RACING Australians In Force At South Island Sale

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31736, 20 July 1968, Page 6

RACING Australians In Force At South Island Sale

The Christchurch bloodstock manager, Mr D. B. Clarkson, returned from Australia this week confident of strong overseas interest in the inaugural South Island thoroughbred sale on August 5.

Mr Clarkson said there would be buyers from Manila and Australia at the sale, and if vendors were realistic about meeting the market “we will sell every horse in the catalogue.” But he added this wanting: “Just because there will be Australians here vendors shouldn’t think for a minute that they will buy anything at fantastic prices. "If vendors start trebling their prices we won't sell many at all and that will be the end of it. If everyone co-operates and gets the sale off the ground in its first year everyone will benefit.” In the last three weeks Mr Clarkson has travelled extensively in New South Wales and Queensland. He spoke with racing men and thoroughbred breeders from all the eastern Australian states and found a wide interest in the offerings at the

sale, which will be neld in I Christchurch two days after < the Grand National Steeple- 1 chase. I In Sydney, Mr Gordon Hercus, travel manager for City i Tattersails Club, is planning ' to bring a party of club members to Christchurch for the sale and the opening days of the Grand National carnival at Riccarton. Support Promised Mr Jack Ashley, an executive member of City Tattersails Club, told Mr Clarkson: | "We’ll give you every bit of | support we can to get this I sale off the ground.”

1 Mr Ashley, who met Mr | Clarkson when he visited ;New Zealand for the last Inter-Dominion trotting meeting in Christchurch, is one of many Sydney men planning to attend the sale. Through the efforts of Mr I Ashley, Mr Clarkson met j many owners personally, and I through the co-operation of I radio executives in Sydney he I was able to sell the story of | the sale and the Canterbury ‘Jockey Club's big jumping races to many thousands of j others. I From three Sydney racei courses he was interviewed on inter state radio networks, either before or after the I main race on the programmes, and in up to 10 minutes on the air he had valuable opportunities to talk about the sale and the Grand National carnival. Radio Interviews Then men largely responsible for helping Mr Clarkison to put South Island “on 'map” in the radio interviews were Messrs George Breen. [John Tapp, Ray Conroy, and [Des Hoysted. Mr Conroy was a guest commentator at Addington when | he visited the Inter-Dominion 'championships the year Massacre won the pacing final. | At Harold Park Mr Conroy interviewed Mr Clarkson 1 for 10 minutes over Radio 2KY just before the main race of the evening. This was on an inter-state network and would have been beard by many thousands.

Mr Hoysted interviewed Mr Clarkson over Station 2UE at Warwick Farm, and the interview with Mr Tapp went over Station 2GB from a midweek meeting at Canterbury. “I had those and many other invaluable opportunities to get the story over, and there’s no doubt, judging from the inquiries and requests for catalogues, that they got the message,” Mr Clarkson said yesterday. Mr John McCallum, a Sydney business man with extensive racing interests and Mr Clarkson’s host on a visit to the spelling paddocks at White Gate Stables, a model establishment owned by Mr Charles Feneck at Bowral, said he, with three friends, would fly to Christchurch for the racing and the sale. Interested Owner On a visit to the stables of the leading Australian trainer. T. J. Smith, Mr Clarkson

was closely questioned by Mr Neville Begg about the filly

by Summertime from Yearly which is expected to top the sale. Mr Begg paid $39,000 at the Sydney sales last year for High Sierra, whose dam Blooming, is a three-quarter sister to the Summertime filly in the Christchurch sale. Members of the Foyster family, who have spent millions of dollars on yearlings in New Zealand and Australia in the last two years, have also asked for sale catalogues, and they may be represented at the sale by Mr L. Goodyer, who has been closely associated with many of the family’s racing activities. Mr Clarkson said that Mr A. Jones, of Sydney, who bought the top-priced trotting yearling at the sales earlier this year and is racing the former South Island gallopers, Baloney and Mephisto, in Sydney, also intends to return to Christchurch for the thoroughbred sale. Mr J. Ingham, who paid $32,000 for an Alcimedes — Brillante colt at Trentham last January, and Mr Maurice Messara, Mr Cyril Maloney, and the trainers, R. W. Roden and Jack Green were some of many other Sydney men showing interest in sale entries. Mr Clarkson was in Bris-

bane for the Doomben meeting and with “magnificent” assistance from Messrs V. P. (Mo) Bernard, Kevin Young, John Rosenthall, Keith Noud, and others, he met many more owners and breeders likely to be interested in the South Island sale. The Queensland bloodstock firm of MacTaggart’s, which was active, especially for fillies at the national sales, will be represented in Christchurch. Other Queenslanders showing interest in the catalogue include Messrs F. Best, P. Allotta, G. Boland, P. Gallagher, R. Darnoc, and R. Meyer.