Southerners going north

Press, 19 May 1981, Page 34

Southerners going north

Special "correspondent Invercargill

Paulmont and Off An’ On have finally left. Southland on the first stage of their trek to the North Island with the Auckland Racing Club’s Great Northern carnival at Queen’s Birthday Week-end as their main mission.

Bill Hillis left yesterday morning with the pair and they were accompanied by Off An’ On’s owner, Mr Bert Crooks, who will travel as far as Christchurch and re-

turn to Southland on Thursday. . ■ ' : - • ■ ■ 1 All going well, Hillis will cross to the North Island tomorrow with Off An’ On and Paulmont on- the ferry. Hillis had. planned to fly the pair out of Christchurch a week ago with a view of racing them on the . second day of the Waikato Racing Club’s meeting at Te Rapa. Those plans had to be abandoned when flight arrangements could not be finalised. Hillis has the Great Northern Hurdles in mind for Off An’ On, probably the most promising hurdler in the South Island. Off An.’-'On has also won as a sprinter

and a ’ metric miler .in his latest campaign. ' ■. . Paulmont is ideal material for. the "Great Northern Steeplechase, a race; Hillis has already won with Eiffel Tower and. toch Linnhe. The Southland jockey, Richard Collett, will probably ride Paulmont,.in the Great-Northern. Steeples and, Angus Mavor will have the mount on Off An’ On m thfe Great Northern Hurdles. < Mavor won the 1979 New Zealand Grand National Hurdles on Jack Dugan. • Hillis won the 1966 Great Northern Hurdles .'as a traii|er with' the.late Mr Bill Hazlett’s MacDonald.