Cowan’s luck continues at Wingatui

Press, 16 May 1989, Page 29

Cowan’s luck continues at Wingatui

By

DAVID McCARTHY

in Wingatui

Washdyke horseman, “Snooky” Cowan, continued a good run of form in jumping events this autumn by winning a steeplechase double at the Otago Hunt Club’s meeting at Wingatui yesterday.

Cowan guided the Rex Cochrane-trained Beaufort Star to an easy win in the Brunton Steeplechase, in the Beaufort Sea gelding’s debut over big fences after three hurdle races which followed a successful career on the flat. Cowan took the freegoing Beaufort Star to the front at the start and trailed Graikos from the 1600 metres. He reapplied the pressure 500 m out and Beaufort Star won easily. Cochrane, trainer of 35 winners this season, is unsure about the five-year-old’s immediate future. He had intended to run Beaufort Star at Gore next Tuesday but is now reluctant to do so as stablemate Next Lot is also a likely runner. Graikos, which settled nicely until taken to the front wilted' to second. Cowan added a footnote to the racing history books as the Brunton Steeplechase is an amateur riders’ event. The club gained dispensation for professionals to take part because of the shortage of amateurs and all but one of the riders was a professional. Other clubs in the south are expected to follow the move, which apparently originated some years ago at an Eastern Southland

meeting. It must place the future of amateur events in jeopardy. Maquis was an impressive winner of the Otago Hunt Steeplechase and Cowan rates him a most promising jumper. Maquis was making his first appearance since running second to Ben Kotay at Riccarton last August and in the meantime has caused plenty of headaches for his ownertrainer, Pat Balfour, of Waimate. "He staked himself and I had to treat his leg three times a day for three months. But he’s been in work about six months all told and has done quite a lot of work,” Balfour said. Maquis had just four steeplechases before yesterday, but was knocked out of the race at the first fence in his debut at Oamaru last season. The Thoreau gelding will bypass Riccarton on Saturday but is likely to be on hand for important events later in the season. Balfour, who bought Maquis at the South Island Sale for $2500 found him good enough to win a 1400 m maiden flat race and she rates his jumping potential highly. She earlier trained Abound which won a

jumping race on every metropolitan course in New Zealand. Cowan has won seven races so far this jumping season, including the first hurdle event of the autumn on Again And Again and the Southland Steeplechase on Next Lot. Liquidate which came in for attention after a fine schooling session lasf week jumped well most of the way, but Maquis soon had his measure in the straight. Shane Anderton completed a day he would rather forget when Aurum Bard fell at the 800 m. Anderton had been, dislodged from the favourite, Kowhai Prince, in the Brunton Steeplechase soon after the start when Red D’or fell. Anderton will ride Lord Venture in the Shirley Steeplechase at Riccarton subject to a blood test taken from the horse today. Lord Venture had a lowered blood count last week which caused his defection from yesterday’s race. Bijoumai is also a likely starter at Riccarton and Bilbah and Typanum are also likely to join Bloodstone in the Anderton stable’s Riccarton raid, the latter having been based at Riccarton since his Trentham race.