Gary Phillips running hot for Riccarton today

Press, 23 April 1984, Page 18

Gary Phillips running hot for Riccarton today

By

J. J. BOYLE

Gary Phillips took a spectacular leap to the top of the jockeys’ table by riding four winners at Feilding on Saturday. Today Phillips will be at Riccarton to partner members of Paddy Busuttin’s team in several races on the first day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Easter meeting.

“I hope Gary did not use up all his good luck on Saturday,” Busuttin said at Riccarton yesterday as he busied himself putting the final touches to one of the biggest teams ever brought from the North Island.

Busuttin and Phillips will bank their hopes of winning today’s 3ZB Classic with Page Boy, a last-start second to Commissionaire

over the same distance in the weight-for-age Ormond Gold Cup.

Page Boy will not have opposition from one of the more talented South Island middle distance performers today. The Dimple will run, instead, in the weight-for-age Easter Purse at Riverton.

The Dennis brothers decided to keep the Noble Bijou mare closer to home in the meantime because the star of their team will have much travelling to do in the next few weeks as she embarks on a winter campaign in Queensland. The Dennis brothers also accepted for The Wink in the 3ZB Classic, but she will also drop out of the field. In the absence of The Dimple, the Wingatui-

trained Noble Jewel could be one of the strongest of the southern contenders in today’s feature race. Noble Jewel split the honours with the North Islander, King’s Royal, in

last year’s 3ZB Classic. There was bright promise of a return to his best form of last autumn in his dashing final trial with his stablemate, Noble Boa, wide on the course proper at Riccarton on Saturday. Some competent sprinters would not have found their 50.8 s easy to match. Noble Jewel has 51.5 kg, one kilo less than he carried in last year’s 3ZB Classic, and from that position he could trouble the best of them in the top half of the handicap. He will be ridden by Judy Hawes, who has bright prospects of landing a winner earlier on today’s programme. She and Hint have an unbeaten record in five races of the Southern

Wrightson Filly Series. That series will end today with the Warstep Stakes, which will be the only test for the fillies beyond 1600 m. Hint has gone from strength to strength in recent starts and if she relaxes to her race early today her sharp edge of speed should pose problems for the others.

Separating the contenders from the pretenders in the line-up against Hint might call for fine tuning as they move up to a longer trip. Obvious chances are the Garth Jackson-trained Harbor Flo and Amy Annie, and a case can be made for Rapanella, which cleared maiden ranks when Paddy Busuttin brought her to Riccarton in February, and has since won at Hastings.