HECTOR GRAY RETURNS TO RIDE.

Shannon News, 15 January 1924, Page 3

HECTOR GRAY RETURNS TO RIDE.

ENGLISH HORSES AND COURSES

WELLINGTON, Last'Night

After having ridden in England and on the Continent for some time, Hector Gray returned to New Zealand to-day. Gray left here, two or three seasons ago to try his luck in the home of racing, and he has made good there. For a while, his riding was criticised by writers in the English newspapers, but it was obvious that prejudice was behind a iot of the hostile publicity the New Zealander was given. However, merit won through, and to-day Gray is recognised by all as a horseman of the highest order. The season just ended has not been as good for him as previous, but it has been very profitable and a fair. proportion of the horses he rode started at long prices. Gray rode thirty-one winners, his most im-portant-success was. on Flint Jack in the Ebor Handicap. Among hiß other wins of consequence were - two big handicaps on Precious, one of the best sprinters in England. SPRINTERS MUST BE STAYERS.

In speaking of sprinters, he says that in England' a six furlong horse bus’to be able to go a mile. The Chief reason for this is that so many; of the .aecs are run on a straight course and a six furlong race there is a very hard-run contest. The . great , charete.isiic of the English sprinter, and the one in which ,he is. the superior of the New Zealand sprinter, is the bulldog tenacity with which he .hangs n ibl the finish. Gray has not changed the opinion he quickly formed in England; that the English horse is much the superior of the New Zealander. A sprinter of the calibre ©f Precious, lie says, would win the Telegraph Handicap at Trentham -on January 22 with nearly 11 stone in the saddle. - ' < " HORSES NOT RACED TO DEATH.' ‘V ■ ; Horses at Home are not worked nearly so much as the horses here, and they are always well and strong. They are only “wound up” for a few faces a year, and are not kept at hard racing for the long-stretches of timcf that is often the case in New Zealand. They are sent to the stud very young. There was a champion sprinter in the stable' with which he was connected. It won one good race very easily, but was not asked to carry silk again, being sent straight to the .stud. The great Mumfaz Mahal had gone to the stud and quite a number of others disappeared from the turf this season, just as they were at the height . of their fame. For a rider to be successful at Home, it is necessary for him to have a good knowledge of .the courses in England. They actually keep horses for courses. He instanced the Newbury course, the straight mile of which has a rise of fourteen feet. Lots of Horses which go well on other courses are not entered for Newbury because it is recognised the course will not suit them.

EPINARD, THE WORLD’S BEST. The French horse, Epinard, Gray says, is the best in the world. All the old trainers' say "he is the best they have seen for fifteen years. Epinard is a nice-looking, rather slim chestnut, and he has been backed to win millions. On one occasion he would have broken the ring had he won, and he was very unlucky not to do so. He carried 9.3 and led all the way, swerved across the course, was straightened up, came again, and was beaten by only a head in record time. GREAT PRICES FOR GOOD ONEB

Great prices are being obtained at Home for thoroughbreds. The demand is as great as ever it was and the reason why such great figures are paid is that anyone with a good horse can win so much money where the bookmakers are in operation. Gray, did some riding on the Contin. ent. He rode three winners in Paris for Madame Galtee, one of them starting at a very long price. At Ostend he did not ride any . winners, but had mounts in the Derby and the Pool Stakes. While at Home, Gray rode for Sir Hugo and Lady Cunliffe Owen among others, and was associated with the Bell stable, in which there were about seventy horses. INTO THE SADDLE EARLY.

. Apparently Gray is as industrious as ever. He goes to Trentham tomorrow morning to ride work, if there 'is any offering. He proposes to ride at the Wellington Cup meeting, and says that he will,/ be able to go to the scale at 8 stone. On Monday, he may go to Taranaki and spend some time there before returning to ride at the Trentham fixture. He is undecided yet as to whether he will go back to England. He has till March to make up his mind. He says he can go back and ride again for the Owens and he has the offer of a second retainer from Major Beatty; a brother of the fdmous Admiral.