BILLY DUNCAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 307, 28 December 1935, Page 5 (Supplement)

BILLY DUNCAN.

Rated Among the Greatest All-Round Riders.

jjillv Duncan was the greatest allround jockey I have ever seen, writes Richard liradfield in an Australian dally. I have to take off my hat to him.

It is my opinion, ana I have had numbers of good boys through my hands, that the pick of the present day riders could be classed with the best of the past.' I c '° know that there are not so many good boys now as there were, but I think racegoers are prone to decry the riders of to-day.

In a matter of finesse in a weight-for-or classic race I would have backed Tom Hales to beat most of the present day riders, but we have our Haleses to-day-

I do not compare Duncan with Frank Pempscy, Frank Bullock and Bob Lewis jn the matter, of style, but as an allround rider of winners he stood alone.

It mattered not whether it was a handicap, weight-for-age, or a Derby, vou could be sure Duncan would bo there with his mount in a handy position. He never, if he could help it, asked too much of a horse.

Fitness and the will to win were two of his greatest assets, and the fact that lie was never beaten until the post was passed contributed largely to his success.

Duncan was a great winner of races, ami. after all. that is a jockey's job.

I have told how he won the Melbourne Cup-on Nightwatch when no other jockey could have, but I think his greatest achievement was on Peter Pan when ht» won the Melbourne Cup in 1932. I was iasa. unique position to see the race. Just before the turn I saw Peter Pan get a knock, and I passed him out «f the race, but Duncan steadied him, only to get a harder and worse knock, and Peter Pan was down. Yes, down, but not out. The combination of a colt full of pluck and a determined good rider was there, and Peter was on the job again. It was an amazing performance as I saw it, and I have to give great credit to both rider and horse.

Luck running with you is a great thin". I remember Frank Bullock once struck a patch of "outs" and nothing would.go right, but when.he once rode a winner again he was right on top.

A Heady Rider. Bullock was another great rider with whom I was associated. You could class Frank as a rider of the old heady type in modern times. ; Style and ability went hand, in hand with him.

/flic difference between the oldtimer aiid the jockey of to-day is mainly in the matter of "horse sense." Finesse and ttfptics were part and parcel of the races ofyesterday, whereas to-day it is-rush and hustle 'from the start, and I think many .riders dp. not know where they are from the. moment the barrier goes up. .oii„the track, too, ..Tom pales. Bob Lettish Frank Dempsey, Bullock, "\V. H. Mc'Scltliui, '' Wally Hfßiirn and Norman GodsbV cut no coi-i'iens on,the tracks; but matter. They could tell voit just what value the gallop was, how the horse went, and,- when more than one iridloped, just how one compared with the, other. , Of the riders I have been closely associated with I think Frank Dempsey and Bob Lewis are the only two now riding who can ride a good gallop. The trouble now is that boys are too anxious to make times. They are out to ; convince you how fast a horse is, and they want the ride. That leads to a lot of trouble, and I have seen many rows over gallops. . . I remember, many years ago, I had a horse named Catspaw, owned by the late Mr. S. R. Bloomfleld, and the late John Jfttvo, of Lord. Cardigan fame,, had Toxiath, by Lochiel, here, and he asked me-to gallop Catspaw with his horse. - The boy on Mayo's lioree slipped aw*y arid won pulling up by 100 yds I saw what had happened, but Mr. Bloomfleld was disappointed with Catspaws showing and wanted- him scratched • for his cngageihemts. . I ; managed to convince him of what had happened', and Catspaw won two raw* at the meeting. One morning two well-known trainers agreed to gallop their respective, horseshalf a mile Jn 'about 54«. One won easily in 325, and the other trainer wen. straight up and hit his erstwhite friend on the jaw. All because of a gallop that did not really mean anything. Tdie Adelaide fellows are the'boys to -allop horses with. They .will let your horse win. You cannot, beat the Totelanders, rt'ro"'* Good riders ride - bad races. O Brien and-Rainnge on Carbine, were outstanding examples, but nearer home I have seen Jim Pike, one of our greatest riders, make mistakes.

'$_>:■ ■ Set Big Task. Toil should have seeu how annoyed Fraiik McGrath was when- Pike did not move soon, enough on Peter Pan in the A.J.C. St. Leger. • He had laid . £200 to £100 on the chestnut, and Pike stood him up a decent task. ;'-.'■" Of course, Pike knew what he was about, and he Won easily enough, but it floes not dispose of the fact that he had given Peter a harder, race than was necessarv. .

A good jockey is. a great help to a trainer,-just'as a good owner is. There is no need to give him instructions, and you can rely that he will tell the truth about what happened in a race. He makes no attempt to disgtiisd'a mistake. I haVe never had any trouble with jockeys. I have found them always to ; \» of good principle. Gentlemen, yea—not all, of course, but you will get. Hie good and bad in all professions. i Have found riders generally to be men and bovs I could trust. 7 Frank Deinpsev needs no introduction. 1 do not think he has a peer at present to races that require a brainy rider. , Harold Skklmore, Voitre, Arthur Dewfirst, Breaslev, Darby Munro and Maurice MeCarten are all good presentday riders who could hold their own ■kith most riders of the past. I think % two Sydney riders, with Pike and SSnpsev, might be the best. . Jocke'vs are sometimes hampered by Instructions. Some 40 years ago Power, Vdio rode Patron, begged of Mr. Purchee b allow him to ride the horse to win the Champion Stakes, but Mr. Pinches fras so wrapped up in Portsea that he Ranted to make a certainty of it, find Power had nothing to do but to follow tlie owner's instructions. It was 100 in the shade, and a cruel tliiug to 'do. but Power carried out his iob' to the letter. Horse after horse tackled, Patron, but he carried on gamely an <l did'lris task so well that Portsea

FAMOUS TURF RIDERS.

came on at the finish and won easilv, while Patron, who had a penalty, tired to third place.

Patron was a horse that was badlv used. He ran twice one day up the straight at Flemington.

Mr. Purches raced . Portsea twice one clay at the Y.R.C. meeting. It was no wish of mine. He carried 9.12 and Was beaten a head by Donation in the Y.K.C. Handicap, and then came out with 9.5 in the Canterbury Plate (2| miles). Royalty, ■was an odds-on favourite, but Power, on Patron, a great judge of pace, slowed the pace down for a mile and a quarter, and then slipped away. Royalty's rider thought he was pace-making and fell for the trap.

Portsea bucked me off the next morn tag.

Claude Anderson was one of the best riders that have been through my hands, •but Harold Jones, the two Badgers, H. and C, and Arthur Dewhurst have all been successful riders.

I have been rather successful with boys, but I give to .them the credit. A boy largely "makes himself." A wonderful worker who battles for himself generally comes out on top.

Riding is not an easy job. It is much harder here than in England. Both Bullock and Dempscy have told me that.

I have never really been keen on jumpers, although I have had a few good ones through my hands. Tom Corrigan was the best rider I saw over fences, and ,T. E. Brewer the best hurdle race rider. Jim Seobie and Fred Burn were two other great riders over the country, but in more recent years the late Colin Boyd, Bob Inkson, Tom Butler, Alex Fullarton and L. J. Hynes, have been outstanding. It is not easy to compare past riders with the present, as styles, are so different. Everything is different, but to me those of to-day would have held their own 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago.