TRAINER AND SPORTING WRITER.

Southland Times, Issue 18853, 19 June 1920, Page 2

TRAINER AND SPORTING WRITER.

To the Editor. Sir,—Your correspondent Mr P. T. Hogan appears to be greatly concerned regarding your sporting writer’s remarks upon various topics which are troubling the sporting world at present, and he has apparently taken Sir Modred to task for putting in print certain things which the master of Rorke's Drift Lodge cannot digest. He does not believe in the Jockeys’ Association, lie says that jockeys are well enough paid. Yes, no doubt they are, some of them; those that monopolise the riding, such as the Reeds, Youngs, and a lew more leading jockeys. They are the only ones well paid. They go from meeting to meeting, get mounts on the best horses in the land; and how can they fad to make money? But it’s not these fellows that all the trouble is over, Mr Hogan, it is the poor battler, for there are hundreds of them in the game, lads who never receive an opportunity to make their name in the riding game. You say you employ nine stable hands—three jockeys and six others. Very well, who does all the drudgery, who has to be always there to do the work—the other six, of course. The three jockeys can earn their money in other ways besides hanging round the stables all day. They go away to meetings and make money riding while the other lads look alter the horses and spend their time making the horses look well, so that on the day of the races an admiring crowd will remark “How well that horse looks.’’ Do they think of the poor unfortunate lad who U»ds to make the horse look well? No; he is never thought of. H the horse wins the trainer and jockey are congratulated, while the lad who looks after the horse and sometimes trains him for the race is treated as nothing. 1 know dozens of cases where trainers have left lads in charge of horses while they are away at meetings, and the trainer came back to be with the horses at. home a few days before they raced. The trainer gels the credit. And now because a few thoughtful jockeys like O'Shea, Hewitt, Rac and Co., determine to stick ou;. for better payment for jockeys and stable lads, the trainers and owners must buck. They call the game sport. It's not much sport, as Sir Modred truthfully said, for the lads who do the toil—in the summer time going from 4.30 in the morning until eight at night in some, cases. No, Mr Hogan, it’s not a picnic to lie a second rate jockey or a stable hand. It may be for the "heath,” who think of no one but themselves and never give others a chance. You say that all the riders at, Wingatui were efficient enough to ride in a certain race. I say you were wrong, for how could they, several of them do very little riding and a jockey cannot bo efficient without experience. Some of the exhibitions given by several so-called gootl horsemen at that meeting were ridiculous. There are dozens of lads who could ride with the best in the land if they got the chance, and the trainers are the ones with whom it rests to make efficient horsemen; but very few try. They would sooner have up a rider that has already marie his name. Before concluding, a few words regarding stable shortage, which Mr Hogan tries to make out is only a farce. He says that you very seldom have any spare in (ho "Wanted” column given to asking for jockeys or stable helps. No, we do not see one, at. least not very often. The reason is that most trainers, with any sound judgment. know' that it is invariably useless advertising because they know that any man nr boy with any experience in riding or :table work need not he out of work. They can generally get work without, any trouble,

least, that is my experience. Most trainers with large teams of horses in work are generally short-handed, especially in the northern stables, and. the lads they have working for them have to do double work, but get no double pay, until some lad strolls along and asks for a job. And I know for a fact that at (he present time there Ls a shortage of stable hands in New Zealand and even if Mr Hogan is not suffering from labour shortages it is not to say other trainers in other parks are not. But I think that before long the jockeys and stable lads of New Zealand will have no cause for grumbling for there is every appearance of their demands being granted, and it won’t be any thanks to the trainers either. The stable hands in England received their demands, why not in New Zealand ? In conclusion, I will say that Sir Modred is one of the most accurate and fairest sporting writers in New Zealand. His notes I shall always read, and know that in him the jockeys and stable lads of New Zealand have an enthusiastic and able supporter, despite the boinhrdment he is now receiving from Rorke’s Drift Lodge.—l am, etc.. “LOCHELLA.”