Lord Hymac wins stylishly

Press, 11 June 1979, Page 22

Lord Hymac wins stylishly

Special correspondent Wellington The Woodville jockey, Des Harris, is enjoying another great season through the deeds of La Mer, Lone Hand and company. He added another feather to his cap when Lord Hymac won the big race at Awapuni on Saturday but just over half an hour later he got one of the biggest thrills of his life when Plain Ruler gave him his first training success.

Harris was granted his li-

cence in April and though Plain Ruler is the only horse close to racing order since then, he has been breaking in a number of younsters on his three-acre property close to the Woodville racecourse. Harris was seen at his best on Lord Hymac. Then a quick change after weighing in saw him out in the saddl-, ing stall with Plain Ruler. Lord Hymac got his revenge in no uncertain terms for an unlucky third in the Suzuki Handicap at Wanganui the previous Saturday.

The judicial report after the Suzuki stated that Lord Hymac suffered a bad check when the inside horses moved out as they jumped from the stalls causing him to lose valuable ground. Lord Hymac. recovered from the early mishaps and his eye-catching run for third behind Apostle was a feature of the race. In mid-field and off the fence going down the back on Saturday Lord Hymac, racing keenly, was let stride by Harris and improved to trail the leader, Witchety. Lord Hymac put a couple of lengths on his rivals shortly after turning for home and it was enough to keep them at bay throughout the run up the straight. A five-year-old gelding by Darnley from Mellitus, Lord Hymac is raced and trained by Graeme Jackson, of Timaru. A former amateur rider, Jackson, aged 45, was granted his public trainer’s licence last September.

He has about 21 horses at home in Washdyke but only has eight or nine in work all the time. His main campaigner on the trip to the North Island is the ’chaser, Terex, and Lord Hymac was only brought as a travelling companion for that horse, BARGAIN BUY Jackson bought Lord

Hymac as an unraced three-year-old for $l4OO after his previous owners had made up their minds that the horse would be no good. Jackson’s prime aim was to secure a jumper, and jumping was all he had in mitgl for Lord Hymac but he triad him on the flat. Lord Hymac had his first race 16 months ago as a four-year-old. He won four of his first five races. Seven starts that season resulted in four wins, two seconds ahH at third.

He has now won four races this season and the Palmerston North Handicap was easily his biggest success. It was his twenty-third race and the eighteenth time he had earned a stake, not bad for a horse that was not wanted two years ago. He is a qualified hunter, hurdler and ’chaser but Jackson said there will not be any need to jump him tifl his form on the flat fades. Lord Hymac has schooled every day on his trip nortfi and does so at home.

1 Jackson is undecided where Lord Hymac will race 1 next but said that it will • either be Tauranga in the 1 $24,000 Owens Trophy or at the Hawke’s Bay meeting’. Both fixtures are on thT same day. Then it will he I back to Trentham.