Sir Castleton aims for Viet. trotting title

Press, 29 February 1984, Page 38

Sir Castleton aims for Viet. trotting title

NZPA-AAP Melbourne The Ashburton-owned and trained Inter-Dominion trotting champion, Sir Castleton, has arrived in Melbourne in his quest to take out the rich Australian Trotting Championships starting at Moonee Valley on Friday evening. However, his ownertrainer, Mawson MacPherson, found soon after crossing the Victorian border from Adelaide, how dramatically the Australian weather can change. MacPherson, who bought a car and a float to make the trip to Victoria after winning last week’s InterDominion in Adelaide, struck one of the worst patches of weather he has experienced. “It was a pretty rough trip because we ran into a huge storm when we got into Victoria,” MacPherson said yesterday. “But Cassie seems to have come through it and has settled in well. He’s eaten all his food,” he said. Sir Castleton laid claim to being Australia and New Zealand’s best trotter by

defeating the champion Victorian mare, Scotch Notch, in the $30,000 InterDominion Final after going through the qualifying rounds unbeaten. With Scotch Notch in the spelling paddock, Sir Castleton appears to have the Australian Trotting Championships at his mercy. However, the Victorian Harness Racing Board, who have become the defenders of discretionary standing starts, have made Sir Castleton’s task somewhat harder by giving him the back mark for the series. On Friday evening, in his first start at the spacious Moonee Valley, Sir Castleton comes off 30m in the first round of heats of 2870 m. A spokesman for the H.R.B. said that on the second night, Sir Castleton, which will be driven by Paddy Timmins, will have the backmark of 25m for the second round of heats over 2400 m. If Sir Castleton makes the $30,000 Grand Final he will again come off 30m over 3300 m on March 17.