Long Trip

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32214, 5 February 1970, Page 4

Long Trip

The smart three-year-old, Crown I,aw, had little time to lose the feel of sea-legs before being loaded aboard a Qantas DC4 at Christchurch International Airport yesterday morning. Crown Law, which will contest the Newmarket Handicap and other rich races in Melbourne in the next few weeks, was to have been shipped to Australia next week. But when space became available on yesterday’s flight the colt’s Marton trainer and partowner, J. R. Haworth, hurriedly changed plans.

Crown Law, accompanied by his trainer and his other part-owner and breeder, Mr J. P. Peters, of Wellington, left Marton by road on Monday and crossed from Wellington on Monday evening’s steamer express. By the time he arrived at the airport yesterday morning the other five horses on the flight were loaded so he had only about 10 minutes to have his last pick of New Zealand grass for some time.

The Wellington Stakes winner will have his first race in Australia in the $lB,OOO Oakleigh Plate, five and a half furlongs, at Caulfield on February 21. The next week he will contest the Caulfield Futurity Stakes, a seven-furlong weight-for-age event which also carries a stake of $lB,OOO. His main mission on the trip will be the $24,000 Newmarket Handicap, six furlongs, to be run at Flemington on March 7. Haworth said yesterday that he had hoped R. J. Skelton would have been able to ride the colt in his Australian engagements. But that was not possible because of Skelton’s pending trip to South Africa. But he is still hopeful that Skelton might be able to take the mount on Crown Law in his first race in Australia.