RACING DECISION RESERVED UNTIL TODAY

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30390, 14 March 1964, Page 4

RACING DECISION RESERVED UNTIL TODAY

Starts For Riccarton Stablemates

The Riccarton trainer, J. C. Tomkinson, will delay a decision until about 11 o’clock this morning about starts for Hushaway and Shipmate at Trentham today.

Hushaway and Shipmate are engaged in two of the major rapes on the second day of the Wellington autumn meeting and were practically assured of favouritism after brilliant wins last Saturday. Heavy rain during the week, however, appeared likely to affect the programmes and chances of these brilliant half-brothers, and Tomkinson was ‘‘marking time" yesterday. He said yesterday afternoon that he would start both horses if the track, which was then easy, did not get any worse.

He was then hoping for some improvement. The weather had been unsettled earlier in the morning, but was then fine, and there was a stiff north-westerly wind blowing. Key Races Hushaway is in the President’s Handicap, first leg of the T.A.B. double, and Shipmate is engaged in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes, first leg of the oncourse double. The long-striding Hushaway will probably need the ground as good as it can be to beat the northerners, Senor, On Purpose. Bandon and Llanelly today. This race looks wide open, but the second leg. the Suburban Handicap, looks different Here Good Day Peter will be a dominating favourite in a very ordinary field of sprinters.

Arbelle will not run in the Suburban Handicap, and D. Doell has switched to Le Plus. Good Tally South Island horses won four of the nine races on the firstday programme. It might be asking too much for them to better that tally this week, but if the track dries and if the luck is average to good they could equal it. Count Pedro is a fit form runner for the Champion Hack Handicap, second leg of the oncourse double, and his stablemate Full Course might give him a winning lead in the Rimu High-weight, the first race on today’s card. Full Course was a rather unlucky fourth in the corresponding race last Saturday. Valuate (St. Leger) and Gay Filou and Shakes (Hutt Handicap) are also equal to top performances today. Their stocks have risen with the easing in the ground.