Another campaign for Isla Bijou

Press, 22 July 1986, Page 40

Another campaign for Isla Bijou

Special correspondent Invercargill

Isla Bijou, which resumed work with he'r part-owner, Bill Hillis, on June 1, will begin another campaign in the Brabazon Handicap at Riccarton on Saturday. The Noble Bijou mare was a dashing last-start winner of the $25,000 Lion Stakes on the course in April. Soon after, she was sidelined by a minor setback, but has recovered satisfactorily. John Dowling, who scored on the mare in her Riccarton triumph and was also the rider when she annihilated her rivals on the first day of the last Riverton Easter carnival,, has been engaged for Isla Bijou on Saturday. Asked how Isla Bijou

had progressed in her winter training, Hillis commented: “It. hasn’t been easy — it never is in the winter in Southland. We haven’t had any trials, of course, and I have had to gallop her over about 600 metres to try and get a line on her.” For all that, he added, Isla Bijou seemed well within herself. If she comes through Saturday’s engagement satisfactorily, Isla Bijou will contest the rich Winter Cup (1600 m at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Grand National meeting, at Riccarton early next month. Three well-related rising two-year-olds have been educated over the winter by Hillis and have impressed him with their sensible ' dispositions.

“Either that, or they know I am getting older,’” he quipped. On behalf of Mary Wake’s former owners, Messrs Ron Frampton, Ray Harper and Arnold Lindsay, he has handled a gelding by Palatable from Peebles, a Sovereign Eagle twin, which is a halfsister to Mary Wake.

The gelding was bred by Mr Edward Ottrey, of Heriot, who is also the breeder of a rising two-year-old Tawfiq colt out of Sarah Dale in the Hillis stable. Sarah Dale, a granddaughter of Peony Royal, is the dam of Ruth’s Turn. Hillis and his wife, Meryl, are trying a rising two-year-old filly by Tawfiq out of Mariaway, a daughter of Charities and the Australian-bred Better Boy mare, Better Dancer.