Matthews gains ride on Pidgeon’s Blood

Press, 27 August 1983, Page 24

Matthews gains ride on Pidgeon’s Blood

Special correspondent Dunedin

Tane Matthews has gained the ride on Pidgeon’s Blood in the Noble Car Handicap second leg of the Otago Racing Club’s T.A.B. double and treble at Oamaru on Monday. Pidgeon’s Blood has been ridden in her seven races by Jim Collett, who left yesterday for Singapore. He has a riding contract with the trainer, Mak Siau King, until October 23.

Pidgeon’s Blood has had three wins, a second, two thirds and a fifth. Don Collett, her Gore trainer, also has Super Dude in the Noble Car Handicap. John Dowling will take the mount. Super Dude, a smart three-year-old last season, is making a fresh start. Matthews, who has had a good measure of success for the Collett stable, will ride other members of the team on Monday — Imperial Blue, Imperial Girl, and Student Grant. Collett said he was unlikely to start Nottingham Belle at Oamaru.

“We will probably hand back and run her in the mile at Ashburton. The longer distance at Oamaru could just be a bit far at this stage,” he said.

Hector Anderton, sen., has scratched First Prince from his Oamaru engagement to allow the gelding more time to recover from his race last Monday.

First Prince’s late bid for fifth could be compared to the first-up run of the Anderton star of recent years, Powley. She finished ninth at the corresponding meeting at Oamaru as a three-year-old 4 in 1980 and a month later won a maiden race by eight lengths at Washdyke.

Anderton was critical of the rehandicap of 2kg given to Rock Crystal in the steeplechase at the Otago meeting for his win on Monday. “The race on Monday was for class B and maiden jumpers. It is for class A (any class) next week. With that type of handicapping, it is just not worth keeping jumpers,” said Anderton. Rock Crystal looked bright on Thursday morning and he has sharpened with his race.

Bryan Kennedy said he was under instructions from the owner of Paerau Lass not to start her at Oamaru on Monday under the same judicial panel as last Monday. Paerau Lass was rele-

gated from second to third last Monday. Two members of the judicial committee will remain the same.

Hector Anderton, jun., has settled on a $7OOO weight-for-age 1200 m race at Washdyke on September 17 as Noble River’s next assignment. John Dowling has been engaged to ride Noble River.

The jumper, Bymai, and Candidago have both been put aside for spells. “If I had known Eastern Southland was going to be abandoned I would have put Bymai for the Pakuranga Hunt Cup,” said the trainer, Brian Anderton. The Eastern Southland Hunt might have given consideration to running their meeting on Saturday fortnight (September 10), rather than leaving it until later in the season.

There is no galloping meeting in the South Island that day. , Sashmo, which is in the second leg of the T.A.B. double and treble on Monday, ran 800 m with Up The Creek in 52.2 s on the sand at Wingatui on Thursday morning. The last 600 m took 39.55.

Vrinsk, Lord Venture and Silver Gaivic returned 53.2 s and 39.3 s in a similar assignment.