eight starts and ran right away from the

Dunedin Steeplechase field at Wingatui last week, winning by 70 yards. Other likely runners are The Ranger, Sea Lord and Meridian. Sea Lord won the Studholme Hack and Hunters Steeples at Waimate last month. Meridian, which has been scratched from his alternative engagement, the Hack Hurdles, has been lightly raced lately, having started only three times since he won over hurdles at Invercargill in January. Double Today The double today will be on the Oamaru Winter Cup and the Grange Handicap. McGregor, which not so long ago resumed after a spell, should be ready to produce a pretty fair effort in the Winter Cup. McGregor was a good winner last winter, when his wins included the 11 furlongs Grandstand Handicap at Wingatui. Strategy, which will be ridden by W. D. Skelton, and Rhythm Rein are other fancied runners. Strategy has been racing usefully since resuming in the autumn, and last week out he ran third against the milers at Wingatui. Rhythm Rein, a proven winter galloper, is overdue for a win, having been placed at six of his last seven starts. Flying Time is the likely favourite in the Grange Handicap. She has done no racing since March, but should not be troubled by that. Flying Time’s record on metropolitan courses is good

—her wins this season have included the January Handicap at Trentham —and if she reproduces her best the others should find her hard to catch. Another fancied runner is Abou Ben Adhem, which won easily at Waimate last month.

The weather in Oamaru yesterday was fine, and the track should be in good winter order.