Connolly Thinks He’s Badly Treated

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 398, 5 July 1928, Page 6

Connolly Thinks He’s Badly Treated

BIG BETTOR LOSES APPEAL V.R.C.’S BOLD ACTION Further details of the dismissal ot E Cotnollv’s fruitless appeal again? his disqualification appear in Australian files to hand this weekDisqualified from the turt .or 1. months. Eric Connolly, perhaps the greatest punter Australia has known, made a final effort to clear his name and effect his reinstatement. Together with his jockey. P- O Hanlon, says a Melbourne correspondent, he annealed against the disqualification imposed by the t ,R_c. stipendiary stewards in connection with the running of his two-year-old filly Broken Doll in the Princess Handicap at Flemington on June 2. _ . The committee of the V.R.C.. which heard the appeals, dismissed them. “I Have Got the Dirt.” All inquiries by stewards and appeals j j before the V.R.C. committee are heard ! in camera, and the only announce - | ment was made by Mr. A. V. Kewney. secretary of the V.R.C., who. on leaving the committee room, stated, "ITtie ' appeals have been dismissed.” Connolly, who had staked all on the : appeal, was visibly affected when the j decision was made known, and said. i 'I have got the dirt.” Not since the famous Purser case 1 has so much interest been aroused in a ; turf disqualification in Australia. The most conservative body in the Commonwealth. the V.R.C. has never | shown a desire to meddle unduly in i the conduct of racing - , but it is sigj nificant that, when the stewards have decided to take action, men high up ! in the racing game have come under | their ban. When C. Godby. Hughie Cairns, and \J. Corteen were disqualified in conj nection with Purser’s reversal of form in the Caulfield Cup a few years ago, ; a first-class sensation was caused. ; The V.R.C. committee remained I adamant, and the ban resulted in the j retirement from "the turf permanently ; of Corteen. known as a big bettor. Heroic.whom he owned, was prej vented from starting in the Melbourne Cup, and a big coup was upset. Now action has been taken against ■ a man who stands prominent in turf circles in Victoria and New South } Wales. Bookmakers’ Fears } Connolly is the one man feared by the bookmakers, having brought off too many big wagers in past seasons to : be regarded lightly. ! Broken Doll, however, has proved i his downfall. This filly started in a division of a Novice Handicap at Aspendale Park on May 23. but ran inconspicuously. About eight days later. | backed to favouritism, she ran away j with the Princess Handicap. I This reversal of form made the stew- [ ards take action which resulted in the ; disqualification for one year of the r fi‘ly, the owner, E. A. Connolly, and ! the jockey, O’Hanlon. j As a result of the failure of the ; appeals, Connolly’s string will be unj able to take part in the big spring j events, entries for which closed several days ago having been made in his ! name.

TRENTHAM TOPICS

RADIATE DOING WELL HORSES IN WORK fSpecial to THE SUN) ELLINGTON, Wednesday. In view of the approaching Wellington winter meeting interest in the track work at T re nth am is increasing. Heavy rains have fallen and somewhat retarded operations, but nevertheless proceedings have been much livelier than is usual. All doubts as to whether the steeplechase course would be the same as in previous years have been set at rest. The fences have been erected, and there is no alteration. Nothing has done more pleasing work on the fiat than Radiate. He has not registered anything exceptional in the way of time, but he has done his work so really well that it is very evident he has been improved by recent travelling and racing. He looks better now than he did earlier in the season, and will be found staying on at the end of his races over the Trentham country. It is expected that he will be ridden in his Wellington engagements by M. Nicol. Catkin Well Forward Catkin appears to have quite recovered from the slight injury he sustained while at Ellerslie for the Auckland winter fixture. He is in regular work again, and is moving freely. He ran a nice half mile the other morning, and as he shows his best, when the going is soft there is every prospect of his trainer being able to pick up a stake with him shortly. He will come to hand quickly, as he was at the top of his form when he left here for Auckland last month, and it was considered that the Carbine Plate was a good thing for him. The unreliable Star Ranger, another member of J. Lowe’s team, is also doing fairly good work on the tracks, but he is not as forward as Catkin. Matu is an improved horse, having come on a lot in the last month. He appears to have found his level now that he has become a steeplechaser, and he is thriving on his work. He showed at Hastings that he can negotiate the country well, and he is growing in favour for his engagements this month. Since his return from Dunedin, where he won two races, Black Mint has not been asked to do a great deal, but he is as well as ever he was and is hitting out freely now that the sting is out of the tracks. He put more dash into some of his recent work than he has ever been known to do in the past. Of the teams for which accommodation has been booked at Trentham stables for the recent meeting, the biggest is that of Miss Grace Maher, the Hastings trainer. It is a very unusual position for a lady mentor to be the possessor of the largest string competing at a metropolitan gathering. Perle De Leon’s Rider i A statement has been published in | Wellington that A. E. Ellis will ride

Perle de Leon in the Winter Hurdle Race on the last day of the Wellington meeting, but confirmation of the report is not obtainable at present. It is certain, however, that the connections of Perle de Leon made an effort during the Hawke's Bay meeting to secure the services of Ellis for which- . ever of their horses they started in the third leg of the treble, and it is also a fact that while at Hastings Ellis stated that he would not be averse to riding in jumping races again if there was a good mount offering. Decoy Bird is doing well and all the track watchers agree that he looks a better horse now than when he arrived. He is not likely to be ready before the spring. Most of H. Telford’s team were well forward when he moved them to Wanganui, and reports received at Trentham yesterday are to the effect that they have made good progress in their temporary sphere. Telford is aiming at some of the early spring races and he might be successful. Trentham Work The services of A. E. Ellis are in demand in these parts, and an effort is being made to get him to ride Royal Game in the Whyte Memorial. Royal Game galloped well in company with Catkin and Star Ranger, and as the ground suits him he is one of the fancied division for a race that is regarded on all sides as very open. Radiate and Matu did a round of the fences recently and both jumped really well. Matu completed another round alone and again did well. There was not much between the pair, but Matu is a shade the better fencer. Several comparative novices and Lady Passenger were jumped over the hurdles in the middle of the course. Lady Passenger gave a fairly good display. Royal Damon is not being hurried

in his work, but he is forward cnouT 5 and will be a fit horse if required race at the Wellington meetingis probable he will start and will »• ridden by T. Green. Ring Boy ran a very attractive flte furlongs in company with Mandarin** His time was 1.5. but he could have improved upon that had he not been held back to his companion. He l® o * B better now than he did before OtaJkj where he won the principal flat evenlast month. Dancing Star was sent out to five furlongs with Tripos, but neither of them impressed well. Their h®* was 1.7 2-5, and was one of the poor*** efforts of the morning. Dancing does not stay solidly and she was very tired before the end of five furlcng*The well-known trainer, H. Do ml* who has been suffering from influx-* 2 ; is improving and hopes to be abo again in a little while. He Ran Off The Boniform gelding Hyp***” looked very well at Ashburton stepped out for the Dromore Steep** but he soon had his backers oUt . suspense, for at the initial obst fLl Orifiamb caused him to run off. | perion schooled well over the - country at Riccarton one day last and among the hunters’ class he tn*- | pick up a race shortly. Barrier. Positions Complaints are being made to toria of the way a number of the ing horsemen "crib” at the start races. If they are drawn on the w side, if given half & chance they their way well in towards the ra*** This practice does not appear to & prevalent in New Zealand noW*{Jirfor it is noticed that the riders tn selves stick to their right pas: n j i ug and hold off the poachers. ■ the situation in Melbourne, the "ry w er” states:—lt is grossly the riders who play the g-ime an< Vl to the positions they have the baarier, because they are ised for closely observing th® vL. Backers, too. have reason # plaint, because they back a ho* the belief that it will jump on the position drawn for it: hut some of the riders begin P 0 inside positions it means fancy has to start from a wider out than they anticipated^^-