Premiership slips by Dye

Press, 31 July 1989, Page 29

Premiership slips by Dye

NZPA Sydney The former New Zealander, Shane Dye, was pipped at the post for the Sydney jockeys’ premiership, but won accolades for good sportsmanship. Before the last week of the racing season, Dye was sitting pretty on a 6 y 2 win lead at the top of the jockeys' table. But in an amazing change of fortunes, Mick “The Enforcer” Dittman took the title by a half win after scoring a double at Rosehill on Saturday. Luck deserted Dye as he failed for the third consecutive meeting to land a winner. He picked up two seconds, taking his total of second placings to

nine for the last three meetings of the season. But he was one of the first to congratulate Dittman for winning the premiership and held his hand aloft in the jockeys’ room after the last race. “In New Zealand I would have won the title as a half win (for a dead heat) counts as a win and I would have got up on a countback of seconds," Dye said with a smile. Dittman had to use all his strength to pick up his first win of the day at Rosehill — on A Little Kiss in the Silastic Marine Handicap (1200 m He was counted to have hit the filly 40 times before winning by a head. Dittman then took his

double in the Dow Corning Paintable Plus Handicap (1200 m when Cherry Vale Lane scored by 1 % lengths from Galwin, which was ridden by Dye. It was Dittman’s second premiership, having won previously in 1984-85. Dye moved to Sydney in 1985 after two seasons as New Zealand’s leading apprentice, working for Matamata trainer, Dave O’Sullivan. In his first Australian season, Dye finished third behind compatriot, Jim Cassidy, and Dittman. But a six-month suspension after his ride on Imprimatur in the Australian Jockey Club Derby in April 1987 ruined his chances of challenging for

the premiership until this season. If he had won one more race, Dye would have been the third New Zealander to carry off the Sydney premiership, after Maurice McCarten, in 1938-39, and Cassidy. Veteran trainer, Tommy Smith, in spite of the financial problems of his Tulloch Lodge, Ltd, was able to celebrate his 34th Sydney trainers’ premiership victory with 88 wins. His only winner on the day was A Little Kiss but Smith was 16 >4 first-plac-ings clear of last year’s winner, Brian MayfieldSmith. Smith had won 33 consecutive premierships until 1986.