BALLYMENA'S END

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 99, 23 October 1924, Page 12

BALLYMENA'S END

The death of Ballymena was a tragedy in the racing at Randwick, writes "Pilot" in the "Sydney Referee." He ran paat David six' furlongs from home in the Randwick Plate, and near the three furlongs post was going at his ease at the head of affairs.' Suddenly he faltered and looked like coming down. He struggled on, for a, few yards, then stopped, and his rider hurriedly dismounted. "A broken leg!" nearly everybody ejaculated, and though the mishap left David to canter home ahead of Tomatin and Les Pad; dington, the applause he received would have been much greater if he had downed Ballymena in a fair set-to. Some watch-holdera made it faster, but I timed Ballymena to run the first mile and a half in 2.33, and, all going well, he might have beaten Rivoli's 3.25 for the race. Examination of Ballymena showed that he had broken his near fetlock, and the smash was so bad that the hoof'was hanging by the skin. HiVcase was hopeless, and after veterinary examination ho was shot. It was a lamentable ending for so good a horse, and his owner, Mr. H. A. _ Knight, has the sympathy of all racing men. Ballymena, then trained by.F. Jones, surprised us when he won the 1923 A.J.C. Derby at the long prico of 25 to 1, but his subsequent form in New Zealand dispelled any idea that his victory was a fluke.( Ballymena was ordinary in appeurance, but he was a first-class racehorse, and had won over £13,000 in stakes. After Ballymena won at Rosehill an offer of 5000 guineas was, to my knowledge, turned down, and I heard: that n subsequent offer of £6000 from another would-be lbuyer was i^so refused. Reed could not account for the accident, as nothing galloped on to Ballymena, and the track was in good older at the spot where the horse's leg broke. The mishap gave David the race—he could,not have won otherwise—and his owner another £1818 in stakes. It was 'David's twentieth win, and nine have been in w.f.a. races at Randwick. He has won the Spring Stakes, Cumberland Stakes, .and A.J.C. Plate twice each, and the Randwick Plate three times. His earnings now total about £31,250, . and that sends him up third in the list of Australia's greatest winnors.