‘Cheapy’ makes grade

Press, 2 May 1988, Page 27

‘Cheapy’ makes grade

By

JEFF SCOTT

Aylesbury owner, John Seaton, mistakenly thought he was looking at a brother of Liquid Lightning when he inspected a Transport Chip—Kasha colt offered by Mr and Mrs Tangye, of Clarkville, at the 1986 National Yearling Sale. Liking what he saw anyway, Mr Seaton parted with $4OOO to buy a grandson of the 1965 New Brighton Cup winner, Chiffon, called Willow Chip, which broke through for his initial success at Rangiora on Saturday. Willow Blaze, the brother of former smart three-year-old, Liquid Lightning, which was also offered by' Mr and Mrs Tangye, was passed in at $13,000.

"He was a bit of a cheapy, only $4OOO, so we went four ways with him,” recalled Willow Chip’s trainer, Colin de Filippi, on Saturday.

Mr Seaton took his wife, Ann, Colin de Filippi, and Colin’s wife, Julie, into the partnership. Willow Chip was one of the only two horses de Filippi took north of his own to Pukekohe for his brief stint with the Kenwood operation last year. The other was his Smooth-Fella — Idolmite filly, which is now two, but won’t race until next term.

“He’s strengthening up a bit now,” said de Filippi of Willow Chip, which had three outings in the north, for two fourths and a fifth.

The upstanding three-year-old had preceded Saturday’s win with two seconds in as many races since coming south. Willow Chip came with a well-timed finish from beyond midfield to win by a head. However, the winning margin could have been more.

Willow Chip is the eleventh individual

winner of 22 races this season of stock by the Most Happy Fella stallion, Transport Chip, whose main winners include Steady Lady (1:55.6), Chipaluck (New Zealand Oaks), Ansett (nine wins) and last week’s Speight’s Three-Year-Old Final winner at Forbury Park, Fair Chip. He is from the Scottish Command mare, Kasha, which managed nine placings but failed to win. She is a half-sister to Frenchelle, Helenca, Antron, Guipure and Angora, all of which won three or four races for the Hamilton family of Heddon Bush, near Winton. Willow Chip, a halfbrother to the minor winners, Tekau and Rimaldi, is distantly related to the Hamiltons’ star performer, the 1980 Easter Cup winner and 1979 New Zealand Cup placegetter, Trevira (1:56.9, 16 New Zealand wins).