RACING "Fred Archer Of The South” Has Good Day

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30156, 13 June 1963, Page 4

RACING "Fred Archer Of The South” Has Good Day

A physical resemblance hlone did not earn for Arthur Didham the title “Fred Archer of the south’’ when he was riding successfully in the 1930’s and 1940’5.

He was a skilful race rider and seemed to know what every other horse in the race was doing besides his own.

Long before he retired from race riding he took to training with equal success, and he has had a long list of good gallopers through his hands.

Amorlad and Field Chief, both owned by Mr Duncan McFarlane, of Christchurch, were two big winners for the stable. And in Mighty Dollar, owned by Mr J. H. George. Didham had a sprinter of exceptional quality.

M.ghty Dollar won several good races, and few who were at Trentham on that Saturday in March. 1956, will forget his terrific run right from the back to win the Thompson Handicap under 9-3

Mighty Dollar’s family was in the news at Wingatui'last Saturday when the two-year-old Golden Century ran away from the others for victory by five lengths in the Electric Stakes.

Golden Century's dam is Dollar Girl, a younger sister of Mighty Dollar. Dollar Girl did nothing of any account in a brief racing career, but like some other Treasure Hunt mares she might achieve fame as a producer

Golden Century is a two-year-old by Cassock, and he might be high class. Arthur Didham. who had been steadily building up another team at Wingatui since he returned from Sydney a year or two back, must have given stable supporters cause for celebration when he also saddled Highland Fair to win the Tainui Improvers’ Handicap on last Saturday’s j Wingatui programme. Races won by Golden Cen-' fury and Highland Fair] formed the on-course double ' and the stablemates were at: odds of better than 40 to one. Japanese Market A New Zealand businessman who visited Japan and saw racing there recently feels there is a wonderful market for our thoroughbreds in Japan But he thinks New Zealanders must get out and sell, instead of sitting “on the top rail and waiting for their buyers to come here" Writing from Hamburg,! Germany, this New Zealander [ said he had attended several' meetings in Japan, and had i found them well conducted. I Racecourses had modern: buildings, stands, and amenities. and in one or two cases the picturesque displays and settings exceeded in beauty some of the best New Zealand courses. “Horse racing, both galloping and trotting, is growing in popularity in Japan, an ' attendances up to 50,000) are not uncommon." he I writes “Racing stakes are quite; substantial and art one meeting I a ttended ait Kyoto the Emneror's Birthday Ha nd'cap S akes was worth £12.000 in our money and there are also many other valuable races “When one thinks of the huge population of Japan, almost 100 million, one realises that the volume of offcourse betting must be far greater than the on-course betting. Very modest bets may be made "

Our corresponden't thinks times are slower in Japan than New Zeeland. He feels that the Japanese are looking for good thoroughbred horses

and have the money to buy them

“In some way you must attract the buyers to our sales. Some way to get the net round a few interested buyers would be well worth investigating. We are always being told we are short of overseas funds. Why not try selling something which is in world class?”

The correspondent encloses a card of racing fixtures for the first half of the present year

From January until the end of June there are 114 days' racing on the five principal courses, and there are many smaller meetings, too. There are two main racecourses in the Tokyo area and they provide 57 days’ racing from the start of January to the end of June.

ilie Tokyo racecourse is an hour and a half's car drive from the centre of the capital, and the Nakayama track is an hour’s drive from the city.

Australian Impression

The European horseman. John Ciechanowski. was assigned to go to Australia late last year and engage a suitable jockey for the prominent French owner. Mr Andre Rueff. who wen the Grand Prix de Paris and the Ascot Gold Cup with Balto He spent several weeks in Sydney, rode work for some of the big stables, and saw much of the racing and associated activities. Some of his impressions:— Of the top horses in Maurice McCarter's Randwick stable: "The grand condition and kindness of these animals was particularly striking, and for the first time I saw oaten hay. that is oats, cut green and fed as hay ’’ On a trainer: "T. J Smith, who. with his brothers <a team reminiscent of the O'Brien clan in Ireland), runs a ruthlessly efficient training stable on the principle that ‘if the horses are not up to standard, out they go.’ works, individually and obviouslv successfully. 50 horses in 60 minutes every morning with two large stop watches, one in each hand, and no list to consult"

On management: “The general standard of professional competence and knowledge from the committeemen down through the stipendiary stewards, course inspectors in various capacities, trainers, jockeys, and apprentices, is of an exceptionally high order. The severity of the penalties meted out is therefore in direct relationship to the really unusual degree of influence and confidence the committeemen and stewards wield, inspire and enjoy ‘Though nothing is perfect anywhere, and as Damon Runyon put it. ‘Racing is the same everywhere but different.’ in Australia the ‘difference’ from racing in most parts of the world no

doubt lies in the quite exceptional degree of professional polish displayed on every level of activity. The only exception to this happy state is, to my mind, to be found in steepleehaeing.” Mir Ciechanowski engaged the successful Melbourne jockey. Roy Higgins, for the French owner.