A GIFT HORSE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 300, 10 March 1928, Page 7

A GIFT HORSE

BERT ADAMS’S LUCK THE ABBEY NOT WANTED LANDS DOUBLE AT MANAWATU The Abbey, winner of the Ladies’ Bracelet and Stewards’ Handicap at the Manawatu fixture on Wednesday, is owned and trained by Bert Adams, the New Plymouth enthusiast who received the gelding as a gift from a Waikato sportsman. The Abbey was bred in the Auckland district and is an aged gelding by Gold Bell from The Abbess, a Grattan Abbey mare. lie was for some time under the care of the well known trainer, G. Cameron, but the gelding failed to make good on the race track when tried as a three-year-old. Later, .it is stated, The Abbey was sold for 30s, and he was afterwards acquired by Mr. Whitehead, a Waikato light-harness enthusiast, for £9. Present to Adams Some time back, when A. E. Adams was visiting the Auckland Province, the Waikato sportsman offered to make a present of The Abbey to the New Plymouth trainer, but the latter was not keen on accepting the offer, and went South again without the gift horse. Later, however, Bert Adams was notified that a horse had arrived per steamer at New Plymouth consigned to him, and on going to take delivery he found that the donor had even paid the freight on the pacer, so he had no option but to accept the “free” horse. Soon Made Good Having The Abbey on his hands, Bert thought the next best thing to do was to put the Gold Bell gelding in work. So accordingly he was placed on the active list. Evidently Adams found the ex-Aucklander showing promise, and he was accorded a nomination for the Manawatu fixture, which he visited, and won a double. So after all the unwanted gift horse lias ttirned out a fine payable proposition for the New Plymouth owner, and judging by the manner in which the son of Gold Bell won his races at Ashhurst he will prove a substantial gift for Adams before he finishes his career.