RACING Hazlett Jumpers May Race In Australia

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31062, 18 May 1966, Page 4

RACING Hazlett Jumpers May Race In Australia

The Southland owner, Mr W. E. Hazlett, spent 14 Australian dollars last week to enter four members of his powerful team for major races at the Victoria Racing Club’s Grand National meeting in July.

He entered Koral, Macdonald, Eiffel Tower and Turtle for the Grand National Steeplechase, and the last three for the Grand National Hurdles.

The Australian Grand National Hurdles, three miles, is worth 12.000 dollars and a trophy worth 300 dollars and is run on July 2. The Grand National Steeplechase is contested a week later over about three miles and a furlong for a stake of 15.000 dollars, including a trophy. The horses entered for the Australian races were flown to the North Island early last week, and Macdonald and Koral started their northern campaigns with fourths at Te Rapa last Saturday. Jumping Debut Slightly delayed, but no less eagerly anticipated, the hurdling debut of the good stayer, Eiffel Tower, probably wifi be seen on the third day of the Waikato meeting on Saturday. Eiffel Tower, winner of the 1965 Wellington Cup and a close second in the 1966 Wellington Cup, is an acceptor for the Winter Hack Hurdles. With 9.7, the maximum for a horse in his first hurdling race Eiffel Tower, is 191 b be-

low the top-weight, Danny Molloy, a winner on the first day of the Waikato meeting.

Eiffel Tower’s hurding debut had a surprise interruption on the first day of the Southland Racing Club’s autumn meeting last month. The Kurdistan gelding had been saddled and his rider, W. J. Hillis, had weighed out for the Southland Hurdles when it was announced that the horse had been withdrawn.

I Off-course supporters of what was to have been a powerful stable bracket were then left with Istan Light to run for them. Istan Light won, by half a head, but place backers lost Is 6d in the pound. An official report of the incident said the horse had a slight filling in the leg, and Hillis had scratched it on instructions from Mr Hazlett because the horse’s soundness was in doubt. Eiffel Tower’s fine turn of pace and stamina will carry him far along the victory road in his hurdling debut With horses making first jumping starts f om many

stables there is the inevitable question whether they will measure up on jumping ability.

Such a question seems superficial when it applies to most of the Hazlett-owned, Hillis-trained horses. It is no stable secret that Eiffel Tower has done a lot of jumping, and that he is very good at it. When he was brought to Riccarton with other members of the Hazlett team last August, Eiffel Tower was schooled over pony hurdles, and jumped brilliantly. He is five and one of the youngest horses in a field with a youthful look about it on Saturday. He could be the trail-blazer for a successful northern campaign by the Hillis team.

After placed runs at Te Rapa last Saturday, Macdonald and Koral should also be fitted for something closer to their best runs in the two major races at Te Rapa on Saturday. Macdonald is in the Seddon Hurdles with the third topweight of 9-8, and Koral is the top-weight with 10-8 in the Waikato Steeplechase. On their best form the stablemates would have something better than faint prospects of achieving a notable jumping treble.