Waimate prizes have unique appeal

Press, 12 July 1985, Page 29

Waimate prizes have unique appeal

BY

J. J. BOYLE

There are no glittering prizes to be won at the Waimate District Hunt Club’s meeting tomorrow, but successful owners, trainers and jockeys will attach much value to the victories that come their way. Those with a sense of history will set great store by their involvement in what could be the last day of totalisator racing on the now ungraded Waimate course. Tomorrow’s meeting will end a notable era for those in the ranks of South Island racing’s professionals, for the successful Gore trainer, Rex Cochrane, in particular.

Cochrane won the 1958 Waimate Cup with Demolish, and has made many successful raids since with winter and summer performers for racing club and hunt club meetings. Runners for the stable tomorrow will include My Friend Blue, the hurdles winner at last year’s hunt meeting, and Folay, a winner over country there all of five years ago. Cochrane-trained candidates for tomorrow’s T.A.B. double races will be Ratify (Dominion Breweries Handicap) and Lord Killarney and Royal Row (Ben Area Handicap). On recent form Ratify

will not be high on the fancied list for the first leg, but Lord Killarney has done enough in lead-up races to make him one of the bestregarded runners in the class 3 1200 m dash. The Washdyke trainer, Pat Corboy, has a likely pair in the durable Red Consul and the consistent Our Guard for the Dominion Breweries Handicap, and Riccarton should be ably represented by Tiger Bow, an impressive winner on his home course two starts back. Lord Killarney could find Miss March and Gold Tinge hardest to beat in the second leg.