UNIQUE RACING FINISH

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22908, 3 January 1940, Page 4

UNIQUE RACING FINISH

Father and Son Drive Dead Heat

[TROTTERS’ RACE AT ADDINGTON Racing history was made at Addington yesterday, father and son driving a dead-heat in the Hornby Handicap. The occurrence was the more remarkable in that a dead-heat in a race for unhoppled trotters had not been recorded previously, in this country at least. The participants in the superb finish were Free Holmes, driving Timworthy, and his son, Maurice Holmes, behind Gerfalcon. Gerfalcon, which is trained by M. Holmes, won on New Year’s Day, when Timworthy broke and swung wide across the course in the middle stages of the race. Yesterday, a keen tussle between father and son was promised when Timworthy, travelling very fast on the bend, ranged alongside Gerfalcon at the head of the straight. Both drivers settled down to a vigorous and punishing finish. A few yards off the post, the younger driver appeared to have the race won; but responding to the final urging of F. Holmes, Timworthy made the final stride to catch Gerfalcon. The judge was unable -to separate the two horses. Although M. Holmes has followed the calling of his father with success for several years and they have contested innumerable races, they had not been in a dead-heat together before. They have taken part in many close finishes; at a recent meeting at New Brighton the father beat the son, both driving the same horses .as in yesterday’s race. Fifty-three years have passed since F. Holmes first took part in a deadheat. The race was the Midsummer Handicap, of 1887, at Riccarton. He rode Derwenter which ran a dead-heat with Patrician, and the latter won in the run-off. Derwenter carried 6-0; to-day, his driver weighs 11-7. For many years F. Holmes has been a leading trotting breeder, trainer, and driver, and his three sons, Freeman G.. Maurice, and Allan, have also enjoyed a large measure of success.

On one occasion, the father and three sons filled the first four places In a race, and in another race F. Holmes and two of his sons were first, second and third. In another race, the four trainers entered horses; but the veteran was unable to drive, and J. S; Shaw, now a stipendiary steward, took the drive. Shaw and the brothers drove the four placed horses. When an outsider easily won the Progressive Handiflcu, the opening event yesterday, many of the racegoers at Addington predicted that the day would be one on which stronglyfancied horses would be unsuccessful. However, the track, which was slightly holding after the early morning rain, dried out; and keen racing, in which the public were close to the mark in their selections, was seen.