Spring Moss to remain in Australia

Press, 20 April 1983, Page 37

Spring Moss to remain in Australia

Special correspondent New Plymouth

The hardy stayer, Spring Moss, is likely to complete his racing career in Australia. The gelding’s Lepperton owner, Mr Bill Crofskey, said yesterday that the former Cambridge trainer, Brian Smith, would take over the preparation of Spring Moss. Spring Moss was taken to Australia by his Stratford trainer, Jack Taylor, for a tilt at Saturday’s Sydney Cup, which had been postponed for a week. Orginally the horse Was to return home, but Mr Crofskey feels there are more opportunities for Spring Moss in Australia and better prize-money. Mr Crofskey said it had cost him $6OOO to have Spring Moss flown to Sydney on a passenger aircraft and that it would cost $3OOO on a scheduled bloodstock flight to bring him home. “There’s a lot of training bills in $3000,” he said. Spring Moss contested Saturday’s Sydney Cup but pulled much too hard for his own good in the run through the straight the first time and finished in mid-field. Although he has won 11 races, Spring Moss has never been harshly treated by the Australian handicappers and Smith, best known for the deeds with Balmerino, should be able to place the son of Moss Trooper to good advantage.

Mr Crofskey said that Taylor had told him in a telephone call over the week-end that Spring Moss had pulled up well after his Sydney run. While happy with the run Mr Crofskey believes that the horse may have gone better if his rider, Earl Harrison, had let him run along a bit quicker in the early stages of the race. Mr Crofskey said that the decision to leave Spring Moss in Australia did not in any way reflect dissatisfaction with Taylor’s handling of the horse.

The Hawera trainer, “Wiz” Moseley, is considering another Brisbane campaign for Double You Em. Double You Em went to Brisbane last May for the winter carnival and raced well before winning the rich Fourex Cup in early July. Moseley said yesterday that if Double You Em races well in his next couple of starts, the first of which is at Waipukurau on Saturday, then the trip will almost certainly go ahead. Double You Em had been a disappointment to Moseley until he won at Feilding over Easter. He is hoping that a change of plates was the reason for the six-year-old’s improved showing. Double You Em has been working as well as ever, but racing poorly. As the entire likes the hard tracks, this was not considered the problem. Dianne Moseley, the Hawera jockey, is still holi-

daying and is undecided when she will return to race riding.

Moseley, who took a nasty tumble at Hawera about a month ago, returns home to Hawera this week but her mother said yesterday she was not sure when her daughter would resume riding.