TROTTING G. Holmes Will Have Handy Team For August

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30477, 26 June 1964, Page 5

TROTTING G. Holmes Will Have Handy Team For August

G. Holmes, who this season harnessed the winners of 17 races —his most successful season since he took out a public trainer’s licence about four years ago—will have a handy-sized team ready for racing in August. But the serious part of the team’s preparation will not begin until early next month.

Yesterday Holmes and his wife left for Australia, where they will spend a fortnight’s holiday in Sydney and Queensland-

Holmes has already made a start on four of the team. They are Robin’s Return, Forshy, which he races himself, and two qualified maidens, Surely Not and Night Rocket. Robin's Return and Forshy both contributed to the stable’s tally of wins this season. Forshy’s record included three victories. Robin’s Return won four races altogether—two of them since being taken over by Holmes about mid-season —for Messrs J. Hart and R. A. White, of Blenheim.

Robin’s Return and Forshy will probably be rivals in the races for 2min 16sec class pacers at the National meeting in August. Surely Not and Night Rocket will also be able to race at Addington for the programme for the National meeting includes two races for maiden pacers.

Surely Not, a filly by Garrison Hanover from Sally Walla, is a sister to the highclass pacer Sally Boy. Night Rocket is a half-brother, by Garrison Hanover, to Placid Night and other winners. The other members of the team which will resume at the National meeting are Bluff, Nigger Minstrel, and the trotter Fiammetta. They will rejoin the stable about mid-July. Winner Of Six Bluff is the most tightly assessed pacer in the team. He was a maiden performer when this, season began, but will start his- five-year-old racing with a 2min 14sec class rating.

Altogether Bluff won six races this season. In the first two of those he was being prepared for Mr O. J. Watson by J. D, Latten, at West Meh ton. His other successes were gained after being transferred to the Holmes’ stable after the New Zealand Cup meeting. At present Bluff and Adio Morn, which Mr Watson also races, are being exercised on the Annat farm of their owner. Both will come back

into work at the same time but Adio Morn will probably not race till September. His three wins this season brought him back to a 2min 17sec mark. But this class is not catered. for at the National meeting. Nigger Minstrel, after six starts for a win and second since joining Holmes’ stable in March, was sent baek to Westport where he is owned. His preparatory work before resuming full training has been along the same lines as Bluff and Adio Morn. Showed Promise Gershwin, Adulate and Effie Globe were other winners for the stable this season. Probably the most promising of these was Gershwin, which had only five starts for two wins and three placings before he went sbre after racing at Oamaru last Labour week-end. Unfortunately it was tendon and ligament trouble. He seems to have made good progress since being “fired” and turned out early this year. All going well he will resume in September. Adulate was also affected by lameness this season. He strained a tendon on a North Island campaign towards the end of November. Up till then his record included a win and five placings. He was turned out and blistered and is now doing jogging exercise at Oxford, where he is owned. He, too, will resume in the spring;