Wychingham A1 sold to American trainer

Press, 17 December 1985, Page 37

Wychingham A1 sold to American trainer

By JEFF SCOTT Wychingham Al, one of New Zealand’s leading three-year-old pacers with a win and two thirds at the Cup meeting last month, leaves today for North America. The Honkin AndyFalse Idyll colt looked top class when he was late working clear and stormed into third behind Sir Alba and Alba’s Reign in the $125,000 Fay • Richwhite Sires Stakes Final on Show Day, clocking Imin 57.6 s (over a second inside the former three-year-old national record). He was highly impressive in qualifying for the final three days earlier when taking a heat in 2min and being timed over his last half-mile in 575, while he was cut back to third behind Keystone Surprise and Sir Alba in the $20,000 Matinee Championship on the final night of the Cup meeting after trying to lead throughout. The close relative of the 1975 New Zealand Cup winner, Lunar Chance (Imin 57.45), has already been exported once, being campaigned in New South Wales last season where he won three of his 12 starts. Wychingham Al leaves for North America with a career record of 21 starts for five wins, three seconds and four thirds for earnings of $24,190 for his former Christchurch owner, Dennis Thompson, who had earlier purchased the horse for $20,000 as a juvenile. Wychingham Al is one of four horses secured by the North American grand circuit trainer, Gary Lewis, who made a visit to New Zealand earlier this month

to inspect possible sales, with the Robert McArdle Bloodstock Agency tying up the loose ends in recent weeks. Others on the flight today will be the former smart three and four-year-old, Liquid Lightning (C 6 the Morrinsville-trained Over Bridge (C 5 both of which were placed twice at the Cup carnival, and the C2 four-year-old, Falcon Crest, a half-brother by Transport Chip to Mister Halo (Imin 55.6 s at the Meadowlands), which won twice from Graham Hillier’s Kumeu stable for Mr McArdle in October. A Imin 59.6 s (placed) three-year-old, Liquid Lightning, also a son of Honkin Andy, started 29 times in New Zealand for six wins, four seconds and five thirds for earnings of $33,145. He will be best remembered here for chasing home Roydon Glen in his brilliant 3min 15.7 s (mobile 2600 m) record win on the opening night of the John Brandon Derby series as a three-year-old, then crashing to the ground 200 m after the start in the horrific Derby pile-up, which resulted in all but five of

the 16 runners being put out of the contest. The horses will be accompanied on the flight by Mr McArdle. Falcon Crest will be sent to New Jersey, while Wychingham Al, Liquid Lightning and Over Bridge will be prepared to race at Pompano Park in Florida and are likely to be ready for racing at the Meadowlands in March. • Lucy Lumber, the winner of five races from the Ardmore stable of Roy

and Barry Purdon, has been returned to the West Melton stable of her owner, Jim Dalgety, and is engaged in the Transport North Canterbury Handicap Pace at Rangiora on Saturday. The five-year-old Lumber Dream mare recorded a smart 2min 47s for a mobile 2200 m when upsetting at Alexandra Park in late August, her most recent win. Patchy Boy, a candidate for the second leg of the T.A.B. double at Rangiora, has been transferred to the Methven stable of Terry May. • Boy Castleton, the winner of five of his 19 starts last term, has been sold by Mrs Margaret Macpherson to North Island clients. The sale of the upstanding son of Some Evander and Margaret Castleton was completed last week by the Bellamy Bloodstock Agency on behalf of northern clients. "In view of Sir Castleton being retired it wasn’t practical to keep just one going. That was the main reason for selling him,” Mrs Macpherson said of the five-year-old. “I’m quietly winding down from the racing side of things, but will continue to breed yearlings from our broodmares for sale,” she said.

Lord Castleton, which won three races for the Macphersons was put down earlier this year' after health complications developed. An autopsy revealed he had suffered pleurisy as a young horse which resulted in damaged lung tissue.