Right Horse, Wrong Day

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 138, 1 September 1927, Page 7

Right Horse, Wrong Day

The story runs that at a recent very important fixture in the South Island, an owner, who had a horse engaged in a minor event, adjourned in company with a lady companion to indulge in afternoon tea instead of climbing to a point of vantage to see how his representative fared in the dash over the club’s green sward. The race was run and won while the visitors to the meeting were engrossed in the refreshment menu and when they eventually essayed to leave the sheltered tea room the feminine member of the select party bethought herself of the missed contest and inquired from an experienced attendant as to what had won. “Resound,” madam,” he replied—that was not, of course, the real name. The lady was astonished, and in an agitated fashion blurted out. "Impossible; he was not to win until next day!” Then an equally surprised owner displayed marked concern and a seasoned racecourse attendant chuckled to himself as he slyly tendered the added information that the winner had come in by itself and returned a substantial price. Meanwhile afar off in the privacy of the scraping sheds an impish youth is said to have been glibly explaining to a perturbed trainer that his mount "bolted and was so * far ahead of his field at the distance post that he had to make the best of his way home.” There may not have been any truth in the rumour that subsequently gained circulation to the effect that a lad young in years but old in ways that are dark and the tricks of the wayward had supported his mount to win him a nice stake. When sent out solidly supported from the right quarter on the appointed day later in the week this unexpected winner carried increased weight and just failed to gain a place.