Sir Castleton might race again next month

Press, 10 July 1985, Page 41

Sir Castleton might race again next month

By

JEFF SCOTT

' The top trotter, Sir Castleton, sidelined with injury since March after finishing second to Scotch Notch in the Inter-Dominion Trotters Grand Final at Moonee Valley, is progressing well again at Mawson MacPherson’s Simba Lodge at Ashburton. The rising nine-year-old son of Game Pride and Castleton’s Queen could be ready to resume racing at the national meeting at Addington Raceway next month, if there are suitable races for him, according to MacPherson.

“He’s been back in work for some time, mainly jogging but now getting up to about half-pace,” MacPherson said.

“He seems as good as gold. We took a precautionary X-ray of his leg last month and will take a final X-ray next month,” MacPherson said of Sir Castleton’s near-front cannon bone, which suffered a fissure fracture in Melbourne.

Sir Castleton began this season with a win at last year’s national meeting, recording a slick 3min 21.1 s (2600 m after starting from 35m behind, but won’t be lining up from a long handicap if the same conditions apply this year. “I don’t want to start him off long marks straight away. I might even take him to Auckland for some free-for-alls if there is anything suitable,” MacPherson said. The 1984 Inter-Dominion Trotting Champion won six from 20 starts in New Zealand this season, and also added two heats of this year’s Inter-Dominion series in Melbourne, taking his career earnings to $286,642 (including his Australian winnings), the result of 102 lifetime starts for 41 wins, 21 seconds and 10 thirds. Sir Castleton’s promising close relative, Boy Castleton (Some Evander—Margaret Castleton) is due back in work this week after having surgery to remove fluid

from a leg. The four-year-old won five of his 19 starts this season in only four and a half months of racing and should improve further next season with more experience. Boy Castleton should be ready to resume racing in September. “He’s pretty well and shouldn’t take long to come up,” MacPherson said. Meanwhile, Ashburton and New Zealand’s other leading trotter, Basil Dean, is due to resume work “very shortly,” according to partowner and trainer, Bob Jamison. “We’re not planning to have him ready for the New Zealand Cup meeting, though,” he said. “He’ll possibly resume in the New Year.”

Jamison is hopeful that Basil Dean, also rising nine, will return to his best again next season, but is not too optimistic at this early stage. “It’s a tricky one at his age. He really went to seed

after being out for so long. His leg is looking normal again but it remains to be seen whether he will come back as good as he was,” he added. Last year’s Dominion Handicap winner ruptured a tendon sheath in his nearhind fetlock joint in February. The Great Evander— Royal Fault gelding won six of his 12 starts this term for $80,130, taking his career earnings to $170,525, the result of just 58 starts for 23 wins, eight seconds and five thirds. Basil Dean last raced on January 3 when second to Tussle in the Canterbury Park Trotting Cup, having earlier won this season, besides his easy Dominion Handicap success, the $25,000 Radio Pacific Stakes in 3min 29s (2700 m mobile), a 2600 m (stand) event on Cup Day at Addington in the national record time of 3min 20.2 s and the $15,000 Benson and Hedges InterIsland Trot at Auckland in September.