Red Hawk on comeback trail

Press, 23 March 1988, Page 43

Red Hawk on comeback trail

By

DAVID McCARTHY

I Red Hawk, at one stage i last season > the most ! promising stayer in New ■ Zealand, ;is battling on the ■ comeback trail. Red Hawk is back at i Riccarton where his inci- ! dent-packed career began, three years ago but Barry! ! Taggart is not; confident at; this stage he . can nurse the War- Hawk, halfbrother ! to The ■ Filbert, back to full racing.trim. There’s a long Way to go. I’ve !been going!along quietly with him J since January and he still hasn’t

( galloped fast. .As it is he ! works rail right on the track, but'' it is affecting him afterwards.” said [Taggart yesterday. ' Red Hawk went north to the Don Couchman [stable when)the horse was a late three-year-old. He had been developed (patiently by Taggart and his) race debut had been postponed mysterious hip ailment which affected him {badly one day after a gallop at Riccarton: ) j ; I { J J | Because {of (The, Filbert’s success Couchman was keen {to train the

gelding aind for him he quickly made ai impression. j | .; ; . However,’ it'was his) old home track at Riccarton which witniessed his (biggest successes,, in the Benson and Hedges Gold {Cup (Group three); in November 1986 followed by a Canterbury ( Gold Cup [win in 1 the (hands | of) Noel Harris. ; j. ) J ~ : • ■ ■ Given ; st>.skg in the Melbourne ■ Cup, I Red Hawk was set: for the big : staying test and attracted interest in the) early betting. However) I his) problems returned | and) he ,

failed to show ii is best on the trip. Extensive tests followed and the conclusions were not optimistic about a long-term recovery but , Taggart feels) there is still some Hope. ' [ “Some experts felt he could {get back to the stage where he would be competitive again and we won’t know) until we’ve tried him,” said Taggart who trains the | horse for his brother,) John, and John Hughes and Stewart Taylor) who pa'id $12,000 for him as a pearling at ; the Waikato 'Sales.