BETTING MACHINE

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

BETTING MACHINE

BRILLIANT HEROIC FORTUNES FOR OWNERS Everybody who admires a great horse will be sorry to see Heroic end his days on the turf ingloriously. The Valais horse has had an adventurous but, withal, a brilliant career; although, except for his splendid effort in the Sydney Cup under a welter weight, his latest efforts in Sydney have not been worthy of him. He did so well, too, after his arrival there. Perhaps the cyclone upset him by interfering with the continuity of his work, so that he developed some fat inside. However, his recent failures will be forgotten when his notable victories are remembered. WON SMALL FORTUNES Heroic’s wins represented small fortunes in stakes for the two men who have owned him. Mr. J. R. Corteen paid 1,800 guineas for the Chersonese colt and won £24,543 10s with him, then he was knocked down at auction to Mr. C. B. Kellow at 16,000 guineas, and he afterwards won £13,519 in stakes. Stakes, however, represent only a modest portion of the amount Heroic won for both ownerships. The chestnut was always looked upon as a betting machine, and though the mechanism sometimes got out of gear, he landed more than one tremendous betting stake. BIG FIRST LEG Most notable, of course, was when, by winning the Newmarket with 9.8, he got home the first leg of over £ 50,000 in double money. Heroic has missed the prize, which a couple of months ago seemed well within his reach —that of being the largest stake-winner in Australia; but there can be little doubt that if for the last two years he had been reserved for w.f.a. events, as Gloaming was, instead of being bobbed about between sprint and cup races, he would have been the record holder. Heroic is a horse of such magnificent conformation that his career at the stud, which begins at Widden next season, will be watched with deep interest.