Atrapar benefited from treatment

Press, 22 April 1986, Page 29

Atrapar benefited from treatment

PA Levin Atrapar, surprise winner of the Owens Japan-New Zealand International at the Bay of Plenty meeting last Saturday, received manipulative treatment on four occasions recently according to his owner-trainer, Bill Calder, of Levin. The treatments proved successful and Atrapar has hit out much more freely in his work since. Although Atrapar ran the worst race of his career in the Hawke’s Bay Cup, Calder was convinced the manipulative treatment had been beneficial and had lightly worked him on his own track to freshen him for his Tauranga engagement. The Adios gelding has been without the hood he has worn for most of his career in his last three runs. Labelled a bit of a rogue because of some of his habits as a youngster, Jay Jay, as Atrapar is affectionately known around the Calder stables, has mellowed with age and is now a perfect gentleman.

With his win on Saturday Atrapar lifted his earnings to near $220,000. He has won eleven races and has recorded 10 placings in group or listed stakes races, including two wins. Atrapar has been plagued with bad draws, particularly in big races, and Calder believes his earnings would have been greater but for this. The win at Taruraga was the fourteenth for the season for the father-and-son training partnership of Bill and Byne Calder and brought the stable earnings to over $lOO,OOO for the second successive year. Currently the partners are the leading trainers in Levin and have about 20 horses in work. Byne Calder, aged 22, who rides a lot of the stable track work, is a very promising crosscountry runner and triathlete. He has only taken up these other sports in the last few months and has already produced some good efforts on the local scene.