Thomson to ride Beechcraft

Press, 23 April 1984, Page 19

Thomson to ride Beechcraft

NZPA-AAP Sydney The Victorian jockey, Brent Thomson, will ride the leading $150,000 A.J.C. Derby (2400 m chance, Beechcraft, at Randwick today despite being suspended until Thursday week. Thomson appealed to the Australian Jockey Club yesterday after his suspension on Saturday and has been granted a stay of proceedings and cleared to ride until the A.J.C. committee hears the matter later in the week.

Beechcraft is 5-1 equal second favourite with the Bart Cummings-trained Bounty Hawk and Prolific, behind the Tommy Smith trained Alibhai (7-2).

Thomson had planned to leave for England on Friday where he will ride for the British pools millionaire, Robert Sangster. However, he will not be able to ride in England until his Australian . suspension ends, as Australian stewards have reciprocal arrangements with English officials. Beechcraft has a perfect barrier draw, No 7, for the race which, if there is no mbre rain, will be run on a track that will still be in the soft side following a solid drenching last week. Among a solid field of three-year-olds ranged against him are two New Zealanders Jurango and Imaprince, which are both also aimed for the Sydney Cup. Jurango has drawn barrier No. 13 but established solid credentials for the Derby when he ran a true stayer’s third in the Tulloch Stakes over 2000 m a week ago.

That worked perfectly with the gelding Still im-

proving when he ran out of distance at the line behind Prolific and the former New Zealander, Pleasant Star. He will be ridden by Peter Cook today and his part-owner, Jackie Rogers, said the race tactics would be left to Cook. Jurango’s jockey of last week, Greg Childs, switches back to Imaprince, which would go from barrier No. 4 today. The Australian based rivals in the Derby field include the Balmerino gelding Bounty Hawk. Jbt: 6 Tab: TC

Race 1 5.0 T.A.B. TRIFECTA T.A.B. QUINELLA A.J.C. DERBY $270,000; three-year-olds; 2400m 1 2284 Bounty Hawk 10 55.5 R. Quinton 2 3123 Beechcraft 7 55.5 B. Thomson 3 1721 Alibhai 9 55.5 L. Dittman 4 7210 Mr Ironclad 15 55.5 D. Beadman 5 0111 Prolific 16 55.5 J. Marshall 6 1307 Tri-Flow 8 55.5 G. Willetts 7 2973 Jurango 13 55.5 P. Cook 8 0794 King Delamere 3 55.5 N. Voigt 9 1430 Rising Prince 2 55.5 K. Langby 10 1865 Not Declared 14 55.5 P. Smith 11 6164 Imaprince 4 55.5 G. Childs 12 5562 Pleasant Star 12 55.5 W. Harris 13 5100 Essential 1 55.5 H. Light 14 7260 Freedom Road 11 55.5 K. Mitchell 15 5216 Port Fair 6 55.5 B. Compton 16 0517 Persistent Lad 5 55.5 P. Cuddihy 17 460 Admiral Flash 17 55.5 J. Duggan