Ocean Guard’s National hopes end

Press, 26 July 1989, Page 36

Ocean Guard’s National hopes end

By

DAVID McCATHY

The tendon injury which has caused the abandonment of Ocean Guard’s National Steeplechase preparation may have occurred during the Couplands Timaru Steeplechase last Friday week.

Ocean Guard was thrown out of training after an inspection of his leg by trainer, Rex Cochrane, on Saturday. Cochrane had cut short a holiday in Cairns to check out the horse after he showed signs of tenderness last week and he quickly decided there was no hope of a National start.

“Snooky (Cowan) thought he felt a wee bit tender returning to scale at Timaru though it was nothing serious at that stage. He felt he may have caused the injury over-reaching at the fence in front of the stand but we are all guessing a bit,” Cochrane said last evening. “It is not a bad injury on looks. His tendon is just a bit puffy on the offfront leg. That’s unusual, too, for trouble usually comes on the near front, the leading leg.

“It is disappointing because everything had been going according to plan really, but it is an injury rather than a breakdown so hopefully with time off for the leg to heal we’ll be back next year.” Ocean Guard won the Grand National Hurdles last year and both Cochrane and rider Cowan

thought him a great steeplechase chance this time. "He’s better than any others I’ve had since Cogitation. He’s versatile and he doesn’t take a lot of racing to reach a peak even though he can carry a bit of condition,” Cochrane said. Cogitation won the Grand National Hurdles in 1954 and the Steeplechase in 1957. Cowan, who holds Ocean Guard in high regard, could gain a National ride from an un-

likely quarter with the defection of his first choice. Di Bowbyes is to nominate Thanks A Million for the race and even though the Beaufort Steeplechase, on the middle day of the Riccarton meeting, is his main aim, a National start has not been discounted. “There was a touch of Ocean Guard about his

performance last Saturday,” Cowan said. “Even though he could run in the easier Enfield Steeplechase on the first day at Riccarton he will handle the 0-4 win race on the second without difficulty the way he went at Timaru. Mrs Bowbyes said she would not like to leave him out of the National nominations and see a field he could match line up for the race and that is fair enough. He’s done plenty of work.” Cowan pointed out that

Fumbler won the Westenra Steeplechase for amateur riders at the Christchurch Hunt meeting of 1975 and won the National a week later. He had won his first steeplechase a week before coming south to Riccarton. One small bonus for Cochrane from the incident is that he will now

attend the “Racing Personality of the Year” dinner in Auckland next Tuesday. Cochrane a previous winner of the award will be joined at the dinner by Cowan next week as he is the leading jumps rider in the country. Imperial Guy is progressing well in his preparation to give the Cochrane stable a second successive Grand National Hurdles and to avoid a weight penalty will run on the flat at Oamaru on Saturday.