Paul’s Boy hurdles fancy

Press, 5 June 1982, Page 17

Paul’s Boy hurdles fancy

Special correspondent Auckland Little more than a stable's second string this time last year. Paul’s Boy looks right in the running to take one of jumping’s most valued prizes with the Great Northern Hurdles. Success in the big Ellerslie race would give Paul’s Boy a notable, if not unique, double because when last out over jumps, some . three weeks ago. he won the Waikato Seddon Hurdles. .For a Matamata couple, Mr and Mrs Sam Brosnan, it would be a second success on end in the Great Northern, which they won last year with Mark's Gold. Paul’s Boy did not tackle the Great Northern Hurdles last year but with a minor win -at Gisborne and his Awapuni Hurdles victory he was more than useful. He would have been very hard to beat in the Wellington Hurdles except that his rider with some 500 m to go, took the wrong course. Immediately before the Seddon Hurdles, Paul’s Boy was a winner at Ellerslie over hurdles, on May 8, so he is; going for a hat-trick. Paul's Boy ran away with the Seddon Hurdles, over 2800 m, looking as though he would have no trouble with the extra 1400 m or thereabouts which they have to-go in the Great Northern. He has no more weight to carry, indeed half a kilogram less'than in the Te Rapa race, the scale for the Great Northern being somewhere around 3kg lower.

Mr Hickey, for all his 67.5 kg, has to be considered, he is such a good, game little gelding. But these days his future might be as a steeplechaser, certainly if he shows up well today he will become one of the favourites for Monday’s Great Northern. He could, of course, win this one without incurring a penalty for the steeplechase. Besides Mr Hickey the other opponents for Paul’s Boy include Stipulation, Dark Purple and Greek Boy. each a prospect. With Stipulation and Dark Purple the successful owner-trainer-rider, Mr Ken Browne, is particularly well served because one of the two (Stipulation) is at his best when given reasonably good footing .and the other isone of the most able horses in really heavy ground.

With the conditions to suit, either of the two stablemates could be very hard to beat. Stipulation is a good, clever jumper, Dark Purple a solid stayer as he showed again when winning a jumpers' flat event over 2700 m at Rotorua last Saturday. Van der Hum was helped by the mistakes of- his opponents when he won the Waikato Hurdles last time but he was impressive, nevertheless, in the way he ran out the 3200 m. He was a jumper, in private, even before he won the Melbourne Cup six years ago.

In his element when the going is very wet, Van der Hum would be' another helped by a change to more winter-like weather.

Greek Boy was a good winner over Hurdles at Rotorua last Saturday, with B.skg more than he is required to carry this time

Ploughman, from Hastings, claims a couple of recent hurdle wins, at Foxton and Trentham, so he is due some attention.