Robert Earl Fit For National Bid

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32360, 28 July 1970, Page 5

Robert Earl Fit For National Bid

“He feels more like his old self,” said the North Island jockey, G. Watters, of Robert Earl after he rode the 1969 Grand National winner in pace work at Riccarton yesterday.

Robert Earl ran in the Homeby Steeplechase last Saturday on a programme interrupted by muscular trouble and faded in the final mile to finish fifth of the six runners His Waikato owner-trainer, Mr J. Singers, now feels his Earldom gelding is ready to meet every demand made by the Canterbury Jockey Club’s 3i mile race. Robert Earl will give Walters his second ride in the Grand National on Saturday Since he rode Cinnaman, an unplaced runner in the 1966 National, Walters has ridden in nine countries —England, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and France. He returned to New Zealand on the eve of this year’s

Great Northern meeting convinced that trainers of jumpers here can teach many ol their overseas counterparts much about conditioning horses. One of his mounts in Ire land had been heavily backed, although he knew it had hardly been out of its box for three weeks beforehand. It came as no surprise to him that his mount was well beaten. Walters was employed for 10 months close to the Irish racecourse, The Curragh, and rode a winner over hurdles on another Irish course five days before he won on Tino Ariki on the opening day of the Great Northern meeting. He feels that New Zealand has something in common with most overseas countries —thinning ranks of top-fligh! jumping riders. He learned much about his craft in the stiffest competition, riding against the like* of J. Hely, R. Turnwald, J. ; Potter, P. Cathro and the like, and had profited im mensely from the experience, Walters said yesterday. “Now,” he added, “there is a thinner layer of top riders here, which increases the number of incidents and the risks of spills.” Walters rode in Australia in 1966, and was on the fourth place-getter, Exactly, in the Grand National there. He is considering another Austra lian visit.