A GREAT RECORD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 90, 18 April 1927, Page 10

A GREAT RECORD.

F. DAVIS TRAINS NINE WINNERS. OF G.X. CHAMPAGXE STAKES. One of the ?\ eatest horsemen New Zealand has produced, and equally successful as a trainer, Fred Davis on"Saturday turned out his ninth winner of the Ellerslie Autumn two-year-old classic the Great Northern Champagne Stakes. As a rider. Davis was always recognised as having few equals, and it was quite fitting that he should wind up a wonderful record of success in the saddle bv steering the "black demon" Bohnkoff to victory in the Auckland Plate on the occasion of his last ride. When announced he intended retiring from the saddle the Hawke's Bay sportsma™ 1 T. H. Lowry, saw the opportunity to se' cure a man who had all the qualifications and experience to make a successful trainer, and arrangements were entered into whereby Davis took up the position o? private trainer to Mr. Lowrv. Th association has been stamped with success all along, and practically everv important handicap and classic event in Xew Zealand has been captured by the stable. Bobrikoff, Xigger Minstrel, Balboa, Estland, Finma-rk, Downfall, Soltano, Desert Gold, and a host of others who made history could be mentioned, but in connection with the Great Northern Champagne Stakes, Davis ha established a remarkable record. In -20 years he had trained the winning two-year-old no less than nine times. His first winner -was Downfall, which, by the way, he rode himself. That was his first win in the Mr. Lowry, but since then the records show that Soltano, 1923, Tete-a-Tete 1914, Bjorneborg Finmark 1918, Nigger Minstrel 1924, anu Gascony on Saturday have borne the Hawke's Bay sportsmen's colours home first in the Champagne Stakes. In every instance Mr. Lowry himself bred the successful youngster. Davis also trained Queen March in 1923 when she won in the colours of the Auckland sportsman, Mr. Eliot Davis. __ ... . _ ._._.__

First Blow, the dam of Gascony. is a half-sister to the great Bobrikoff. She won a small race two-year-old at Dannevirke when she went wrong, and it was decided not to persevere further with her.