Hillis team now based at Riccarton

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33878, 25 June 1975, Page 8

Hillis team now based at Riccarton

Riccarton has become the temporary headquarters for the Riverton trainer Bill Hillis, and the Great Northern winher Loch Linnhe and Pole Star have been joined there by reinforcements from the. south. Tourie and Kilmore, the ! two members of the team engaged on the first day of )the South Canterbury meetling on Saturday, heightened) interest in the training at' Riccarton yesterday. ) They stayed on terms to) ■the end of 1600 metres on) I the No. 1 grass and recorded) (1.50.8, quickening for the) last 800 m ir 53.

Hillis rode Kilmore in the trial, and the grey appeared to do his work satisfactorily) under a good weight. Hillis will also be Kil-i more’s race rider on Satur-i day. A Jones has been engaged! for Tourie, which will be having his first race since ■

he was placed at the Birchwood Hunt meeting in i March. FIRM GOiNG After a heavy frost trialists had firm footing in yesterday’s training and times flattered some of the less-talented. Bric-a-Brac, a candidate) for the Otaio Stakes at! Washdyke, sprinted 800 m in) 49.4, and Channel returned; 48.8. But neither of them! galloped with the keenness j and dash of Zebak, which!

i was under a strong hold fin- , ishing in 50.2. Zebak has strengthened in the last few weeks, and looks ready for a bold run in the Doncaster Handicap, second leg of the South Canterbury T.A.B. double. Karnak, a form runner for the Thistoll stable in the ! Washdyke Improvers’ Handi'cap, was paired with Bel Cavallo to run 800 m in 50.8. ! They went to the post ! strongly on terms. SHARPENED I 1 Sudden Change was joined :' by Knight Arrangement to j run in from the 800 m in > 52.2. A step up to a middle i(distance should help Sudden ((Change in the Donald Grant y Memorial at Washdyke.

Lord Lemington and Blarney Castle were abreast i after running 800 m in 50.2. I Mr Richmond, looking i sharpened by his race at , Ashburton, recorded 50.3. i The Riccarton apprentice, lan Grant, has been engaged ■ for Mr Richmond in the Sec- > ond Strathallan Handicap at . Washdy’ke. [ The former northerner . Rich Mahal sprinted 800 m t with Kara Sea in 50.2. Cloudy Joe, which will oppose Rich Mahal in the second division of the Wash--1 dyke Improvers’ Handicap, > could have bettered his 52.8 i without much trouble. ! Arborfield, a member of I. i Thomas’s team to make her t debut at Washdyke, sprinted 800 m with Bonavia in 51.