N. EASTWOOD TO RETIRE

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28266, 2 May 1957, Page 4

N. EASTWOOD TO RETIRE

Outstanding Jockey

Noel Eastwood, one of New Zealand’s outstanding light-weight jockeys, has had to give up race riding because of a permanent disability—the result of an injury to a

Eastwood was injured when Subside fell in the Havelock Flying Handicap at Hastings on April 6. He was injured in the same leg when kicked by a horse last year, and also in a fall in Australia a few years ago.

Eastwood was a tiny apprentice when he had his first win, on Arctic Circle, in the Chatmos Hack Handicap at Ashburton on May 8, 1948. A little over a year later he gained fame by winning the Caul-

field Cup on Lincoln, and he returned to Australia in 1953 to win the Caulfield Cup on the New Zealand stayer, My Hero. After that race Eastwood was described by one of Melbourne’s leading racing writers as the best lightweight jockey in the world. Altogether, Eastwood rode six winners on metropolitan courses in Australia. In addition to the two Caulfield Cups, he won the Herbert Power Handicap at Caulfield and the Hotham Handicap at Flemington on My Hero. Eastwood did not ride a major cup winner in New Zealand, but he was second on Sweet Spray in an Auckland Cup, second on Earldale in the New Zealand Centennial Cup, won by Calibrate, and third on Finito in the Royal Wellington Cup. Trentham marked some of his most important successes. The most recent of them was at the Wellington autumn, meeting in March, when he won the Hutt Handicap on India, which ran a course record of Imin 35Jsec for a mile. Hush Money, Tamrin, and Declare were outstanding sprinters Eastwood was associated with in their early open class successes at Trentham. He also won the Telegraph Handicap on Hot Drop, the Thompson Handicap on Wally French, and the Wellington Stakes on Ray Ribbon. He rode two Wairarapa Cup winners, Calcutta Sweep and Robin Dayes; won a Timaru Cup on Kettledrum, and the Dunedin Guineas on Magic Carpet. Eastwood was able to ride below 7-0 right through his career, but his quality as a horseman was such that he came out on top in many hard finishes against horses with heavier and stronger jockeys.

Te Rapa Scratchings Maguire’s Bridge and Havoc were scratched yesterday for the Waikato Hurdles at Te Rapa on Saturday. Laurel King (Hamilton Handicap) and Brush (Matangi Hack Hurdles) were also scratched. —(P.A.)