Looking Back

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 190, 28 August 1937, Page 19

Looking Back

"Herniit").

! H0RSES 0F N0TE Performances That Linger in the Memory LOUIE'S HANDICA1

(By

Memory travels back a long way to the early autumn of 1883, when the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club's autumn ra.ee meeting was approaching, and the leading topie of interest in racing circles was; What will win the big race? There were all sorts of "real good things" talked about, some of thera told, of course, in strictest confidenee to a large circle of friends, who probably each in turn gave the glad j news to a few^other friends. Some of these supposed good things were expeeted to be outsiders, but you have onlv to whisper the name of an outsider to a few friends a few days before a race for it to become a favouite. Among the. horses engaged in -the big event that year, now known as the I Bawke's Bay Cup, but which I faney was then called the Napier Handicap, was a chestnut three-vear-old fillv

1 Lorne,' by Anteros (imp.) — Tres Deuce, belonging to Mr. Allan McLean, of the Tukituki, Havelock North (Tulri j McLean, as he was called). Louie was an unknown and almost untried quantity, for she had never won a race. But about a week before the race Mr. j McLean confided to one or two friends, of whom "Fetloek," my confrere on the Herald, was one, that Louie was a good one, and he thought she had ^a good chance of winning the Handicap, nbtwithstanding that she would be t meeting a strong field. Another friend who was let into the secret was Mr. McLean 's banker, the late Mr. Ulielc Burlce, who took £100 to £1 from one of the biggest bookmakers, fBilly Weston.,, Louie was trained privately, and only galloped on the course occasionally, so that little was known about her or her form. "Fetlock" (the late Mr. S. Freeman) let me into the secret information on the day*prior to the race, in order that I might share a £2 ticket with him on the inside totalisator, which I agreed to do. However, almost as soon as we landed on the course we were met by Mr. McLean, who informed us that he did not intend to start Louie in the big race, as he hardly thought she was fit enough to run out a mile and threequarters, so had decided to start her in the first race of the day, the Maiden Plate, for which she was a certianty. Mr. McLean explained that he had endeavoured to arrange a trial with Mr. C. C. Murray's Virginia Water, which had. run well at Wanganui a few days before, but that Mr. Murray had declined, as he wished to have a trial of his own representative, Mischief) with Virginia Water, as the trial horse. This trial duly came off, and duly impressed Mr. Murray, who considered that Misehief had excellent' prospects of winning the race. It was no doubt learning of this trial which infiueneed Mr. McLean to send the filly for the certainty of the Maiden Plate, rather than the uncertainty of the big race. Naturally the information we received from Mr. McLean caused Steve Freeman and I to back the filly in the Maiden Plate, which we did. She won rather easily from a weak field, the best of which was Mr. Percy Martin's Leonato, by Leolinus (imp.) — Wave. When the field was being saddled up for the big money it was seen that Louie was ineluded among the starters.. Seeking out Mr. McLean for an explanation of this fact, after being told that he would not be a starter, Mr. S. Freeman was informed that she was running at the urgent request of Mr. Ulick Burke, who had taken £100 to £1 about her chance when first informed that she had a show, and who had also purchased her chance in a Calcutta sweep, but that he (Mr. McLean) thought so little of her prospects after having already run a race, that he had stipulated with Mr. Burke that if he did not run into a places Mr. Burke was to pay the jockey the fee for a losing mount. With the intention of not wishing his friends to lose their money, Mt. McLean told all who asked him that he was not baelring Louie for so much as a shilling as he did not liko her prospects at all. Thus it was that in the ring, and on the totalisator, she was to all intents and purposes absolutely neglected. In the ring there were no baekers for Louie at any odds, and even when Abe Snider, with his customaryi cigar in his mouth, offered £100 to an orange about dis Louie, there were no takers, though the fact of this wager not being taken was that, on a hurried rush to the fruit and confectionery stall, I found there were no oranges on the course. Had there been any I would have tried to make a wager with every bookmaker on the course at the same odds. However, I eould not afford £2 on the inside machine, and after eonsidering awhile T backed Misehief for a £1 on the outside totalisator. Prior to the start of the Taee Brown, who was riding Louie, gave her two or three pipe-openprs of a quarter-mile each. Wben ihe flag fell Louie was taken to the front, and remained there to the finish, winning easily in time which established a fresh mile and threequarters reeord. On the second day of the meeting, when raised a tone, Lonie ran second to Mr. Heslop's Prim in the principal event, run over ' n mile and a-half, and a few weeks iater, to show that her ' -in at Hastings , was no fluke, she won the Auckland 1 Easter Handicap, I think I am cor-

rect in stating that the dividend paid on the inside totalisator on Louie in that race was the largest dividend ever paid out in New Zealand on what may be considered the principal race on a metropolilan club's two-day' programme. But the dividend paid out was for a £2 investment, not * £1 oue.