Looking Back

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 26, 23 October 1937, Page 19

Looking Back

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TURF COUPS Some Instances of Betting Strategy OLD-TIME INCIDENTS

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The Turf has many stones of racmg coups tllat have cotne undone for varioub reasOns. I propose to relate two or threa such incidents in "whioh the coups failed because the wise strategy With which tliey were planned was just a little tOo "wise." ' The first incident refers to a Mr. O. E. Wise, of Oamaru-, a hotelkeeper, and one of the most popular, as well as one of the best all-round sportsmen, in the Dominion. One of the stalwarts ih the promotion of coursing, and owner of a gpod. kennel of greyhounds, a good live-bird shot, a keen supporter of homing pigeon l'aciug, a Bugby enthusiast, iine judge of amateur boxing, and a lover of racing, Mr. Wise was knovn and respected all over the Dominion. He usually had one or two horses carrying his colours, and when Wise had a good thing in his stable the public generally knew it and backed it acordingly. But among the occupants of the Stable at one period Was a little mare called Molly Darling, by Albany (imp.). Almost a pony, Molly Darling did not catch the eye as likely to be a very good one, but Wise, who trained his own horses, had discovered that she was a Very quick beginner and uncommonly smart for four or five furlongs. He considered how best to turn tkis speed to best advantage. It was cei'tain that Molly Darling wonld never be able to Win With tnuch weight up, so _ if any money waS to be made by bacldng her it would have to be done quickly. He thereforo selected a five-furlongs hack . flutter at Timaru for her first race and as the medium for a plunge. Bets Laitl, Instructions were sent to his personal friend, the late Mr. W. Profdt, te execute a commission by backing Molly Darling with pencillers in all the main centres in the Dominion." The sum of £200 was to be laid out among the leading pencillers, Which it was expected they would hold without sending any back on to the machine. Mr. Wise did not talce the mare up to Timaru as he would be besieged by friefids wanting to ltnow if the mare was any good, so a son took Molly Darling up, and he knew nothing of Molly Darling 's capabilities nor of the money being invested on her. So when he was asked what chance she had he truthfully said he knew nothing about her chance, but only knew that he had not been givell any money to put on her. This was enough for the public. A candidate from the Wise stable without any Wise money on just COuld not be any gOod, so tho mare was left severely alone by backers, and when the tote closed there was not even a solitary ticket taken out on Molly Darling 's chance. Molly Darling won, but there was, Of Course, no dividend, and backers of the other stafters received their mongy back, less the tote's 10 per cent. just what tho wis6 Mr. Wise said to himself when he knew what had hap* pened, I do not ltnow, but I do ltnow that Mr. Profifitt was not too pleased at losing the profit he had expCcted to malto.

Marlborough Iucideiit. A somewhat similar incident oc* curred in Marlborough, also in the oarly days of totalisator betting, when, as in the case of Molly Darling, the pencillers would have paid the full dividend the machine paid had they been struck. ]?red Gentry, trainer, rider, and good athlete, usually had a horse or two in work, and at some of the sports meetings hack races Were included on the day's programme as they Were at Ongaonga years ago. Gentry very often won a foot race or two and a hack race as well. With one horse, Leds, who had oely one eye, Gentry had won a race or two at these sports meetings, but he was not ercdited with being class enough for the big meetings at Blenheim. Gentry knew difforent, and goting him a race with a big field of good liacks, he dctermined to back his horso olf the course, so a fair-size commission waS worked in Wellington. The pencillers did not care about liolding too mucli so they wired some of their liolding back to tho secretarv of the club, but telegraphic communication was ^iuterrupted, and this wiro was not delivered until Ihe day's racing was over. Gentry being tho rider of his Owfi horse, nover went lo look at the machine, but tho public, taking it for granted becauso no stable support was apparently forthcoming, thatvLcos had no chance, did not baclc him, and the machine closed without any investment being made on him so that Mr. Gentry 's cleverness failed, as the cleverness of gentry of tlmt sort often does. Amother Incident. A third incideut, uot quite the same, oceurred to a llawke's Bay owner, thc late Mr. W. Y. Dennctt, at ono time Mayor of Hastings. Mr. Dennett had a very handsome horse, Gcneral Thornton, by Apremont — Xelly Moore, and consoquently a half-brother to Lochiel. Iil his gallops, General Thornton had shown brilliant speed up to lialf a cnile, so as there was a half-mile hack race at the big Wellington meeting, he dotermined to keep the General for that. In this case the totalisator only was the medium of investment, but it was enough, for there was some parUI cularl/ smart; Jiacks in. the race, and

the top Weight, Eocltet, ridden by Bob Derrett, was looked upon as a ceitaiaty. General Thornton 's price ou tlie machine was about 40 to I when the tote closed. Hoping away smartly from the flag start, General Thoriltou was soon lengths in front, bnt he nearly rau ofi; tho course at the bend, which gave Itocket ou the rails a good lead. iStraiglitened xip General Thornlon came again and almost eaught the top weight on the post, losing "only by a short head. Had a good light weiglit rider been. upt instead. of an inexperienced stable lad GeUeral Thorton .would probabljr hav© vrom ' i^.. -