Waverley Star near race trim

Press, 5 February 1987, Page 24

Waverley Star near race trim

By Chris Mirands'of NZPA Wellington

The Matamata galloper, Waverley Star, moved to a higher gear in training on Tuesday and is likely to race at Ellerslie in the 1400 m Koro ,Club Handicap on February 21.

Co-trainer. Dave O’Sullivan is thoroughly satisfied with the condition of his charge and has planned a further New Zealand start in the weight-for-age D.B. 1600 at Trentham on March 14 before embarking on an Autumn campaign in Sydney.

“Since he’s been home it’s only been in the last three or four days that’s he’s started to look his old self again. He’s since done a treat and looks a million dollars at the moment, I’m really thrilled with him,” O’Sullivan said. "He stepped up to three-quarter pace in training on Tuesday,” he said.

“The race we have him aimed at is two and a half weeks away and we think he’ll be ready to accept a race like that at this stage, but whether or not he’s ready to win it is another question.”

Three races have been

ear-marked as possibilities in Sydney, the Rawson Stakes (2000 m w-f-a), the Tancred Stakes (2400 m w-f-a) and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000 m w-f-a). However a decision on which races Waverley Star will compete in will be made later in the campaign and will depend on how he progresses.

Waverley Star will be accompanied to Sydney by Flight Bijou, which also races in the colours of Queensland cabinet minister Russ Hinze, with the five-year-old Golden Impala, possibly a contender to make the trip as well.

Meanwhile John Tregonwell, the two-year-old Balmerino half-brother to Waverley Star, has been turned out after he jarred up on hard tracks. The youngster was tried up to three-quarter pace before feeling the effects of the hard ground, denying O’Sullivan an opportunity to assess his true ability. “He’s a very nice horse but we never found out whether he had any ability. We just never got that far with him really.”