A TURF MYSTERY

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 54

A TURF MYSTERY

PLUNGE ON UNKNOWN COLT

THE OWNER DISAPPEARS. SYDNEY, June 23. An intriguing turf mystery is engaging the attention of Victorian and Sydney clubs. .It concerns an unknown colt, Gagoola, which went from Sydney and took part in the Rothsay Trial at Flemington on June 8 and was the medium of a heavy plunge and ran second. It then mysteriously disappeared after the race and all attempts to trace it failed. However, Mr A. L. Yuille, of — Sydney, registrar of racehorses, this week went to Cabramatta, 15 miles south of Sydney, and questioned a man who took him to a heap of ashes in a creekbed and said, . “ There is all that is left of Gagoola. He broke a leg yesterday and we shot and burned him.” The owner cannot be found and his £6O cheque for =Gagodla’s second at Flemington is still unclaimed. In the. Rothsay Trial Stakes at Flemington a big plunge was worked on a . colt named Gagoola, who was described as by Yetman from Dismay (says the Referee). Few people had ever, heard of the horse or owner (Mr H. Graham), and there *was a great surprise when it was noticed that the colt had been backed down from 20 to 1 to 7 to 4. “ Who is Gagoola? ” everybody asked, but no one could supply the answer to the question. The curiosity of the public spread to the stipendiary stewards, but the “ mystery horse ” eventually took his place in the field. Those working the commissions went round the betting ring taking everything on offer and many, thousands of pounds were invested on Gagoola. ( When the field turned into the straight it looked as if the great coup would be successful, as Gagoola was slightly in front of Stephanite as the field turned into the straight. However, Stephanite finished too fast for Gagoola and the good thing came undone. Graham subsequently told the stewards that ttie colt was as described in the official book and that he had been registered in Sydney on May 11. In a subsequent statement to the press Graham said that the colt had been trained on a

rough farm track at Cabramatta, New South Wales; and that he had been so Impressed with his form that he had decided to bring him to Melbourne. This race, according to the owner,’was the first in hie career.