Racing Recollections

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 545, 24 December 1928, Page 15

Racing Recollections

Former Owner Recalls Turf Experiences Mr. G. L. STEAD, owner of many good horses jn his day, writes some of his recollections for readers of The Sun.

“Who is the man—jockey and horse with No. 2 saddle cloth in that photograph?” was a question asked me. My reply was, “A great combination — Mason, Hewitt and Grand Rapids. The photograph was taken just after Grand Rapids stole the New Zealand Cup from Mahutonga. Perhaps one of El-ler-slie’s well-known trainers might enlighten you a bit more if you ask him! What numerous victories Mason and Hewitt had together! The old saying, “It takes two different temperaments to get on together,” is true. There you had it —Mason far from practical jokes, and Hewitt full of them, and don’t I remember some of them to my cost! On Hewitt’s return from England, just prior to the New Zealand Cup meeting in 1916, I engaged him to ride The Toff for me in the Derby. He duly won, but he made such a bad exhibition of horsemanship, that I told him I would not want him again. How a young man could deteriorate so quickly in horsemanship is beyond comprehension, but it looks like a parallel case with that of Steve Donogliue. Is a jockey’s life and a horse’s life like that of a candle? —when the wick is burnt, the tallow has no flame? Talking of Hewitt, Noctuiform and Sungod: a boy named Carruthers — about 211 b. lighter than Hewitt—-could not make either horse beat the one Hewitt rode in a trial, yet Carruthers could ride winners at Randwiek. TRACKS PRODUCE TWO-YEAR OLDS Tracks for training horses on is a subject all horse-owners should study, and I know I am going to hurt some people’s feelings by stating you can name the number of tracks in New Zealand on one hand, that repeatedly turn out high-class two-year-olds; in fact, if the champion two-year-old has not been trained on one of the five tracks during the year, it is practically the exception to prove the rule. The five tracks are Riccarton, Napier Park, Woodville, Wanganui and Hawera. All these tracks produce some very brilliant horses. We have what you might call young tracks, such as Te Awamutu, which I think is not far distant from being able to disprove the old saying that the Auckland provincial two-year-olds are no good. Likewise Papakura, but still it is a significant fact that the tracks named are repeatedly producing the best young stock in New Zealand. I know other good sprinters occasionally come from other tracks, but how much better would they have been if trained on one of the five. A GALLOPING MACHINE Boniform now being defunct, a few remarks on this wonderful galloping machine may be of interest. It will be remembered that Boniform won the First Breeders’ Plate run at Randwiek. I think it may safely be said that my father was instrumental in the race being put on the A.J.C. programme. While in Sydney one spring he was asked to make annual trips with a team to Randwiek, and his reply was, “Put on a good two-year-old race and I will.” The Breeders’ Plate was instituted, and Boniform enrolled as the first winner—a race I subsequently won with a son of Boniform in Almoner. I well remember Mason's face when galloping Bgniform half a mile one morning prior to the Breeders’ Plate, he told Hewitt not to pull him up after passing the post, but to let the horse run along another furlong at his own pace. Mason’s expression when he noticed Hewitt kicking Boniform out over this extra furlong was a study. Boniform, as you know, had only started twice for two wins, namely, the Breeders’ Plate and the Great Northern Derby, prior to the Yaldhurst dispersal sale, but in the autumn of 1908, when my father was seriously ill, Boniform was in work for the Wellington St. Leger. I did not know how to withdraw • Boniform, so I told my father Boniform had gone sore. He nearly wept, saying people would never know how good he was. At the sale my brother and I purchased him, and after a season at the stud he was put into work on January 7 to be raced in the Autumn Handicap, miles, at Riccarton on April 12. I note in referring to my books, that his first gallop was on January 7 to be raced in the Autumn barrier 7.2 and shoes, with Ecarte 8.2 as a companion, he ran 14, 25 2-sths, 38, 51 4-sths, 1.5, then on March 11 on the plough (all these gallops were at Yaldhurst), Boniform 7.6 and shoes, after trotting once round, galloped 12 1- 25, 37, 50, 1.2 2-sth, 1.15 2-sths, 1.28 2-sths, 1.43, 1.56 2-sths; then on April 4 with 7.6 and shoes, going not fast, he ran 12.25, 38, 1.16 J, 1.29 2-sths, 1.42 2-sths, 1.56 4-sths, 2.8 3-sths, 2.35 3-sths, running 26 4-sths for last two furlongs, and two days later he ran on the plough with shoes 12 l-sth, 39.51 2- sths, 1.3 4-sths, 1.16, 1.29 3-sths, 1.42 2-sths, 2.10 2-sths, while on the 10th he galloped cn the plough 8.2 (McCombe) shoes, 11 4-sths, 39 2-sths, 52 4-sths, 1.5 4-sths, 1.18 2-sths, 1.31 l-sth, 1.44, 2.11, and two days’ later again he won the Autumn Handicap with 9st. lib as a four-year-old, in easy fashion. How many horses of the present day would stand a preparation like that, and be a fitter horse after the race than before? He was then retired permanently to the stud, not from any weakness, but because we thought it would be detrimental to him as a sire, and it looks as though it would have been, as in his first season before the Autumn Handicap, he got horses like Bon Reve and Bon Ton, etc., while we had to wait until 1916 (eight years afterwards) before he got another smasher in The Toff. This horse was better than most of the public thought. His deeds as a two-year-old were good, but as a three-year-old were better. His first race at that age was as a gelding, when at the Amberley meeting I got the committee to put up a £ 100 weiglit-for-age race on their programme, and it only drew two runnel's, Bimeter and The Toff, and he beat Bimeter comfortably. He also annexed the C.J.C. Derby, Canterbury Cup and Stead Gold Cup. Coming to Auckland he met Sasanof (fresh from his laurels in the Melbourne Cup) in the Northern Derby. Sasanof won by a neck, after leaving the rails and taking The Toff under the judge’s box, but on the last day over the same distance at a lighter scale of weights The Toff beat Sasanof by half a length. Those two races always make me think The Toft might have been a Melbourne Cup winner, for wherever Sasanof finished The Toff would have been there too. JUMPING IN THE SNOW Writing of Amberley reminds me of several amusing instances there. One

was the year a snow storm fell during the running of a steeplechase. There were only two starters, both ridden by amateur riders —Mr. P. Neagle and Mr. G. N. McLean. The latter, with a round to go, was fully half a furlong in front, but going along the back Mr. Neagle’s mount made an extraordinary run in a short distance and caught the leader. It is alleged by people who were going home over the back of the course afterwards that the footprints in the snow showed only one horse having jumped the double at the back. They traced his little footsteps in the snow. Another instance at this pleasure course was when I won the Amberley Cup one year, and immediately the race was over the president, who hated making speeches, set to work, and unknown to me, got through his speech, when suddenly he noticed I was talking to somebody and taking no notice of him. He drew my attention by remarking, “Do you want this —mug?” And I replied, “Yes —let’s have a drink.” FOOLING THE PUNTERS A well-known big punter put a good one over the unsuspecting public on this course. In those days about £2,000 a day used to pull up the total of the machine. This punter had arranged to put a couple of hundred on a horse in a certain race away from the course, and it was rumoured all over that such was the case, but to the consternation of all, the punter went up openly to the “chaffcutter” and called in a loud voice for fifty tickets on another horse. The public fell like lambs, and made this horse a hot favourite, while the punter’s two hundred bet duly landed, paying a four pound dividend, which would not have been more than about one pound four shillings under normal circumstances. This was a case of throwing away a sprat to catch a mackerel. SOME DEAD-HEATS It is impossible for any one but the judge to tell what has won, and even dead-heats do not satisfy all. 1 have had some experience with same, namely, when Kilmoon, my horse, was placed a dead-heat with Oratress in the Wellington Cup, when I would have wagered Oratress had won by a neck. Later, to even matters up, Mr. Lusk placed Colonel Soult and Wishful a dead heat in the Racing Club Handicap, when I would have wagered that Wishful won by a neck. Again at Moonee Valley, Melbourne, in a three and a-half mile steeplechase, Tim Doolan looked to win comfortably, but another chestnut horse with a white blaze and yellow jacket exactly similar to Tim Doolan was placed a dead heat with him—-not a bad finish at the end of a three and a-half mile steeplechase. G. L. STEAD. (To be continued.)