Cup campaign on

Press, 22 September 1980, Page 27

Cup campaign on

NZPA Sydney A relieved and grateful Bill Reading returned to Australia on Saturday confident that he can now put all his efforts into preparing Barry Stuart for th.e $310,000 Melbourne Cup. He had returned to Masterton late last week to sort out difficulties that had arisen over the amount of time he needed off from his job as an industrial training officer at Borthwicks Waingawa freezing works. “After talking with the works manager, Mr Phil Goddard, he has agreed to let me have leave of absence so we’ll be here for the cups,” Reading said from Melbourne.

“We had quite a lengthy discussion and if I’m needed urgently I'll return home, but with a little luck I should be here right through. “I’m pleased and very grateful to him for letting me stay. There had been intense pressure on him and

me through this which had made life difficult for both of us,” said Reading, who is 29. He had at one stage indicated that Barry Stuart might have to be pulled out of his bid at the Melbourne Cup if he could not stay in Australia.

Barry Stuart, a seven-year-old In the Purple gelding will start in the $lO,OOO Metropolitan Handicap (2400 m at Caulfield on Thursday before flying up to Svdney to contest the s'l 2 0,0 0 0 Metropolitan (2600 m at Randwick on October 6. So far his horse has had two good wins in Australia, the Second Malua Handicap (2000 m in his Australian debut, and the Lord Mayor’s Plate (2500 m at Flemington. However he is still $7600 off qualifying for the Caulfield Cup but Reading hopes this can be rectified with a major placing in the Metropolitan at Randwick.. The main mission is till the Melbourne Cup.