Shingle thrown at Fletcher

Press, 26 February 1986, Page 39

Shingle thrown at Fletcher

PA Wellington The Templeton driver, Fred Fletcher, was abused and had shingle thrown at him on Saturday night as angry punters protested at the failure of the favourite, Valencia Boy, in the last race at Hutt Park. Punters’ frustrations showed when Valencia Boy broke and took no part in the race, the last at the Wellington Trotting Club’s meeting.

Fletcher was the target for abuse by about six angry betters who were later confronted and calmed by a course detective.

"Some clown threw shingle at me,” Fletcher said.

“I was just coming off the track when this group — I’m not sure how many there were — started abusing me. “The shingle wasn’t so bad, it was the language. You wouldn’t be able to write any of it in your paper. It was just continual swearing.” Fletcher was uninjured. “It was blowing so hard that I think some of it blew back in the guy’s face,” he said. One punter was caught by a racecourse detective, Mr Rod Carmichael.

“I was just coming back from the swab box when I approached one of them about the bad language,” he said. “I didn’t realise all this shingle throwing business had taken place until one of the club stewards came running up to me while I was talking to them.” One of the group was reported to the police for

disorderly behaviour but Fletcher will not press charges. Fletcher said he had no sympathy for the punters, however. “I never told them to put money on the horse,”

he said. Valencia Boy was placed on the unruly list after Saturday night’s performance and will start from that position on the third night of the Wellington meeting tonight.