RECORD DOUBLES DIVIDEND

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26362, 5 March 1951, Page 6

RECORD DOUBLES DIVIDEND

£8179 AT MASTERTON ONE 10/- TICKET HELD ON WINNING COMBINATION

"The Press" Special Service WELLINGTON' March 4. Mr Bong Kee, a 52-year-old Chinese labourer, was the only ticket-holder in a New Zealand record totalisator double of £8179 17s. returned by the Shamus-Pierre combination at the Masterton Racing Club’s autumn meeting on Saturday. In a pool of £4t4B IQs, 184 tickets were taken out, on Shamus in the first leg of the double, the James Memorial Handicap. Bong Kee’s- 10s ticket on Shamus was the only one reinvested on Pierre in the second leg, the Waimana Handicap, and he received the entire amount of the pool available for redistribution, £4089 18s 6d. Mr Bong Kee, a pleasant-faced man of medium bulla, is married, with four children, and has lived to the Masterton district for many years. He is employed in the fertiliser department of the Waingawa freezing works, and formerly was engaged as a labourer on the Masterton Borough Council staff. He is described by a foreman under whom he formerly worked as an assiduous worker and popular among other employees because of his cheery nature. Mr Bong Kee has been in New Zealand for about 30 years, and like many of his countrymen he has had a weakness for racing. He said on Saturday that he had spent too much of his wages on racehorses, but now he had got almost the lot back in one stroke. He backed Shamus in the first leg because it had come a long way—iron Auckland —and he took Pierre in the second leg because it was a good horse, and he had backed it many times at Auckland. Awapuni. Levin, and Tauherenikau. and also at Trentham and Christchurch, where it had been successful during the last year. Asked what he might do with the money. Mr Bong Kee said he did no: xnow, but it would be handy to help establish his family. Soon after the dividend at the rate of £8179 17s for £1 was posted, there was a rush to the pay-out side of the totalisator of patrons who wished to see the lucky investor. Mr Bong Kee, however, presented himself at the secretary’s office, where he surrendered his ticket, and was informed that he would be paid bv cheque. Apart from some initial excitement Mr Bong Kee took his windfall calmly. His face wreathed in smiles, he remained in the office answering questions until assured that he would receive his dividend from the office by cheque on Monday. He was accompanied by a young countryman whose elation suggested that he might have had a share in the ticket, but it transpired that his jov was occasioned by the good fortune of his friend whom, he said, had followed the horses for many years without enjoying much luck.

First Win to 23 Races Shamus. a five-year-old gelding by Jovial Son. is raced, by Mr F. Olney and is trained at Auckland by H. Moore. Shamus had raced nine times this season without being placed before scoring his surprise win on Saturday. In fact, he had been beaten on 22 occasions since scoring his la»l win in the Waikato Hack Cup at Te Rapa in November. 1949. He was ridden by the Trentham horseman. K. Ford, and paid £32 9s 6d on the win totalisator. Pierre, winner of the second leg. is one of the .top class mile handicap horses in training. This was his first race since he competed at the Wairarapa meeting on New Year s Day. He was ridden by the trainer a son, the apprentice R. Hawthorne, who scored his first win. Though he had been working to splendid style at Trentham last week.-Pierre was neglected on the totalisator. and he paid a win dividend of £44 3s. . The previous New Zealand record for a doubles dividend was £7948 9s for £l. returned by the Red Em-peror-Maida Dillon combination at Addington to . November, when there were three winning 10s tickets. Th>best doubles dividend paid at a g«uloping meeting before Saturday was £7192 16s. returned by Duke Royal and Conspiracy at Waikato last May. On that occasion there were two winni Mr X D. a well-known New was' presented by a woman from Mount Albert, Auckland, who refused to disclose her identity. A Hamilton Chinese fruiterer. Mr George.Lim. got a W®* return that day for his £5 each way on Conspiracy on the win-and-place totalisator For his investment he received £ TTw Masterton dividend falls short of some paid in other parts of the world Odds of 35.598 to one were returned by Jockey, Treble and Caughoo on the Lincolnshire Handl cap—Grand National Steeplechase double in England in . 1947.