Actor drawn by races

Press, 16 November 1981, Page 1

Actor drawn by races

A fondness for a flutter at the races was the reason for the English entertainer, Derek Nimmo, arriving in Christchurch.

< He has managed to combine the Melbourne Cup in Australia with a quick cabaret tour of New Zealand. Naturally, Saturday was spent watching the New Zealand Cup at Riccarton.

“It was not an unqualified success,” said Mr Nimmo. But the mountain scenery and the azaleas were compensation. The day could have been a financial success if he had trusted his "desperation” betting system. Reciting “Dear Mr Skinner, give me a winner” and then letters of the alphabet, he ended up with his finger on Hiwinui, but took a tip on Valeri. Hiwinui won at 25 to one.

Mr Nimmo, a social race : goer, has attended race meetings throughout the world, but one of the most amazing sights he has seen was the stable of . two Armenian refuse collector moguls in Hollywood. Brothers Lenny and Sammy carpeted their loose-boxes and installed crystal chandeliers in the corridor. Horses had gold name-plates on the doors and whiled away time listening to country and western music on their personal stereos. Mares in foal were soothed with quadrophonic lullabies. “It was a kind of Hilton of the equine world,” said Mr Nimmo. His roughest day at the races was at a picnic meeting 240 km east of Alice Springs. Eighteen horses were entered, in 12 races

running around the track in permutations of four. “The 4.15 ran at 3.30 to give more time for drinking,” he said. A dance was held after the races for those left standing but the only crowd was in the one permanent building — a jail.

Taking a top hat to the Melbourne Cup was not easy. Mr Nimmo wore it continuously to prevent damage on the long journey and he admits it looked a little incongruous teamed with a safari suit at Middle East stops.

His monocle was another travelling must. ■“I am totally myopic and I have glasses but I sit on them,” he said. Several visits to .New Zealand have also taught Mr Nimmo a few lessons. On the advice of the actor, Robert Morley, he refrains from rude comments about whitebait and no longer waits for people to return after they have said, “See you later.” At present he runs 11 theatres round the world which bring West End plays to unlikely places such as Saudi Arabia' and Bangkok. Mr Nimmo is entertaining guests at the Chateau Regency until Wednesday when he will fly to his next venue in Wellington.