Vance to ride in Australia

Press, 26 February 1980, Page 23

Vance to ride in Australia

NZPA Sydney The leading New Zealand Jockey, Bobby Vance, will ride in Australia for the first time at the Randwick autumn carnival. Vance will ride New Zealand’s best-staying mare My Blue Denim, which will be flown to Svdnev on March 28. The 20-year-old jockey, who last season won the New Zealand premiership, won the Auckland Cup (3200 m on My Blue Denim on January 1. Trainer Dave O'Sullivan has confirmed that Vance, running second in this year’s premiership, will ride My Blue Denim in her two starts at the Randwick carnival. The mare will start in the weight-for-age Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000 m on April 7 before tackling the best stayers in the $150,000 Sydney Cup (3200 m on April 12. My Blue Denim, whose two starts in Sydney last autumn

resulted in thirds in the Storm Queen Stakes. (ISOOm) and the A.J.C. Oaks (2400 m suffered nasty leg cuts in a paddock'mishap 10 days ago. However, O’Sullivan said My Blue Denim had made a good recovery from her injuries and he is hopeful of starting her in the 552.250 Air N.Z. Stakes .(2000m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. While My Blue Denim remains in New’ Zealand for another month, stablemate Shivaree will be flown to Melbourne bn Sunday. O’Sullivan, w’ill start the gelding in the $lOl,OOO Australian Cup (2000 m at Flemington on March 10 beforp moving him to Sydney. !’ Roger Lang will again ride Shivaree, who may be accompanied to Melbourne by O’Sullivan’s high classlthree-year-old, Owens. . < ; He has set Owens for the $250,000 A.J.C. Derby (2400 m at Randwick on April 7, but ’a jshoulder injury has interrupted his preparation.