Old-Time Jockey’s First Cup For 50 Years

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29046, 7 November 1959, Page 6

Old-Time Jockey’s First Cup For 50 Years

A short, balding man with a sporty but greying goatee beard leaned forward on an easy chair In his hotel lounge yesterday afternoon and said: ‘‘l’m really looking forward to tomorrow. It'D be my first cup for 50 years.” The man was Mr R. Young, an old-time jockey, who now lives at Bulls. Tomorrow, for him, will be a probably unique double anniversary. ft is 50 years since he watched a race meeting at Riccarton, and half a century almost to the day since he won the New Zealand Cup on Lady Lucy. That Mr Young will see the cup at all is due. mainly, to the efforts of two Bulls publicans—Mr T. Probyn, of the Criterion Hotel, and Mr K. Gattrell, of the Rangitikei Hotel—who organised a fund to cover his expenses. All the sports clubs In Bulls contributed.

Mr Young, with his wife, flew to Christchurch on Thursday and will go home on Monday. Before he leaves he hopes to have a reunion with several old friends —"Free” Holmes, at 88 the oldest licensed trainer in the country; F. D. Jones, trainer of more than 500 winners and a successful old-time jockey; and Mr J. R. Franks, for whom Young piloted Heorthen to within a head of victory In the 1908 New Zealand Cup. Win in 1909 "Bob" Young was 18 years old and one of five race riding brothers when he rode F. Tilley’s Lady Lucy to an easy win In the cup of 1909. "I set some sort of record for those days at the meeting,” he said yesterday. “On the second day I won the Criterion Handicap on Kiilndlnl, and right afterwards I was rushed from the course and Into a hansom cab, which took me to the station to catch the boat train. ”1 went across on the ferry that night, rode at Carterton the next day—Tuesday—and won the Wairarapa Cup, on Equltas. I was back at Riccarton on the Wednesday and won the Jockey Club Handicap on Ringdove.” Mr Young served In the First World War, and took up riding again for a while after he came home. War Injuries and a nervous disability caused by them restricted his career, and he had hls last ride in a race at a Bulls meeting 32 years ago“My nerves went completely after a while and I just couldn’t continue riding,” he said. "I didn’t want to work as a stable-hand, so I completely cut my ties with racing.” Mr Young worked for a long time for the Manawatu County. Council and is now living in retirement at Bulls. He is one of two surviving Young brothers. The other, Wallace Young, with whom he had many riding battles in the early 1900’s, is now a trainer at Hastings.