Successful meeting for W. G. Ivil

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33610, 12 August 1974, Page 8

Successful meeting for W. G. Ivil

1 The Awapuni trainer, W. G. Ivil, has | been the North Island’s most consistent patron of Canterbury Jockey Club meetings in the last few years, and he has usually found the results rewarding.

His Riccarton “bag” for this year’s Grand National meeting was five wins and four minor placings,' yielding over $7OOO, a good start towards reaching the $90,000 earned by members of his team last season. The Auckland-owned Brad became the best individual winner for the team at the meeting when he won the Islington Handicap for Messrs T. W. Madgwick and R. H. C. Wynyard on Saturday. Brad won by a length from the Winter ‘ Cup winner. Dandyman. whose bid to come through the meeting unbeaten would almost certainly have been successful had he dodged a bumping incident near the home turn. Brad failed to win last season. The Islington Handicap was his first victory since May, 1973. when he captured the Wellington Racing Club’s Tasman Handicap. He was then trained at Ellerslie by F. T. Ritchie, and was ridden on that occasion bv W. D. Skelton, who was just resuming after a long lav-off through injury. Flight Tracer was a second winner for the Ivil stable on Saturday; he fin-

:ished brilliantly for a length I victory in the Redcliffs Handicap, and returns north as ; winner of two races at the ’meeting. Centre Point and Ajanta won for the stable on the first day- of the meeting but had to settle for seconds on Saturday. There was no more impressive flat winner on Saturday than Just Tops, whose brand of front-running turned the August Handicap into something of a procession. Just Tops, the Winter Cup fourth on the first day of the meeting, and sixth in the Heathcote Handicap last Tuesday, won Saturday’s race :by four lengths from Bev Leigh. Special Son. a dominating favourite, came from last for a game third.