A REMARKABLE RECORD.

Taihape Daily Times, 13 August 1919, Page 2

A REMARKABLE RECORD.

The ex-New Zeaiand rider, J. N. Mc-Gr.-;gur, who has metwith many serious accu_lellr.s in I‘n.‘iew=.ng his profession as a rider, retains his nerve in a, manner that can simply be termed wonderful, and -by steering Sir Mnemoii to victory in the Australian Hurdle Race at Caulfield on a recent Sa~t.ur'day, another important success has been included in his remarkablffrccord. This includes the New Zcaland Grand National Steeplechase on Slow Tom, V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase on Confide, and V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race on Wingarra. In a recent issue of the Melboul"l'l'c Weekly Times, “Winning Post” wrote as follows: “McGregor has always been very popu-‘ lar with racing men. They have ad'mired him, not nalvone for his skill as a horseman, but for his Wonderful pluck and perseverance. Though he has had phenomenal success, he has encountered experiences through which an average man might not have lived. He has had over 150 falls in races, and in consequence, has spent years of his life in bed. There was one stage when he lay helpless on his back for four years. He has undergone numerous operations and once, without anaesthetic of any kind, he sat in a chair and had his leg cut open from the ankle to the '_knee, :1. gash that subseqluently required the insertion of 69 stitches. On another occasion he had 49 stitches put. across his face without anything to deaden the pain_ His. major injuries may -be summarised as follows. Cc(llar lbroken ilseventecn times, “leg broken three times, arm broken once, skull fractured once. McGrrcgor enlisted twice during the war, and though he has been riding only a short while since finally discharged, he has had a couple of nasty falls, one necessitating confinement in a hospital. But. each time he has returned to the business with a smile, and has hoped. for better things.” l\lcGreg=or is well known in the Feilding district, being married to a Feilding girl. He was laid up there for a. considerable time as a result of a smash on the local co.urse.