A PETER GRANT STORY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 08, Issue 92, 24 July 1945, Page 6

A PETER GRANT STORY

OF 45 YEARS AGO

The name of Peter Grunt still rings in Te Puke. Recently the Auckland Star printed a sporting story dealing 'with this well known host of the hostelery which in those days was situated 011 the triangle corner of the No. 3 and 4 Roads. Peter had a gelding of unknown breeding but obviously a thoroughbred named Tamo' over which lie became embroiled in an argument in a Tauranga Hotel. Decrying the merits of other horses, Peter wagered that his horse could travel from Tauranga to Te Puke in an hour lor a stake of £50. As the distance was almost 18 miles and the road almost being more than a with greasy patches and mudholes the. offer was at first scorned as ridiculous. When Peter persisted in his offer it was decided to "oblige" him — perhaps as a means of taking him down a peg or two. The owner elected to put up his own son. Billy Grant, as rider turning the scales

at a little over Bst. The race was started ; ader messengers and synchronised watches had been sent ahead to check arrival time with departure time. Bill and Tarn o' Shanter set off from in front of the Masonic Hotel, Tauranga, in the gathering dusk, travelling at a hand gallop, and they readied the front door of the Te Puke Hotel exactly 57 minutes later, to land the wager. Billy said afterwards that he also carried a watch and as he knew the road well he Avas able to check progress. But the glances at the watch were" necessarily only fleeting ones "for I never pulled rein all the

way," lie declared. Imagine the time. A racehorse covers a mile on a well prepared course in about 1.40 —and lias then finished his task for the day. Tarn' o' Shanter traversed the whole 18 miles at a 3.10 clip! And he was really little the worse for his gruelling experience ? for not many weeks later he was successful at a race meeting in the district. What a beauty he would have been say, the Great. Northern Steeplechase.