JOCKEY'S DILEMMA

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 59, 2 December 1937, Page 15

JOCKEY'S DILEMMA

"Early Bird").

Finished Hurdle Race in a Skirt ELLERSLIE INCIDENTS

(Special — - Hrom

AUCKLAND, Last Night. _ There were many interesting incidents, some of them higherto unrecorded, that eventuated at the Takapuna meeting at Ellerslie last week-end that added to the interest, especially on the concluding day. The iirst, and certainly a really humorous episode, occurred in the hurdle race, which was not without the usual thrills associated with this branch of racing. It may be recalled that when Royal Limond won the Great Northern fcjteeplechase eighteen months ago his jockey had to ride this gelding, a notorious "slugger,' so hard that he had worn out the seat of his pants by the time the race was over. Well, a somewhat similar result was achieved by jockey Baker on Monday afternoon, but apparently this liorseman made a real job of his- breeches. His mount, Brioni, stumbled on landing over the fourth hurdle and threw the rider, and it was seen that he was unh'irt, although there was a profound reluctancy on the part of the horseman to rise from the ground. But a jockey who has had a fall always takes a bit of time to see if he is all in one piece. That was chapter one of this episode. Then, after the race was over, and Baker got out of the ambulance and walkod through the birdcage to the jockey 's rooni he was wearing a skirt instead of breeches, although where he got this piece of feminine attire goodness only ltnows. The crowd roared at the unusual spectacle, and ■ of course the jockey himself appreciated the jolce- It is the only ease perhaps in the Dominion's Turf history that a jockey has gone out to ride in a race in the regulation breeches and returned in a skirt.

Had a Date. It ia the custom in.football for the other participants in the game to gather round the discomfited player whose shorts have been lost altogether or to have been ripped so much as to leave nothing to the imagination. Bnt in the cass of Baker and his fellow rjders they were too busily engaged filling their taslcs, for they had a 'date with the judge, or at least four of them did, so the always joyful spectacle of skying ^'de pant,,"could not be sta'ged. Another incident that was not without its humorous aspect was seen in the two-year-old event as the horses were walking down the straight prior to doing their preliminary. By some unknown means True Bill got his forelegs over the rails, stood in that awkward position for a f ew seconds, and, wliile his apprentice rider stood- at his head holding the reins, nonplussed as to how to meefc this situation, the youngsfcer solved the problem by hopping over in the neatest possible inanuer and landed on the sand track on the inside. True Bill was none the worse for tho incident, although he might easily have injured himself, Then there was that unfortunate affair at the start of tho second race ou Monday, wIiqu two horses were left without any blame being attachable to the starter. Kena merely stood flatfooted when the others went pn their wa y, while Ringshot whipped round altogether aud stood facing the wrong way, Kena was the second fayourite, while there was also support for Ringshot. The latter was produced again in the last race, and was in the rear throughout. Ringshot had fallen on the first day, and this probably left its effect on hiin. The finish of the last Great Northern Derby, when Martarma finfshed wide out and was not placed in the first four, was recalled by the closing stages of the opening race on Monday, when. Ivy Willonyx also caoie home under the box, to be placed second, half fi length behind Tiverton, the surprise winner. As usual the people on the stand favoured the outside horse as the winner of the race, but it was really amusing to see others running down from the hill a couple of hundreds yards away to tell the judge he was wrong.