Australian Makes Record Offer For Champion Pacer

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27435, 23 August 1954, Page 4

Australian Makes Record Offer For Champion Pacer

A prominent Perth owner and breeder, Mr W.S. Meek, has offered more than £lO,OOO for the ehampion pacer, Rupee. Mr Mack, who arrived in Christchurch on Friday from Auckland. made the offer before Rupee won the £lOOO Loulsson Handicap at the New Zealand Metropolitan, trotting Club's meetins at Addtaston op Saturday. . i ' ■■■ < ■,

“That would be near enough to correct." said Mr Mack, when asked by “The Press" whether the eash offer for Rupee was £lO,OOO. Mr Mack, has also agreed to pay Mr J. Grice, the Tinwald breeder, owner, and trainer of .Rupee, half the winning stake attached to the Grand Pinal of the Inter-Dominion Championship at

Auckland in February provided the horse wins; Half of the winning stake at the filial Would amount to just under £4OOO, which would bring the total price to about £14,000, the largest amount-that has ever been offered for a pacer or a trotter in New Zealand. I

Mr Grice had .made no decision oh Saturday, Mr Mack said, and he did not expect to get a reply until after he had returned to Australia on Wednesday. Mr Grice declined to discuss the after the^horX? 1 ' 1 ' 08011 ''* ° n S,turd,iy Rupee would stay in New Zealand and contest the New Zealand Trotting Cup in November, to be followed by the Inter-Dominion Championship meeting at Auckland in February if negotiations were completed, said Mr Mack. The horse would then continue to race in New Zealand, but he would be taken to Australia for major hand!-

Plans for Driver The Tinwald driver, D. J. Townley, who has driven Rupee in all his races, would probably be retained by Mr Mack to drive the horse. Mr Mack was impressed by Townley’s handling Pi the horse in his race on Saturday. Commenting on Rupee’s win on Saturday, Mr Mack said he thought he was a most brilliant pacer, but ~A u* toalian champion. Ribands, a better horse. Mr Mack, who will complete a world tour when he returns to Australia on Wednesday, has, during the last few month* seen lrt S t !S. K 2“ the United States. England, and Europe, and he considers Ribands the most spectacular pacer he has ever seen.

Mr Mack** visit io Addington bn Saturday was his first to a trotting meeting in Ifetr Zealand. The meeting was very well controlled, and the standard of racing was as good as. any be had seen, he said. One of the best-known racing men in Western Australia, Mr Mack has about 20 trotters in work and also about 30 gallopers. Evan' if he fail* to purchase Rupee, Mr Mack will visit the Inter-Dominion Championship meeting at Auckland next February, “I have left a complete get of clothing in-. Auckland, so I win have to come back to collect that" he said. He is contemplating bringing the well-performed Australian pacer, Raider Almont, to race at Auckland. By Raider from Almont Wilkes, Raider Almont was bought a few months *gO by Mr Mack for £4OOO. ' Rupee's Record „ Rupee, one of the greatest pacers ever produced in New Zealand, is how- being rated by many trotting enthusiasts as another Highland Fling. On Saturday when he won the Louisson Handicap he gained his tenth win from 11 starts. He had had nine successive wins when he was beaten by half a head by Excelsa in the Autumn Stakes at Addington last April. Rupee earned £lO4O as a result of his win on Saturday, bringing his total stakeearnings to £7045. Rupee began racing as a two-year-old, and he was undefeated in three ■tarts. He did not race from June until the New Zealand Derby in November, and he won Just as easily as he had won his other races. He won the New Zealand Champion and New Zealand Futurity Stakes at his only other appearances, that season. Last season he won his first three race* before being beaten by Excelsa. ■ Before Saturday Rupee’s racing had been restricted aolely to classic and semi-classic events. Rupee is a fine-looking flve-year-qld bay horse by the New Zealand-bred stallion Gold Chief, winner of the New Zealand Derby . Stakes and other races, from Canister, by Jack Potts from a mare by Logan Pointer. The blood of Prince Imperial, which figure* a* the sire of Rupee’s fourth dam, appears in the pedigree of many champion* of both the pacing and trotting gaits. Canister is also the dam of Lynbeme, which won the Oamaru Juvenile Stakes as a two-year-old, and Daybreak, a winner at the trotting gait.