MEET MR. SOL. GREEN!

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 29, 3 February 1945, Page 4 (Supplement)

MEET MR. SOL. GREEN!

He Laid £100,000 To £1000 In A Winning Double By JOHNNY Round about 60 years ago, on an October afternoon, a lad of 16 years, in Melbourne, had a brainwave—he would be a bookmaker. All his pals were race-minded, so, to give them a chance to show their knowledge of the horses, he procured a small note book, made out a doubles-chart, and laid the odds— £1 to 3d. Years later, in 1907, on the same double, Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, he laid in one bet £100,000 to £1000, and, incidentally, the winning double, Poseidon and Apologue. . . lne cheque was there on settling day. That was probably the biggest, wager ever made in Australasia in one bet. And so we meet Mr. Sol. Green, a "born financier—at least, that is how he described himself to me when chatting in thTlounge of the Grand Hotel on Tuesday. He is not a bookmaker to-day; he put aside his bag, closed down his offices, and wrote "finis" on the day that Posinatus won the Melbourne Cup. That was 32 years ago.

SOL. GREEN'S name is a household word throughout Australia, and almost equally well known in New Zealand. He is widely known in England, too, because of purchases of bloodstock over a long period of years.

a wonderful galloper. Gladsome was a good mare which I bought in New Zealand from Mr. J. B. Reid after she had won the Wellington Cup, which she lost on a protest because she was ridden by an unlicensed apprentice. She won many good races for me, but she was not as good as Wakeful, easily the best mare I have seen race."

To-day, Sol Green is on a visit to the Dominion. He is not here to buy racehorses. No, he came over from Melbourne about three weeks ago to buy Aberdeen Angus heifers, prize cattle, and has secured eight or ten head which will go to Melbourne when shipping space is available. "Could Write a Book" Bookmaker, the biggest in his day, owner, breeder, and now a backer, Mr. Green has had his feet well planted on all the rungs of the turf ladder, and naturally can tell a great story. As the saying goes, "he could write a book on racing," and every line would be read with interest. He knows the sport from A to Z, he knows racing men from all angles, and he knows horses. He has been successful in all its branches, and the thrills he has had out of his association with not only racing, but other sport, too, have been good and plenty. When I say Sol Green is a backer of horses to-day, I do not suggest he is one of those who steps in among the bookmakers at Flemington and puts fear into them. He doesn't, but he likes to have a flutter now and again. He doesn't look for trouble by trying to pick every winner; he doesn't care for the totahsator, and prefers to know before the race the odds to his money. He says you cannot successfully be backer and bookmaker at the same time and make both pay; you have to be one or the other. And he should know. Won Melbourne Cup There is no race in Australia an owner would sooner win than the Melbourne Cup. Fortunes have been spent by men in the hope of securing a horse good enough to win the coveted race. Not only has Sol Green won tho Cup with a horse carrying his colours, but on three other occasions he has given it a "fright." His winner was Comedy King, in 1910. In 1906, Mr. Green purchased in England the brood mare Tragedy Queen, then in foal to Persimmon, and in due course she arrived in Australia. The foal proved to be Comedy King, a first-class galloper which capped some great performances by winning the Cup. He was ridden by W. McLaughlin.

While in the Dominion, Mr. Green took the opportunity of patronising the Wellington Cup meeting, where all the stars of the turf gathered. He was not impressed with tne standard of horses he saw. "I never saw Kindergarten race, so don t know how good he is," said Mr. Green, "but at Wellington I saw nothing of the class of Beau Vite, Gloaming, or Bobrikoff." Sold Brood Mares, for £41,500 For some years Mr. Green has carried on his Underbank Stud Farm in Victoria, and here numerous winners have first seen the light of day. In May last, he decided to sell all his brood mares, and did so for a total of £41,500. Referring again to betting, Mr. Green said that not only was the ring very strong in Sydney and Melbourne to-day, but there was more betting and bigger bettors. However, he did not think any wager approaching the £100,000 to £1000 he laid to Mr. D. H. Smart on the PoseidonApologue combination had been bet by any of the bookmakers of to-day.

"Of course, I didn't hold the total risk of that wager, which was taken by Mr. Smart on behalf of the stable connections," remarked the former Leviathan. "I think there were four in the commission, one of them 3VJr. Cleland, owner of Apologue, and Mr. 'Bill , Lyons, a New Zealander who was a well-known bookmaker at one time in Auckland. The double won, but I am convinced Apologue could have won both cups."

Mi*. Green did not hit the ring hard, because, he says, Comedy King was considered not quite right that day. There was just something which restrained the stable from regarding the Cup as a good thing for the horse, otherwise he would have been backed to win many thousands.

Asked why he gave up bookmaking, Mr. Green said the business! grew too big. "It would have driven me mad had I not retired 32 years ago.. Do you know, my turnover was over a million pounds a year?" It Isn't True Most people not interested in racing are inclined to believe that men closely associated with racing, and particularly bookmakers, are hard, tough and selfish. It is a pity they should think so, because it isn't true."

Sixteen years later, Mr. Green considered he had a great chance of winning his second Cup. This was with the New Zealand-bred horse Naos, weighted at 7.0, and which had been well tried. Naos ran a great race but was beaten by an outstanding galloper in Spearfelt, a grandson of Carbine. Spearfelt carried 9.3 and ran the two miles in 3.223, which equalled the record for the race, established by Windbag the previous year. Backed For a Fortune Twelve months later to the day, Mr. Green had another in the Cup. This was Son o' Mine, a good performer weighted at 8.0. This time the stable was confident of pulling off the event, and Son o' Mine was backed for a fortune. Again Dame Fortune frowned on the stable and Son o' Mine was beaten into third place. In 1928, the Melbourne millionaire —for that is what he is—had Strephon in the Cup. A son of Saltash and Soldier's Love, Strephon was nicely weighted at 7.6. In his special preparation Strephon had done all asked of him, but unfortunately a few days before the race he went a little off colour.

There are some things Mr. Green didn't mention. For instance, every Christmas for years past he has handed a cheque for £1000 to the State Relief in Melbourne, which money is expended in the purchase of blankets for the poor of Melbourne and two of its suburbs, Fitzroy and Collingwood. The purchase and distribution is in the hands of a committee of women who see that the blankets go to the people most in need of them. . ,

Mr. Green also gave £50,000 to assist in the building of homes for returned servicemen, the deposit to be the amount of deferred pay to the returned man's credit, and payment of the balance spread over 15 years without interest. The trustees are Sir Keith Murdoch, Mr. A. J. Fraser, and Mr. H. W. Buckley. The fund is to go on for ever.

"It was not serious," said Mr. Green, "but enough to make the difference between winning and losing. Had Strephon been right at his best that day, no Statesman would have won. Strephon was second."

And so we leave Mr. Sol. Green, financier, bookmaker, backer, philanthropist, and what have you. And above all a real sportsman. How better could one describe any man?

111-fated Enterprise

Only a three-year-old and undoubtedly a great galloper and stayer, Strephon was considered good enough to send to England to take on the best the Old Country could produce. Plans were made, every possible detail attended to, and Strephon duly placed aboard a steamer. But, as so often has been shown, the best laid plans are apt to go astray and something unforeseen happen. And so it was in the case of Strephon. The trip was a tragedy.

When in the Red Sea, Strephon was on a ship which broke a shaft and was "anchored" for 21 days in the almost boiling sun on the deck. He rapidly lost condition, and, when eventually landed in England, was found to be broken-winded. A tragic ending to a courageous undertaking! Gothic His Best Horse In addition to those mentioned above! Mr. Green owned other great gallopers. "Gothic, an English importation, was the best horse I ever had," said Mr. Green. "He was