Change of luck for jockey

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33254, 18 June 1973, Page 9

Change of luck for jockey

S. D. Hawthorne has had his share of ups and downs in the last 12 months. About this time last year the Southlandbased horseman was put out of action because of a fall which resulted in e back injury. He : did not resume race riding , 1 until January. Then, Just a few j weeks ago another fall, at Waimate, prevented him from ridino at the Dunedin winter meeting. But Hawthorne’s luck changed I for the better on Saturday at Oamaru where he rode the win-1 ners of both races for jumpers.! His first success came on the! short-priced Magool in the Pukeuri Brush Hurdles and later he partnered Be Smart, which won the E. H. Aubrey Memorial Steeples at good odds. The prospect of a Riccarton victon' in the Pukeuri Hurdles; I looked pretty bright when Auu«lette, jumping brilliantly, but lengths on her rivals in the first! half-mile. She still had a handy: lead when she made a slight blunder at the third-last flight, but Magool, which had led the. chase from the mile, was clos-l lug on her fairly quickly when! Aqualette scrambled through the' next fence and almost unseated; N. T. Cowles. By the time Cowles recovered his irons and the reins Aqualette had drifted wide out on the track and Magool had scampered away from her. The Gore-trained jumper won by two lengths and a half from Elvin Spark, well back early but third! In the running from the halfmile to the last flight. Five lengths back a tired Aqualette saved third by half a length from Shirley’s Last. Be Smart, last of eight among the hurdlers at Wingatui at his previous start, made a successful debut over country when he ( led for much of the last round!, in the Aubrey Steeples. Magic Boy took Be Smart on ( in front near the half-mile but the top-weight lost interest < quickly after a poor leap at the ; second-last fence and from that j point Be Smart did not have , to cope with any serious challengers and won by two lengths t and a half. , The win favourite, Hydel. , which ran at the rear of a fairly . close-running field for the first mile and a half but had im- 1 nroved to fourth on the home 1 turn, got fairlv close to Be Smart 1 running to the last fence but i he could not muster the finish- !

lug speed to beat the pacemaker. Blazing Star, which was two places ahead of Hydel siarting the last round and still fifth on the home turn, battled past Maliiron and Magic Bov running to I ;the last fence to take third, but jwas three lengths away. I A sensation came fairly early jin the race when Willypay, the pacemaker at the time, ducked off in the inside of the third fence and the place favourite, Hurry Scurry, followed him. Although there was no possible chance of them earning a stake. ;the fence in front of the stand I was already being dismantled by the time they had been pulled up and taken back to the fence where they ran off, both riders decided to continue the course. ilt was an unfortunate decision ! for Willypay’s rider. A. K. Robinson. His mount made another blunder at the fence near the I furlong peg in the straight and Robinson was bumped out of the saddle. Robinson was later examined |by the club's doctor and sent ito Oamaru Hospital for X-rays jto an injured foot.