Waikato Hopes For Hawera

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 657, 8 May 1929, Page 12

Waikato Hopes For Hawera

SELECT HALF DOZEN Waikato horses engaged at the Egmont meeting on Thursday are Ripon Abbey, Gala Day, Roman Abbey, Star of the East. Day Guard and Spring Abbey, writes The Sun’s travelling turf correspondent. At his best Ripon Abbey would have a great chance with only 9.7 in the hurdles the first day at Hawera, but the Cambridge jumper does not seem to have struck form. He was in front for some time in the hurdle event on the second day at Te Rapa, but faded out when the pressure xvas applied. The race, however, should do him good and as owner-trainer R. Hannon rarely goes outside the Auckland Province, it can be assumed that Ripon Abbey is not going down to Taranaki just to see the country. The Cambridge stable has another, and perhaps more worthy, representative for the trip in Roman Abbey, who figures in the Egmont Steeplechase with 9.10, a very reasonable impost considering his tx\ r o successes over hurdles lately. Roman Abbey is a good sort and the Hawera steeplechase course should be to his liking. May Do Better Star of the East is another Waikato representative in the Egmont Steeplechase and with 10.10 against his name should be one of the hardest to boat. Apparently he did not relish the Marton country on Saturday, for his jumping there xvas disappointing, but the fences at Hawera should be more to his liking. Gala Day’s form at Te Rapa the first day xvas all wrong and it was not

surprising to see him missing from the second day’s card. He has been doing well since the meeting and may pick up a race again shortly, although his chances cannot be very highly extolled for Thursday. Day Guard requires another race or two to bring him to his best. He xvas prominent for a time in the big mile event on the second day of the Waikato meeting, but eventually finished well back. At his best he xx-ould take a lot of beating in the principal event at Egmont with only 7.6, but there xvill be no rush to back him until he shows a little more form. Spring Abbey, who appears in the acceptances for one of the division races at Haxvera next Thursday, is a Mata-mata-trained son of Quin Abbey. He ran a moderately useful race in a good field of hacks on the second day of the recent Waikato meeting and is a possibility at Haxvera.