THE DERBY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 128, 2 June 1927, Page 9

THE DERBY.

OWNER OF THE WINNER.

A THEATRICAL ENTERTAINER.

BKKD COLT HIMSELF.

There is no more likoalilr gonOcnian going racing thaw Mr. Frank Curzon. who ha.s realised the ambition of every owner and won the Dcrl»v this vcar with Call Boy. Should Call Hoy achieve tne greatest honour a horse can nin tlic virion- will be more than ordinarily gratifying to Mr. Cur*on. for ihe "impicssario bred the coh himwjf. say* an English writer on April 7. Call Boy , . Career. Call Boy, as we have said, was brong'a'. into tie paddock at Newmarket, end a* far a.s one could judge him in has c3olb<-s he has grown quite the right way. He is a fine mover in his slow pact-*, and certainly looks like a racchoi>r of the highest class. Call Boy improved throughout la-s season. His first race was in ine timehonoured July Stakes, the oldest two-year-old race in the world. It was a pretty finish between three, The Sal rap and Sickle who finished in fiont of Call Boy having had their eyes, opened earlier. The three were covered by less than two lengths. Call Boy's next appearance wa* in the Champagne Stake*, when, after making a slow beginning. ho split Damon and Pickle in another fine finish. It is proverbial that "the third time pars for all,™ and at the third time of asking Call Roy scored. This wa* in the Linton Stakes, and ne had little difficulty in disposing of such a* Brunette and Arrogance. He wound up his first season in a blaze of glory, for, once again making a slow beginning, he nevertheless got up to beat Sickle. Birthright and Applecross in a thrilling finish of heads and necks in the Middle Park Stake*. Call Boy is game and looks like making a stayer, so that his playfellows of last season will have their work cut out to beat him on Epeom Downs. Call Boy will make his first appearance of the season is :nr Two Thousand, so, as was the ca«c last year, Sickle and Damon will hare a pull over htm in the matter of experience. However, Watte knows hit business and quite probably his policy wil! be justified (Call Boy recently won the Newmarket Stakes). Mr. Canon's Early Days. Aβ we have mentioned in "I* It Generally Known!" Mr. Curton is a magnate of the theatrical profession, having graduated from the ranks of tbc Thespians. We forget just when Mr. Curaon first began to own horses, but we do very distinctly remember that his earliest association was with the late W. T. "Jack" Robinson, of Foxhill, who. it will be recalled, was not only a great trainer, but a good jockey, and won a sensational St, Leger on Kilwarlin some i forty years ago. i "Jack" had a penchant for buying I animals of the small and early Type. ■ and it was in this line of business that J Mr. Curzon was first launched upon the Turf. In fact. Comedienne,, tie dam of } Call Boy. won the Lincoln Plate in 1915. ! Mr. Curxon, however, had higher ambiI tions, and he has since achieved considerable success as a breeder, though the great prises of the Turf have so far eluded his grasp. When poor "Mack* , Robinson died Mr. Curzon had to look around for another trainer, and he picked upon Hobb*. vrhn. lit will be recalled, wa* Itw Fexhill ! trainer's right-hand man. Hohbs left Foxhill and took quarters at Rot.iingdean. Mr. Curzon decided that Rottingdean could be improved upon, and roovfd to Newmarket, purchasing Primrose Lodsre from the Eβrl of Kosehpry. Mr. Cnrron had by this time grown tremendously keen on racing and practically lived at noa-iqnancr*. riding out every morning on to tb« Hoath to sop j hie horses at work. When HobHs and I Mr. Cnrzon parted company the theatrical magnate employed Jack Watts as his trainer, and the combination has proved harmonious and still exists. Watts was at one time a first-cla.s.s jockey, as behoved a son of the rider of Ladas and Persimmon. The weight. however, soon beat him and ho lu.d to retire all too early. If poor o!d Jack ' Watt* had. like liis son. refused to ] "murdor" himtolf bv wasting, be mighl I have lived loti-rer than he <!i<J. Mr. Cnrzon made a fortunate purchase when he bought Comedienne. Not only j has she foaled Call Boy. hut is also re- j sponsible for Comedy King. Ho is a ' s,on of Son-in-Law. but does not pntw-w ! the stamina of hi« sire. At on" iraip Mr. Cnrzon had hopes of Compdy Kinp j winninc a classic, but this proved quite j beyond his powers. He. however, won a ; nnmber of nice prize*, and we make no j doubt will pick up some more this : vea r. i

I Many Successes. ; Mr. Ourzon i» a man of tireless rncrpy. j Ho firmly belive* that the finest form of I j recreation i« bard work. I Hi« theatrical *hccp«.r he* Hern larjrely ' i du<> to the fact that lie re<v;\<vi a «-ound J commercial tmininc in hi* father's bti&iI nf« hefore he aliandoned eomroeroe for I the life of the theatre. Two of hi« rooM ! notjihlo theatrical cur-cecsrc were "The ! Mcßsajrp from Mar'." which bo produced in ron JTjnrJ ion with keen Turfite, the late Sir Charles Hawtrev. 1 and "The Chine** Honeymoon."' which 'in it« day created a recoH. and j« (still affectionately remembered by playpocrs I not yet jniddle-accd. 1 Mr. Cur/on ro*t with the ftaddwt of ill misfortune* rpit* recentlv when he ; lo*t hit \,if<*. t } 1( . i, lo tll .lay. j j one of the jrrcate«t artiMe* in mimical' • comedy who ever lived, j A genial, kindly mhil. Mr. Cur7/>n i* I deservedly popular with all who know j him. and we sincerely wj*h him Call Boy all that they wUh thpm«4>lve«.