Sheikle joins list of National hopefuls

Press, 2 July 1979, Page 22

Sheikle joins list of National hopefuls

By

J. J. BOYLE

Sheikle gave his Eastern Southland owners, Mr and Mrs Colin Dickie, a holiday present by winning the $5OOO Timaru Steeplechase at Washdyke on Saturday.

Mr and Mrs Dickie will I (eave tomorrow for an Aus-' cralian holiday with hopes of, seeing the two Australian: Grand National at Flemington next week. They will be home before the Canterbury Jockey Club's big winter carnival at Riccarton and have hopes of winning the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase with their six-year-old Royal Ridge gelding. Sheikle won the Grand

National Hurdles as a fiveI year-old in 1977 in the coliours of Mrs Dickie’s father, ,Mr Gordon Cowie, who died i soon after. A weakness in a suspensory ligament has interrupted Sheikle’s programme in the meantime, but if there is no recurrence of the trouble the stoutly-bred chestnut should be a strong southern contender for the Grand National Steeplechase. Sheikle is trained at Gore by Rex Cochrane. Cogitation won the Grand Nationals i double for the Cochrane >1 stable over 20 years ago, the hurdles in 1954 and the steeples as a 12-year-old i three years later. i Cochrane, easily the most | successful South Island 'trainer this season, stands a ’good chance of again head- ■ ing the New’ Zealand list. He went into Saturday’s I racing with 55 wins, and • emerged with another two wins. Dual winning the sec ond leg of the South Canterbury Jockey Club’s T.A.B.

double about 35 minutes after Sheikle saved first by a nose from Zanzabar in the steeples. Cochrane is now three wins behind the top trainer, Matamata’s Dave O’Sullivan. Like Sheikle, Dual had a battle for his victory on Saturday. He lasted by half a head from the long shot, Pan Jet, which came late down the inside after overcoming checks in the runnin S- - K Dual, a four-year-old by Grey Gull from Court Belle, a big winner for the Cochrane stable, also won the Doncaster Handicap last year, and should continue to be a force on the Canterbury winter circuit. Catastrophe and Hi Roona, the two best-backed runners in the Doncaster Handicap, were not real contenders from the home turn, and finished behind the middle of the field. Hi Roona’s stablemate Firpo had won the first leg, the Donald Grant Memorial, with some authority in the

hands of the Chilean jockey, Tito Pobelete. Mr Cliff Marsh’s five-year-old came late for his second behind Star Order at Ashburton a week earlier. This time Pobelete had him poised for a challenge from behind the leaders on the home turn, and there was no holding them when they struck the front, strongly though the southerners, Tiva and Charlson, finished. Charlson was trying for his third Donald Grant Memorial victory and there was much to like about his third when giving weight all round. Next for him will be the Wellington Racing Club’s Whyte Handicap next Saturday.

He will be coming back to 1600 m on the opening day of the Trentham carnival, but southerners will not forget his big run for third at the distance in the Winter Cup last August. Steve Allen, who won on Sheikle on Saturday, will ride Charlson at Trentham.