Master Bijou fancied to score ‘home-town’ win

Press, 13 July 1985, Page 27

Master Bijou fancied to score ‘home-town’ win

By

ALEX McMILLAN

Master Bijou, trained on the Waimate course by Bert Cousins, appears well placed to score a popular “home-town” win in Pyne, Gould, Guinness Te Waimate Steeplechase at the Waimate District Hunt Club’s meeting today. The club, which, in all probability will be holding its final totalisator meeting on the Waimate course today, has attracted an interesting field for its feature steeplechase, and have wisely included it as a leg of the T.A.B. treble. Master Bijou belied a very ordinary form background by finishing a cour-

ageous second to Bymai in last week’s Couplands Timaru Steeplechase, running that talented runner to half a length after giving the leaders what appeared to be an impossible start in the early stages of the event. The Noble Bijou eight-year-old is well weighted for today’s event, in which he finished third last year, and could give his rider, the former Woodville horseman, Simon Smith, his first win since transferring to Waimate. Wapiti, the winner of the race last year, must be the logical danger and will probably start as favourite. Wapiti has a fine record

over the Waimate country, having also been successful at the 1983 meeting, in the Rattray Memorial Steeplechase. The gelding was making ground purposefully for fourth behind Bymai last week and should have derived benefit from the outing, although rain would greatly assist his prospects. Folay, from the Rex Cochrane stable, must be respected, as should Copswitch, Gentle Jim and Te Haroto, which looked in need of racing at Washdyke last week and faded late to sixth. Te Haroto, the winner of last season’s Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase, is the most talented runner in to-

day’s event and may be allowed to start at false odds. The steeplechase is the first leg of the T.A.B. treble, the other legs being the Cochrane Memorial Handicap and the Hunter, in which Burdite and Astral Belle, respectively, appear sound winning chances. Additional riders for the meeting are:— A. Robertson: Allez Cheval, Kahlua King. J. Oakeshott: Spark Plug. J. Pankhurst: Colonel Jones. A. Tait: Dominion Belle. R. Montgomery: Midnight Sovereign. J. Jamieson: Sally Beaufort.