Race Without The Favourite

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29715, 8 January 1962, Page 10

Race Without The Favourite

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, Jan. 7.

Misadventures marked the start of the Maungatautari Handicap at the Cambridge Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday.

Backers of Knave, the hot favourite in the 13-furlong race, had no chance of receiving a dividend. When the field was dispatched by the starter, Mr J. Gavin, Knave’s driver, W. R. Scott, was not in the sulky. Knave had drawn No. 2 position.

The other horses had travelled more than a furlong before Scott gained his seat. Scott made a brief attempt to go after the field but the chase was hopeless and he pulled Knave up at the end of half a mile.

The stipendiary committee held an inquiry into the incident. Later it issued a state-

ment which said Mr Gavin had said that he “did not see Scott out of the sulky” when he started the race. The statement said: “Mr Gavin was advised that more care must be taken in future, even though a capacity field was on the front line.” In addition, the race was started while the totalisator was still open. The totalisator manager, Mr D. Calderwood, of Hamilton, said tonight that he was preparing to give the order to close the machine when he heard the announcer

describing the start of the race.

“I immediately gave the signal to close the totalisator,” he said, “and it was only a matter of seconds before the mechanic dashed to the control room and pressed the button which stopped the machine.

“The field had probably gone about two furlongs by that time.”

He said no instruction was given from the totalisator to raise the balloon, thus showing the totalisator had closed. The race was won by Grand Union, a rank outsider, which paid £24 9s 6d.