STABLE LAD AND ALL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 138, 8 December 1938, Page 13

STABLE LAD AND ALL

In his latest preparation, the nine-year-old Whetuma, surprise winner at Otaki last Saturday, was ridden in most of his work by his owner, the veteran Otaki trainer W. H. Bowden. This has been necessary because of the difficulty in obtaining the services of suitable boys, and it further enhances the merit of the black gelding's excellent performance. Whetuma, whose name means ' black star," was bred by Mr. C. F. Meacham from the Elysian—Bradamante mare Riverna, who was a very useful performer for the Trentham trainer L. G. Browne a decade or so ago, a feature of her racing being several dead heats, including shared honours m the last three successes she gained. Riverna was a full-sister to Tatrma, who became dam of that good jumper Tunbridge. When a youngster, Whetuma, who is the only foal his dam ever got, was sold by Mr. Meacham to Mr. John Smith, who raced him as a two- and three-year-old. The next season he was taken on lease by Mr. Bowden, who exercised an option of purchase shortly after he had v^on his first race, incidentally also at Otaki. The gelding has been unlucky not to have built up a better record, but he has been an unsound horse at various stages of his career and m the last three years or so he has recLUired much care and patience to fit him for Whetuma's rider last Saturday was the Trentham apprentice A. E. Bennet, who is attached to T. R. George s stable. Bennet has a flair for bringing home the "roughies," particularly over the shorter middle distances. At Masterton in October he was also on board Larwood when that horse surprised with a dividend nearly as large as Whetuma paid last Saturday. Another upset he created was m "winning the Bolton Handicap at Woodville last year on Lucullus Lad, when that horse ran away from a field which contained The Buzzer, who a fortnight later won the Auckland Cup. After Whetuma's success, Mr. Bowden expressed himself as very pleased with Bennet's handling of the horse, which was exactly according to the instructions he had given. •