RIDING WEIGHTS

Grey River Argus, 14 September 1937, Page 3

RIDING WEIGHTS

PROMINENT HORSEMEN OF TO-DAY. Twin jockeys—think of the complications! The Pratt boys, of Marton, who are apprenticed to L. G. Morris, of New Plymouth, are fourteen years of age and are identical in most ways that twins are identical. They even tip the beam to within an ace of each other —sst 21b apiece. G. and J. Pratt will have qualified by next month to ride in apprentice races, and towards the end of the year they will be fullblown apprentice riders. They are the only twin apprentices on the records of the New Zealand Racing Conference, and, for that matter, they may be the only ones in the world. What moths, you think. Not so when compared with fifteen-year-old L. W. Hare, of Wingatui, who can go to scale at 4st 81b, and C. C. Stokes of Greymouth, who, at fourteen, is only 4st 71b.

FIVE STONE AT EIGHTEEN. These are not extreme cases, either Perhaps the lightest boy of his age in the Dominion is the Auckland apprentice R. Henderson. Now turned eighteen years, he can ride in work at round about 5.0. For the sake of comparison, readers will remember the interest taken in the diminutive fourteen-year-old Geoffrey Gilchrist when he hooped Tooley Street home a winner at Ellerslie last season. Well, young Geoffrey is a strapping lad of 5.10, and with ordinary growth will one day be 7.7 or more. Frederick Wilson Ellis, is fourteen years of age and weighs just over 5.0. R. W. Shaw, who goes about the same is a year younger. Another moth is F. Kilgour, one of H. Dulieu’s pupils who goes 5.3 at fifteen summers. Hector Gray has a “batam” by the name of J. A. Logan, a fifteen-year-old weighing 5.5, and the Samoan ap' prentice, T. Tracey, who is at Hastings, is very light for twenty years, at 6.2.

When young Maurice Gaddy was apprenticed to A. S. Ellis he was regarded as one of the smallest lads ever to sit a horse, but, for his seventeen years, he is a big lump at 6st 71b compared with those already mentioned, and these others: B. Stow'e, of Hasting, is fifteen and weighs sst 101 b; R. G. Kerr, the same age, can ride at 5.8, E. Mackie, who is at Oamaru, is sixteen and goes 5.7; W. J. Mudford, of Auckland, is fifteen and scales 5.6; V. Collop, a year older, is the same weight as Mudford; G. T. Gemmell, another Aucklander, can strip at 5.8. He is fifteen. C. W. Bruce, of Avondale is fourteen ana weighs 5.3, and J. S. Cameron, T. Aroha, is fifteen and weighs 5.7.

These boys are all being taught their profession under trainers approved by the New Zealand Racing Conference, but whether they will cut a prominent figure in public depends upon their keenness and aptitude in horsemanship. A large number of ooys never graduate from the training tracks mainly because they are not gifted with that very essential commodity—horse sense. AMONG THE KNIGHTS.

The minimum riding weights of some of the better-known licensed jockeys may also be of interest. L. J. Ellis was down among the fivestone division as an apprentice, and small of stature, he is one of those fortunate physical types who do not require to go in for a lot of reducing processes. Ellis can go to scale at 7.10, and probably keeps round about 8.0, which ensures him a wide choice of the best mounts. Bert Ellis put on weight steadily after coming out of his apprenticeship, and his lowest riding weight today is Bst 51b. W. J. Broughton, P. Atkins, S. Wilson, and C. T. Wilson, four of our consistently-good horsemen, can saddle up at 7st 71b, so what do they think of the rescission of 7.7 minimum? C. Goulsbro’ hovers around 7.6, and H. E. Goldfiinch finds it hard to keep at 7.10. NO WORRIES FOR JENNINGS. A. Jenkins is climbing well over 8.0, but the veteran J. W. Jennings can eat heartily and never need worry about his 7.9 minimum. H. N. Wiggins, 7.3, will always be a lightweight, and A. Messervy, at 7.7, is in little danger of running to seed. L. Dulieu, whose minimum is 7.12, J. Leach and R. Marsh, who can weigh in at 7.7, are others whose dieting for the moment is not of the rigid caraway-seed menu. Among the “middleweights” must

be included F. E. Baker, rider of Nocturnus at Riccarton. Baker can get down to 8.0, and so mix his riding conveniently at all seasons. R. Beale, who now has some difficulty in keeping down to 9.0, does little riding on the flat as a result. Long and lanky A. E. Didham, who must be a fairly near resemblance in build to Fred Archer, can ride at 8.4, and M. Kirwan’s minimum is 8.5. P. Burgess is not the flesh-making type, and he can look to the future with equanimity conscious of the fact that at 8.2 his services will have a wide demand. N. C. Trillo now goes 8.4, and is another who can depend on his share of mounts.—“Ribbonwood”