JOCKEY’S FOUR WINS

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26186, 9 August 1950, Page 6

JOCKEY’S FOUR WINS

GREAT RIDING BY M. ANDREWS SPECTACULAR SUCCESS OVER HURDLES With winning rides in the Grand National Hurdles Handicap and the Beaufort Steeplechase yesterday at Riccarton, the 22-year-old jockey, Mervyn B. Andrews, brought .his record in two* days’ racing for events reserved for steeplechase and hurdle horsemen to four wins in major events. On Saturday, Andrews won the Jumpers’ Flat Handicap and the a Grand National Steeplechase. “The boys. are complaining —you re making a habit of winning,” said Mr J. A. C. Fleming, owner of Dawn March, winner of the Grand National Steeplechase, when he congratulated Andrews when the jockey was changing his colours after winning the Grand National Hurdles yesterday on Gay Fellow. A more distinguished run oi successes on steeplechase and hurdle horses at a major meeting in New Zealand has not been enjoyed by any other jockey for 22 years. It was at the Auckland winter meeting in 1928 that Sam Henderson made his feme He rode first Kamehameka, the fourth favourite, to win the Greenlane Steeplechase, and then, on the same day, he won the Great Northern Hurdle Race on the third favourite, Beau Cavalier, on which he > had won the Grand National Steeplechase in 1927, and the Hunt Club Hurdles on the favourite, Glendowie. On the second day, Henderson won the Great Northern Steeplechase on Glendowie. On the third day, he ran second in the Tamaki Steeplechase on Kamehameka and won the Winter Steeplechase on Glendowie.

Andrews has been riding over country for five years, but not even at a minor meeting has he ridden four winners. “That is something all jockeys hope for but do not get,” he remarked yesterday, as his fellow jockeys crowded round him to offer their congratulations. In his four winning rides at Riccarton, Andrews has won £5lOO in stakes for owners. His winning fees have amounted to no less than £443 Bs. In riding Dawn March over 21 jumps in the Grand National Steeplechase, he earned about £212. His fee for riding Gay Fellow to, win the Jumpers’ Flat Handicap was £23 Bs. Yesterday, he took Roman Ned into the lead with six furlongs to run in the Beaufort Steeplechase Handicap to win with ease and to collect £5B 10s. Gay Fellow gave him a very comfortable ride in the Grand National Hurdles Handicap, more than £53 being entered in the fees’ book as due to Andrews. Spectacular Win In the long history of the Grand National Hurdles, few wins more spectacular than that of Gay Fellow, and Andrews, have been recorded, and the chairman of the Canterbury Jockey Club (Mr D. E. Wanklyn), when he made the presentation of the plate to the son of the owner (Mr T. Coltman) praised the horsemanship of Andrews and his superb judgment of pace. Gay Fellow scored a ridiculously easy win against the best hurdlers in the country on a difficult course; the track was sticky down the straight and sloppy'down the back when it thawed out after Monday’s rain and hail and yesterday morning’s record frost for this winter.

Gay Fellow cleared out from the field and drew away whenever any challenges were made. The pace was on all the way. After being left several lengths. Morocco made a brilliant run on the rails to take charge but he was displaced with a mile and a half to run by Gay Fellow. The crowd yelled with excitement when Tremello, a winner of the National Hurdles two years ago, made a challenging run with six furlongs to run but when Tremello fell Gay Fellow was a clear leader and he ran home one of the easiest winners on record. "For the whole journey, I had a perfect ride,” said Andrews after the race. "Gay Fellow jumped to the front with a round to go. He was going very easily and was pulling very hard and trying to go to the front. All I could do was to let him go, as he races best in front.” Andrews was not engaged to ride Gay Fellow until after he had ridden him to win the Jumpers’ Flat Handicap on Saturday. He had ridden the horse at Hamilton and at Auckland. "Don’t say anything about Auckland— I fell there,” he said. Ten years ago, Andrews joined the Awapuni stables of J. J. Waller and he has been riding for eight years. He rode vesterdav at 9-1. Db under his normal weight. It was* the lightest at which he had weighed out this year. He said he had not had to waste severely. Races on the Flat As a lad, he won the New Zealand Cup on Classform, in the memorable finish in which Representative, Don Quex and Palfrey finished almost in line, Don Quex later going on to win the Wellington Cup. Another big race won by Andrews was the Wellington Handicap on the good stayer Longsword. Increasing weight compelled him to ride over country. His major wins his run of successes at Riccafton were the Wellington Steeplechase on Gaiety and the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase on Dawn March. . Andrews, is unmarried. He is very popular with his fellow riders. When he was asked if he followed any sport to keep himself fit, he answered, “none"; his colleagues said: “Mention his football” “This was a wonderful performance by Gay Fellow and Andrews,” said Mr P. Johnston, who first rode in the 1891 Gfand National and is in Christchurch this week as the guest, with Mr W. Naylor (Gisborne) and Mr Free Holmes (Christchurch) of the Canterbury Jockey Club. “I picked him as the winner and when I was telephoning my home in New Plymouth I told them so. I think they were all betting on him, although I did not back him myself, unfortunately. Gay Fellow walked in. and his jumping was firstclass. Andrews can be reckoned among the best riders we have seen.” Mr Thomas Coltman, licensee of the Grand Hotel, Wellington, was not at Riccarton to see his horse, which he bred, win. Off-Day Patronage The restoration of mid-week racing at Riccarton yesterday was very successful. In the pre-war days, the Jockey Club opened its meeting on Tuesday with Grand National' Steeples day, ran the Grand National Hurdles on the Thursday and the Lincoln Steeplechase on the Saturday. The restoration of the full weeks of racing and trotting in Christchurch in August and November has been permitted by the Government. As the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club has decided to race on two later Saturdays, the Jockey Club is racing on a Saturday, Tuesday, and Saturday. Club officials were heartened yesterday when £110,580 was handled by the totalisator against £134.649 10s on the second Saturday last year. The attendance was surprisingly good for an off-day, many visitors from other parts of the Dominion attending.