LANDED COUP OF £l0,000

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 40, 10 May 1927, Page 6

LANDED COUP OF £lo,ooo

STATESMAN’S HALF A HEAD VICTORY WAS SENSATIONAL

Seven bookmakers were relieved of just on £IO,OOO by Statesman’s halfhead victory in the second division of the Youthful Stakes last Saturday week at Randwick. The remarkable plunge on a dark horse whose form was completely unknown to racegoers was the feature of the day’s racing. Plans were carefully laid for the plunge, and it was one of the most successful Sydney has witnessed for a long time. Two of Sydney’s biggest bettors had the commission, and they arranged to wait on various bookmakers at a given time. Consequently the betting was almost simultaneous and big sums were booked at the best odds offering in the market before the ring had a chance to shorten their quotations. WELL-LAID PLANS These plans were helped by the fact that the medium, a two-year-old, known as Statesman, was quite unknown to racegoers. He hadn’t raced for three weeks, and a month before had been beaten in a Nursery at Menangle, where very moderate horses run, That such a one should be backed at Randwick was totally unexpected., so it was not surprising that some of his backers secured as long odds as over a score. When the two commissioners began work, the following were the winning amounts they secured: £2,000 and £6OO from one penciller, £2,000, £I,OOO, £I,OOO, £I,OOO, £I,OOO, £I,OOO. These and other bets of lesser dimensions set up a demand for Statesman that wasn’t satisfied until he became second favourite for the race. But, if his backing was sensational, so was the manner of his victory. Hard ridden at the turn, he could barely keep pace with the leading division. Most of the way down the straight he didn’t improve his position to much purpose, and Wedara was gradually drawing away, with the race well won. PULLED IT OFF Then Statesman got properly into his stride, and, with a brilliant finishing run, he swooped down, on the leader in the last stride. It was by a half-head that the judge gave Statesman the verdict, and his connection a fortune in bets. Statesman is trained and owned by Bill Kelso, of Randwick, who, with the Sydney Cup win of Piastoon, and vetories by Persuasion and Bacchus, had won a lot of

money at the meeting, but it is questionable whether any was so profitable to the stable as the success of this hitherto despised youngster.