POSY HAVING A SPELL IN DAYS GONE BY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 153, 26 December 1931, Page 6

POSY HAVING A SPELL

IN DAYS GONE BY

The Trentham- trainer. G.Jones; has thrown the two-year-old Posy out of work, and this full sister" to Tcnterdeni and Kichborouah is now enjoying a rest. She felt the effects of racing on hard uround. and has been sore since the. !New Zealand Clip Meeting.

MAKING A BIG COLLEGT

"TOTE" -COULD NOT PAY

There are very few old-time racing men who cannot tell a story of a bookmaker's "welshing" 'and getting away when they had backed a long, chance that had duly rolled home, but probably the-only man who found a totalisator that.was unable to pay him his. dividend when he went to collect after a race-is Mr. E. J. Matthews, of New Plymouth, who had all except three tickets on Flying Pish when she .won .the Christmas Handicap in New Plymouth -on Boxing Day, 1893, says "Hurry "On."' > ", _ _~. ■ Flying Fish was bred by Mr. J. Elliot in 1889, and was by Foulshot, a son 01 the great Musket, from Fish Lass, a'mare by Leoliniis or Cap-a-pie. When she was just broken in as a three-year-old she was purchased by Mr. Matthews and sent to Hawera to be mated with Vanguard. In due course she produced a black colt foaled ;in " 1893 'named Guardfish,. who turned- but-a- really, good' sort". '••As. soon as this colt was weaned Flying Fish -was taken in hand and' stabled, fed. and ridr den,' by' her. owner every (day, for,,Bome. eighteen months,'and, then put into ; ;senj ous ".training iii preparation ; for. the. 1895 Taranaki; Jockey Club's. Summer Meeting. In' due: course she was entered for.the princSpaJ .event," the Christmas Handicap, which:in'thosfe days was run,over a distance :'6f "one and a half miles. She wns trained; fcy'Mrl'John Goodwin on a farm near Waitara, where Mr.'Matthews -had laid ibiat:'a'private-; racing traflk.s>A few days':vb£fore "the: event Bhe was' given a trial over oiie and a.-half miles with: "Tartar" > Julian, in v the: saddle, and this trial satisfiedvjfc- Matthews that she was good enough,;tO: winthe rpce.- , :•;'?'•.'■s .//'no •

HKEEPINCI ■;; IT ''DARK,!^ ; On-.tlie dayf he'had a'friend'.'come; up specially. froittV Wellington.' :to .back .ths mareV''and,gave:'h|im:.;ten. £1 notes,;"with ins'tructiojis* to;, place the sum on the machitie 'at ■intervals in single notes; and npt'Jto come.near or to be seen with him iiintil'after'the'totalisator had closed. There -were fourteen starters^ and the favourite was Mr. P. Watson's Pyroxylin, with the crack rider J. Doughy up. "Tarr tar" Julian had the mount on Flying Pish.- As soon- as the totalisator closed the- friend from Wellington came to Mr. Matthews and handed him the ten tickets and.told him that the odds were much as he had anticipated. ; •'",. In" the1 race itself-- Flying Fish was last at the High School betid, three furlongs from home, and when the hot favourite Pyroxylin hit the front at,the. straight entrance ,ai; huge roar, went up from' ,lhfr<;iQwd,t Brit the "Tartar" enme alo.ngwitb'5* Flying Fish, and, taking the measure of the :fayourite a-feiy -chains, from the'post/ gave; the mar.c ijne cut :v.;itli; ihje'whip ■and she^vent on to win: easily ,'by; a.Tengt&i •■'Th'e'd6\rafall;of the1 favourite;; of •eours>',' brought' an-6nd; tiy the cheering, and;there,., was''One: 'of those; rhtished silences: so/vw-ell known on;av.racecotirse- when it is'knbwh thafca-big.:dividend id going to r be-hoisted.7 In.'-all;thereOwei;e~^^ thirteen,.ticket3:C;iivths mare,' Mr.^Matthews held ten; the' trainer had:cine :(half. of which helsold;t6;;Mr^J. Finnerty^of; Waitai-a),;Mr.;P,.. Bennett^; of. Iri^eYood/'-B^i./flne^vrai'jbieivrOTainiiiJß' one";hiS-been! purchased -by^ fa' Maori.I i ''• will ;be' rfoiitid;.;td have f .rud" in'th'e.yname. ■of/.Mft;>''^6Thffi«;Gilpm^.fjb.ttfrV t thte':'^as:';|a]*.: Maithews's-assumed".nameifor racing;; In- 1 ciden&llj^vthisi-was:s:also; ''Tartarv^uliajn's;; first-iranninajmoont.' '•.'. c•'■':?£t:<-\,'&. h.!'■".■ ■!

:"-.Mri*l:Mat'the}vs's; -;nexb.mpv.e : .^as; tor'gij: t6'-)the'jSGcrWMJr'ofr.:.tfievEacintf--.iElufe-';and; request' ; him jto^aKe.; ovep his;';tickets- find i pay .tl?e;nipney"next day ,tb his -credili.-at'' the, bank.;; official■ 7a. ; very' sympathetip. niopd, ijiud; in ;'a; 'y^i-y, ■ :i way';'his .- *us I Tery'curtly refused: ' He therefore 'decid;; ed ;to. approach the totalisator proprietors, Messrs. ;Hill and/Poole. He went round •to:the back of the building, and, after knocking, -was admitted and interviewed Mr: Pbble. He explained his mission and produced his -ten tickets.: This -gentleman then proceeded:to read him a homily of the terrible wrong of one man lifting practically ;the":whole: tote. '••''■•-,j :"'■ ' , : :When Mr. Matthews insisted on his getting: .down; to -the business-, of; paying, out ;he had; to admit;;that. there had. been,a lot of commission betting: and that he had not the money in. the machine to do sol Eventually he was told to call back, later and the tote- would probably:,bii; able ;to meet its. liability^'..-'■;".':!-...■'.,"•'.--;: ; '-r . Accprdingly; after", the. sixth; raie^Mp ; Matthews tetiirned and' presented-..bis ten tickets. This'time^:he was paid;'part-. ly ■in 'gold, partly, in silver, "but -main- 1'; ly in ';pound notes.' He"put1 all-tlie^ gold' and silver and a ;fair "number pf^th^ notes in his' pockets,--bufcwKen; fhis;'inethild was exhausted he took but liis large--wMte pocket handkerchief, placed,the,notes".ori it, and then tied the corners across tightly. .One of the.totalisator staffrthen tied the ends round his right .wrist/and. for the remainder of the he 'mixe.d wjtli.the, crowd with his pockets -full and this' attachment, .to his left >vrist.l He.dujy !arrrye.d.'fipme, jvith all the money: intact, •biii .ioj; --s;e^,rs,."afterwards he, was'i-'ajske'd wfienVhdTaipDeal-ed'btf Taranaki as^ttf^Breffiis^S'bag;;*^.^;:;);;;;/!