Bachelor Tom’s return to racing delayed

Press, 16 September 1976, Page 24

Bachelor Tom’s return to racing delayed

Bachelor Tom’s return to racing has been further delayed, according to his trainer, Jim Ferguson. “He’s been working for almost seven months now and he appeared to be close to racing trim. But the other day he was showing signs of soreness in his off foreleg. There’s no heat or swelling in the leg to suggest that anything is wrong and it could be that there is a chip of bone. I intend getting him X-rayed next week to see if| we can find the trouble," he said. Bachelor Tom was one of the most consistent trotters in New Zealand and won about $40,000 in stakes before being sidelined during the Inter-Dominion Championship series at Alexandra Park in February, 1975. The trotters’ classes will be strengthened in the next few weeks with the reappearance of Dupreez and Alias Armbro.

Dupreez. still on the burly side, is back in strong work with Derek Jones. It is intended to race him at trials in the next few weeks and he might be ready to resume racing in the Banks Peninsula Cup on October 9. If he makes a forward showing in that race he could receive an invitation to contest the rich Challenge Stakes at Alexandra Park later in the month.

Dupreez, now a seven-year-old, won only one race last season, but he recorded several worthwhile placings. He is still on a mark where he will be well placed in major events such as the

Dominion Handicap in November.

Alias Armbro, the winner of five races , last season, is ready to start at trials and will be on hand at Addington Raceway next Wednesday. He, too, will resume racing at the Banks Peninsula meeting as a prelude to competing at Auckland later in the month.

“He’s still a bit on the big side,” said his Burnham trainer, Brian Gliddon, yesterday, ‘‘but a couple of runs at trials will help bring

him back to top racing trim.”

Original plans to start Final Curtain in the O. Hutchinson Free-for-all at the New Brighton meeting on Saturday have been dropped and he will race at the Auckland meeting on Saturday.

Also, it had been intended that Final Curtain would remain in Canterbury and contest the Ashburton Stakes on October 2: He could still come south for that race, but it seems more likely

i that he will remain in the north for Auckland meetings late in October as part of his preparation for his main mission this spring, the $60,000 New Zealand Cup in November.

Another pacer making fine progress in preparation for the New Zealand Cup is Dupreez’s stablemate, Cyclone Lad. His trainer said yesterday that he would parade at trials in the next week or two and could resume racing in the Ashburton Flying Stakes.