AT LONG LAST

NZ Truth, Issue 1214, 7 March 1929, Page 12

AT LONG LAST

St. Melba Wins Maiden

More perhaps for the reason that he is owned by "Ngokonui" McDonald, St. Melba has been much m the limelight. HBN he first came out to race m public, a late finishing run started a boom for him and them m certain quarters he was never le^ft m doubt. Came a race at Pahiatua for which many\ thought the three-year-old to be a "sitter," but he was well and truly beaten. That defeat made him lose caste by. those who had watched him closely during the running. He was no good, was their summing up. A quite correct one, too, but now that he has won a race he will once' more come into the pic- . ture ? * „ . -• At Dannevirke the first day with -Trainer Stan. Bagby m the saddle, he went badly, but the second day he hopped to the front, fought off a determined challenge by the favorite and won by a head. It was the stable kid who rode him to victory. Bagby was going to offer the ride to either Bert or "Snow" Morris, but he decided to let the kid have the ride — just_to find out if St. Melba would do any better. The result was a happy -one m one direction, but then m another it started the tongues wagging as hard as ever again. • "N.Z. Truth" does not think St. Melba is worth losing any sleep over. He has sickened everybody, including those most interested m him.