OLD IDENTITY DIES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 415, 25 July 1928, Page 10

OLD IDENTITY DIES

MR. ROBERT WALKER

RACED SEVERAL HORSES

The late Mr. Robert Walker. who died at his residence at Remuera on Friday, was an old Thames and Paeroa resident. He was manager 48 years ago for the grocery firm of Hewin Bros, at Thames, and shortly afterwards entered into business on his own account, starting the Jubilee Store which will be remembered by old Thames residents. After leaving the Goldfields he settled in Auckland, and for several years carried on a tobacconist’s business in Custom Street West. Interest In Racing The late Mr. Walker’s services were requisitioned for several years in connection with the Ohinemuri and Wat. takauri Racing Clubs as sec re tar? With Recruit he won a hurdle race at Takapuna. and later the same hors* in which he had an interest with iir h T . Dickey, won the Ohinemurt Cun and Publican’s Purse, and went on to win distinction as a 'chaser for Mr Dickey. The leading achievement of Recruit was to succeed in the Auckland Racing Club’s Summer Steeplechase in 1889. With Megoulet. the late Mr. Walker won the Thames Cup. a two-horse contest, in which Megoulet was counted cheaply by the opposition, but he made no race of it. In Captivity, who raced for several seasons in the nomination of Mr. J. C. Booth. Mr. Walker had an interest, and at stages in their careers these sportsmen raced Taiaroa and Glencoe in jumping events, also a mare called Seaweed, and Rangipunehu after that fencer had been brought to Auckland. and raced him in a number of jumping races In the Ohinemuri and Waihi districts, securing some place money with him. Mr. Walker raced the Spalpeen gelding The Celt more often than any other equine he had had to do with, but only managed to win one flat race and one hurdle race, and some place money on occasions. Daloopil, by Rohae Potae, was one of the biggest jumpers in training ever seen in the province, and an astonishingly great fencer, standing off and getting well clear on landing, and seldom making a mistake. He almost invariably led his fields and took a lot of catching, but went wrong in the wind and failed to see out the end of the journeys over obstacles, though he succeeded in winning the Mount Eden Steeplechase at .Avondale and looked like winning the Egmont Steeplechase when he fetl. By the demise of Mr. Walker, Auckland is the poorer for the loss of a gentleman and a sportsman.