TRACKS FRESHENED BY RAIN

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 97, 20 January 1944, Page 7

TRACKS FRESHENED BY RAIN

Success Of Apprentices In Big Cups (By St. Simon.)

The rainfall recorded at Trentham tor the 24 hours up to 8 .a.m. yesterday was about half an inch. This has freshened up the grass and the artificial watering has, been suspended in the meantime. Firstclass going should be available again for the second day of the Wellington meeting. Additions to Team.

G. ,W. New has had three recent additions to his team. (Mr. G. W. Clarke, Levin, who races Tavern Light in New's stable, purchased Abdicate nt the weekend from Mr. J. R. Todd, and New will take him over after the second day’s racing. Mr. JO. F. Ward, also of Levin, has given Good Scout and Langue d’Or to New to train. These two horses have been with F. Christinas at lliccarton, but Mr. Ward desires to race them closer to home. In tho Blood. A. G. Waddell, who won the Wellington Cup on Don Quex, will be .1(1 years of ago next month. He began riding early-.iu 1942. and in the Jhister of that year rode his first winner, Starlet, iu a two-year-old event at Feildiug. His elder brother is S. A. Waddell, who won the New Zealand Cup on Serenata and who has ridden Subdued in all her winning performances this season. They are both apprenticed to G. W. New, who has turned out some ot' the Dominion’s best riders, including Broughton and Tattersail, the last-named now a prisoner of war in Europe. . The Waddell boys are sons of F. A. Waddell, a successful’ horseman in his day, and a nephew of tlie late Stewart Waddell, who was one of the leading trainers in the Dominion for many years. Two of tlio three big cups of the current season have been won by apprentices in their 'teens. Mervyn Andrews won the New Zealand Cup on Classform, Alex ("Bubs”) Waddell won tho Wellington Cup on Don Quex, and .Tack Bagby was deprived of the Auckland Cup honour on Merry May by the narrowest. of margins. Like Waddell, Bagby lias horse in the blood. His father, JI. S. Bagby, was a first-class horseman, and ills iiio'Jier was a daughter ot the late Jack McCombe, one of the best riders of Jilts time.