Northern forays for Grant Davison

Press, 13 May 1987, Page 54

Northern forays for Grant Davison

By

J. J. BOYLE

The Riccarton jockey Grant Davison has turned down a full book of rides at the Otago Hunt Club’s meeting next Monday. But he is prepared to travel widely, perhaps to take fewer rides, at North Island meetings in the next few weeks. Davison has waved away opportunities to ride on southern courses since Easter when he took issue with the Riverton Racing Club’s judicial committee over its decision not to defer a one-day suspension, with consequent inconvenience to connections of several horses engaged on the first day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting. Davison passed up offers of rides at the Southland meeting last Saturday, and had no cause to regret the decision. Instead, he went to Trentham were he rode two winners. Today Davison will be a Awapuni for the Marton Jockey Club’s meeting and in the $50,000 Jarden Mile he will attempt to extend a winning combination with the Waikanae-trained Star Board. Davison won the Great

Easter Handicap on Star . Board at Riccarton on April 22. He will be back at Ric- • carton for the Hororata meeting on Saturday and will return north for the Rotorua meeting a week later. The last time he rode at Rotorua Davison won a race on the Paddy Busut-tin-trained Respring and landed a second on the Riccarton-trained veteran Miles Better. Davison is leaving his plans after his Rotorua trip open in the meantime. He indicated yesterday that he was not enthusiastic about returning south for Queen’s Birthday week-end racing at Wingatui. “If, as they say, there are opportunities for experienced jockeys in the north these days I might stay on for the Great Northern meeting after I ride at Rotorua,” Davison said yesterday. Davison goes into today’s Marton meeting with 86 wins for the season. He trails his Riccarton rival, Chris Johnson, by three wins in his quest to regain his lead on the South Island list. Johnson will also be in

the action at the Marton meeting today. He has been engaged for Jonny Alone in the Jarden 1600 and if victory goes the Washdyke speedster’s way he will pick up a $lOO,OOO

bonus for his South Canterbury owner-trainer Mr John Aspinall. Jonny Alone is in line for the bonus after having won the Jarden Mile at Trentham last January.