A WILY OWNER AND A WELCHER: OLD-TIME RACES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 61, 9 November 1949, Page 5

A WILY OWNER AND A WELCHER: OLD-TIME RACES

This amusing story of the early days of horse racing in New Zealand country settlements is told in a letter to the Beacon by one of the “old-timers” now at Galatea:

About 50 years ago country race meetings with bookies in attendance were common. At one of these meetings the hot favourite for the Cup was owned by the township Chinese grocer. The Chinaman had his horse backed heavily to win and he was running no risks, although he had information that the bookies had the jockey squared to full the horse in the race. Just before the horses went out he took the bridle off and put another brand new one on. The race was away to a good start, with only one horse in it when they turned into the straight, unless he had his head pulled off or fell over. All eyes were on the Chinaman’s favourite, t when, to their astonishment they saw the jockey’s head going back and back and then come forward with a jerk and the horse flew past the post an easy winer.' The wily Chinese had put a new bridle on the horse with imitation leather elastic reins. To have held the Horse to lose the ..jockey would have had his head' back on the horse’s tail. But the fun was not all over. While the crowd watched the race the bookies with whom the Chinaman had all the money on quietly slipped away across country with his bag under his arm. He had a good start when noticed and was quickly followed by a mob of school boys who had hopes of a good reward from the Chinaman. The only one who did not seem worried was the Chinaman. / He had been on the Australian gold fields before coming to New Zealand and if the bookies knew a thing or two the Chinaman knew three things/to the bookies two and these'took the form of three of this country’s men who had been hidden in some scrub about half a mile from the course in anticipation of some such roguery by the Bookies. The excitement was great when they all arrived back on the course with the squad of still hopeful school boys close behind. The school boys had their reward in a tin of lollies.