Middy To Be Prepared For Another Campaign

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31097, 28 June 1966, Page 4

Middy To Be Prepared For Another Campaign

Middy, one of the South Island’s top ranking three-year-olds this season, will be returned to work this week. His Mosgiel owner-trainer, G. B. Thomson, plans to have him ready to start a fresh campaign at the Dunedin spring meeting in September.

Middy, which has been spelling since April, was the star sprinter at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s autumn meeting. In two starts there he won the Great Easter and Waltham Handicaps. Those two victories gave him a winning sequence of four and a record of seven wins for the season.

According to Thomson Middy has thrived during his spell. Thomson said at Ashburton on Saturday that he would not have a runner at the Grand National meeting this year. “Shoelace is unable to show her best on winter tracks and I intend to retire Cobble at the end of the season,” he said.

Cobble has not been able to improve her record beyond minor places this season. But she raised hopes that she might win again before her race career ends by finishing a determined third in the Oamaru Winter Cup a week ago.

At Ashburton on Saturday Cobble ran against the open milers in the Maronan Handicap, but found the distance a lot short of her best. Although her opportunities will be fairly restricted, there seems every chance that shei will win a middle distance; before the end of next month.

Cobble will be “let down” and mated next spring with the imported sire. Gate Keeper, which will stand his second season in the Dominion at Thomson’s Mosgiel Park Stud.

Cobble, a six-year-old mare by The Cobbler from Purple Planet, cost Thomson 1500 gns as a yearling at the National Sales at Trentham in 1961. She has won seven races and £4435 in stakes.

Grounded The Washdyke trainerjockey, B. T. Jones, was grounded at Ashburton on Saturday because of a back injury he suffered five days earlier. Jones bruised a lumbar muscle when kicked in the back after his mount, Race Goer, crashed heavily at the brush fence near the mile in the Burnside Steeplechase at Oamaru. One of the riding engagements Jones had to forego at Ashburton was the mount on

First Watch in the Dromore Steeplechase. Before the race Jones said that it looked as if his injury had cost him a winning ride. That could well have been so, for Mr L. R. C. Macfarlane’s improving ’chaser battled on gamely for fourth after his rider, C. L. Reeves, had lost the use of his stirrups—because of a broken leather—more than a mile from home. Knee Trouble The Maiden Stakes at Ashburton could well have been Fibber’s last race. This speedy We Don’t Know filly was lame when she pulled up. The trouble is in a knee which has caused concern to her Riccarton trainer and part-owner, A. S. Ellis, for some time.

“I don’t think I’ll persevere with her,” said Ellis yesterday morning as Fibber — looking fit and well in herself—hobbled around the sand roll. Fibber, which is out of Rose of Kildare—a half sister to the top class galloper Burgos, showed at Ashburton that she possesses much of the family speed. Until her leg gave out near the furlong she had either made or disputed most of the pace.