Temperton poised for 1000th training success

Press, 24 April 1986, Page 31

Temperton poised for 1000th training success

Special correspondent" Wellington The Awapuni trainer, Eric Temperton, is poised to reach a personal milestone at the Manawatu Racing Club’s meeting tomorrow. When racing begins at Awapuni, Temperton will take a team of eight across to the track, knowing that should four of them win, he will become the third man in New Zealand racing history to train 1000 winners. Gore’s Rex Cochrane was the first. He was followed , by the late Bill Sanders, of Te Awamutu. The chances of Temperton producing four winners tomorrow is hardly great, however, but with some rain in the area, Temperton at least looks to have a fine chance of training the T.A.B. double for he has

Flying Tui in the first leg, the Quality Inns Handicap (1600 m and the filly Amythest in the second, the Kelly Garland (2200 m The last few years have been relatively quiet for Temperton, though this term from a small team he has trained 17 winners. In 1957-58 and then in 1961-62, he was New Zealand’s leading trainer. With a Melbourne Cup win in 1971 with Silver Knight, a second the following year with Magnifique, the obvious highlights, a host of topline gallopers have come from the Temperton stable over the years. There has always been a preference for jumping races, however, and for a time in the 70s, just about every major jumping race fell to the personable Awapuni trainer.

Tomorrow he has Hali-

fax in the Alamein Hurdle, and it would be fitting if Temperton’s milestone was reached In a jumping race. Flying Tui, a seven-year-old, has won three times on his home course. His last two efforts have been undistinguished, but the son of Ashabit has not been long back in this campaign. For the first time he will strike a field that is not over-strong. Page Boy, Prince Royale and Princess Dram are the form runners near the head of the handicap. Page Boy beat all but Isla Bijou over this distance at Riccarton earlier in the month when he tackled the $25,000 Lion Brown Stakes. Prince Royale won the Wishart at Hastings and then, ran a good race in the Terrace Regency at Otaki last week.