Handsome Heir earns winter trip to Queensland

Press, 17 April 1984, Page 33

Handsome Heir earns winter trip to Queensland

By

J. J. BOYLE

A win for Handsome Heir in the first leg of the North Canterbury Racing Club’s T.A.B. double yesterday clinched a Queensland winter campaign for the five-year-old. Handsome Heir’s Riccarton trainer, John Bourne, is keen to give him his chance in Queensland middle distance races, and the horse will be freshened and allowed to bypass Easter racing at Riccarton.

Handsome Heir is raced in partnership by Mrs J. M. Cooper, of Rotorua, Mr Ted Howarth, of Waikanae, and Mr Dave Lyons, of Christchurch.

Mrs Cooper became one of the partners on the death of her husband, Mr Ron Cooper. "He’s come up better than ever but before taking him to Australia I would like to give him a freshener,” Bourne said after Handsome Heir’s win in the Rangiora Handicap yesterday.

Handome Heir won handily by half a length from Charles Beaufort, and the Riccarton pair left the others to it in the last 100 m. Top Blend tried hard to land his second win in nine days on the course, coming to the front briefly on the home turn, then surrendering it to the faster-finishing Charles Beaufort and a few strides later to Handsome Heir.

Handsome Heir was ridden by the Riccarton horseman Grant Davison, who

started a purple patch with first-leg winners when he won on Miles Better at the Wellington autumn meeting. Between that win and yesterday’s, Davison has also won feature handicap races and first legs at Oamaru (Julie’s Boy) and at Waimate (Anticipate).

Davison had some worries during the race. “I was kept wide, but was able to grab half a length at a time to get closer. Even so I thought Charles Beaufort would have been hard to

run down,” Davison said. Notusho was easily the best of those behind the dividend-payers in the Rangiora Handicap. He was backed down to favouritism in this his first open-class test, but struck trouble at different stages, first behind the weakening Goucho, and later when Silver Print dropped back through the field after pacemaking.

Notusho rallied well when Peter Fearon got him into the clear and finished a meritorious fourth.