Jumpers will attract attemtiom

Press, 4 May 1984, Page 18

Jumpers will attract attemtiom

Special correspondent Auckland Hurdlers and steeplechasers, as much as the class one horses on the flat, will attract keen interest at the Auckland Racing Club’s meeting tomorrow. Several, like Resolution, Dulice, Orca and Mr Hickey, are jumpers in the top flight. Orca, Resolution and Dulice are to meet in the Park Lane Steeplechase, over 4150 m, and Mr Hickey is one of the field for the Young Nick Hurdles. Now eight years old, Orca won the Wellington Steeplechase last year, Resolution, the Pakuranga Hunt Cup and Dulice the Avondale Steeplechase. Mr Hickey, rising 10 years old, was unsuccessful in the little he did last year but he has two Great Northern Hurdles to his credit.

Safely through tomorrow, Orca, Resolution and Dulice could well be expected to line up during the Waikato winter meeting later this month in final preliminaries in the Great Northern.

The racing they have had on the flat during the last month or so could well have Orca and Resolution ready to show up in the Park Lane Steeplechase even though it will be their first jumping race since back in the early spring.

Orca, as well, was given a steeplechase trial at Te Awamutu last Friday, which he seems to have won most promisingly. He is a little fellow but tough and determined. Resolution has a remarkable record as a jumper, unbeaten in the five attempts he has made, twice over hurdles and three times as a steeplechaser. He gave a fine display to take the Pakuranga Hunt Cup last August, a forward showing this time would

guarantee his place among the early Great Northern favourites. Resolution did not tackle the Great Northern last year, being employed otherwise — winning a hurdle race at Wanganui. Dulice, however, ran in the big one at Ellerslie and very creditably, too, for his fourth placing behind Hunterville, Headford and Sparkling Brew.

It was only in the last 150 of the 4600 m that Dulice failed. He had been one of the leaders into the last jump.

Dulice had a testing winter but came through it well, as he showed when rounding off his racing for the year with second placings in the Winter Steeplechase at Ellerslie and Pakuranga Hunt Cup, then a third in the Waikato Hunt Cup. Dulice is seven years old, so he could be further improved this winter. Horses his age seem to win their share of the big jumping races.

The first leg of tomorrow’s double, the Nolan Handicap, is stronger in numbers than in quality but Isle of Man, the top weight with 57kg, represents quality, Impediment and Unique Wonder are recent middledistance winners, and Shifnal Prince, back from Sydney, is bound to receive attention.

Impediment won a 2400 m race last time, at Ellerslie on April 21. Unique Wonder failed in that one but she was an Ellerslie winner two starts back, in the 2200 m President’s Handicap on the first day of the autumn meeting. Meanwhile, she took a 2200 m race at Avondale, last Saturday, in good style. Three Takanini runners, Old Nick, Susi Bear and Flying Dream, rate highly for the second leg.