Part-time rider scoops $125,000 St Leger

Press, 26 January 1988, Page 36

Part-time rider scoops $125,000 St Leger

From

J. J. BOYLE,

in Wellington.

Barry Griffin, whose life was endangered with injuries received in a race fall when he was in his teens, had his most successful day in racing yesterday.

He was the skilful, vigorous partner for Mr Bunnythorpe, which won the New Zealand St Leger after a sustained battle with Na Botto. Mr Bunnythorpe is trained at Awapuni by Barry Griffin’s father, Murray, and the son of Zamazan is raced by his Palmerston North breeder, Mr Jim Northcott. Barry Griffin is not one of racing’s full-time professionals. He is also a

part-time worker in a Palmerston North golfprofessional shop and plays a handy game himself. Mr Bunnythorpe did not clear maiden ranks until December 31, and went into yesterday’s classic with $8770 to show for two wins. But in a little over two and a half minutes he boosted his lifetime earnings by $78,125. Mr Bunnythorpe’s im-

mediate programme is uncertain, but his connections will give some thought to a Sydney autumn campaign and possibly a tilt at the Melbourne Cup next spring. Na Botto’s game second was a performance right in character for the Te Awamutu-trained colt. He was the New Zealand Derby third and followed that up with a win in class 4 on the final day of the Auckland Cup meeting.

One of Na Botto’s hind plates was loosened at some stage of yesterday’s race, and that could have represented the difference between winning and running that close second. Next for Na Botto will be the Wrightson Bloodstock Plate at Ellerslie on Monday and, if he continues to do well, will be prepared for the A.J.C. Derby in Sydney at Easter. Street Hawk, a disappointing favourite in

the New Zealand Derby, showed something more like his best when third yesterday, but Satisfy, which wound up the winner of the Ellerslie Classic, never looked likely to get into the thick of it yesterday. He went down in his preliminary acting as if he was feeling the ground and it appeared from his performance that he had been jarred by the firm footing.