Trotters’ travel plans delayed again

Press, 1 April 1989, Page 36

Trotters’ travel plans delayed again

By

JEFF SCOTT

The delayed Christ-church-Melbourne charter flight for four New Zealand squaregaiters has been changed again to this afternoon, but it remains touch and go whether Tyron Scottie and Yankee Loch will race in the sAust2o,ooo E.B. Cochrane Trotters’ Cup at Moonee Valley tonight. “Ansett are sending an aircraft over from Melbourne today and it is scheduled to arrive in Christchurch at 2 p.m. We will load the horses as quickly as possible and it should be back in Melbourne between 6 and 7 p.m. (N.Z. time) hopefully,” said the Marketing Manager for the Harness

Racing Conference, Dick Tayler, yesterday. “The Cochrane Cup is not run until around 11.40 p.m. (N.Z. time) so they have a few hours up their sleeve providing there are no further delays,” said Mr Tayler. The original flight was delayed from Wednesday and again yesterday.

“At this stage Pat O’Reilly Jun. is keen to run Tyron Scottie, but Jack Carmichael is a bit hesitant about running Yankee Loch. They will see how they both travel before making a final decision,” said Mr Tayler.

“Trainers don’t think twice about floating a horse from Christchurch to race at Forbury Park in Dunedin (five hours)

and it takes less time (about three hours) to fly the horses to Melbourne,” he said. “If they have a quiet flight they should be alright.” Troppo, an emergency for tonight’s race, and Pitcher, the two other New Zealand trotters entered for the InterDominion Trotters’ Series in Melbourne later this month, are to contest the sAustlo,ooo Cochrane Cup consolation at Moonee Valley on Monday. Also on today’s flight will be last week’s New Zealand Pacing Derby winner, Westburn Grant, which has enjoyed an easy week at Prebbleton since his runaway victory at Addington last Saturday.