Saved from petfood for the Melbourne Cup

Press, 12 September 1987, Page 35

Saved from petfood for the Melbourne Cup

NZPA correspondent NICK BROWN Sydney An old racehorse, saved from the ignominy of being processed into petfood, is being prepared for Australasia’s premier race — the sAusti.2sM Melbourne Cup.

Sydney owner, Peter Hollweck, has stunned Australian racing pundits by declaring the 12-year-old gelding, Danelaw, as a first acceptor for both the Melbourne Cup (3200 m and the sAust627,ooo Caulfield Cup (2400 m Hollweck bought Danelaw, by New Zealand sire, Sir Dane, from Joy San, for sAust36o at a knackery sale in 1985 and has spent sAust6oo in entry and declaration fees for the feature races. Danelaw resumed racing in the new season after a four and a half year absence. However, in all four starts at country meetings in New South Wales, Danelaw appears to have

vindicated his previous owner’s decision to send him to the knackery. He finished so far behind the field each time that his margin could not be recorded.

“It’s a joke — it would be like me going to the Olympics to run against Ben Johnson," one rather portly Australian racing journalist remarked on the Danelaw connections’ Melbourne Cup ambitions.

Hollweck admits it would take a miracle for Danelaw to become one of the 24 starters for the Melbourne Cup. “I know what people are going to say, but it was something I felt I should do or I never would have forgiven myself,” he said. Hollweck originally bought Danelaw when he was looking for a big horse to use as a hack. It was only after researching Danelaw’s history over 12 months that Hollweck discovered that he was a racehorse and brother to Daneson, which finished third to Gala Supreme and Glengowan

in the 1973 Melbourne Cup.

“From what I’d been able to find out, Danelaw had never suffered any serious injuries or broken down and I decided earlier this year to give him another chance on the racecourse,” he said.

A succession of trainers had previously failed to bring the best out of the temperamental Danelaw, although he managed six wins, 13 seconds and five thirds from 63 starts before being retired after finishing last over 1600 m at Coffs Harbour in February 1983. Hollweck persuaded Sydney trainer, Evelyn Fox, to see if she could guide Danelaw to a comeback after his long spell in the paddock. “His muscles tied up a terrible lot to begin with. He had muscles that hadn’t been used for years,” she said. “He had a very bad record attitude-wise. We found that the more you didn’t chastise him the better he got on with it. I think probably he had

been over-chastised.” She said he still had a mental problem. In all four races under her training he got to a certain point and then stopped trying. "He just spits out the bit,” she said.

In his la£t race over 2000 m at Hawkesbury last week, Danelaw’s tote odds tumbled from more than 300-1 to start at 6-1.

The previous day Danelaw had featured on a television show, which filmed him training impressively on a bush track but omitted to mention his three previous failures since resuming his racing career.

Hollweck is undeterred by those who say Danelaw should be retired again.

“He seems to work much better the anticlockwise (Melbourne) way of going so I’m bringing him to Victoria next week,” the owner said.

Danelaw has been entered for a 1850 m race at Kyneton next Thursday and a 2000 m event at Donald the following Saturday.