Our Buddy fails; connections questioned

Press, 3 July 1985, Page 40

Our Buddy fails; connections questioned

NZPA-AAP Brisbane The New Zealand jockey, Maree Lyndon, and the prominent Hawkes Bay trainer, Patrick Campbell, were hastily summoned by stewards to explain the poor performance of Our Buddy in the $40,000 Healy Stakes

(1200 m at Eagle Farm on Saturday. They were questioned at length over Our Buddy’s poor effort, a complete form reversal, as the Avaray three-year-old was swabbed. The clear favourite, Foys-

taan, also put in a dismal performance. Our Buddy gave a powerhouse display of front-run-ning to win easily over 1200 m at Eagle Farm last week, but on Saturday he missed the start and was never a contender. A noticeable drifter in bookmakers’ charts from 4-1 to 6-1, he beat one home in finishing fourteenth to a 16-1 chance Kelly’s Pool. Campbell said he was completely mystified by the flop, as the horse had worked better last week than at any other stage since being in Australia. “This is the first time in his entire three-year-old career that he has failed to race in the first two or three throughout,” Campbell said. Lyndon, likewise, was at a loss to explain Our Buddy’s failure. “He was never a chance after being flat early, then racing wide,” Lyndon said. “He just didn’t fire and it’s the first time he’s ever raced like that.” Brisbane’s chief steward adjourned the enquiry until the result of the swab is known. Before Saturday’s failure, Our Buddy had been prominently placed at 12-1 on bookies’ charts for next Saturday’s $lBO,OOO Rothmans 100,000 (1350 m at Doomben.