HALF-CENTURY MARK

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 141, 16 June 1936, Page 13

HALF-CENTURY MARK

GEORGE SMASHES RECORD

SUCCESS AS A TRAINER

For the first time in the history ol New Zealand racing, at least for the ■ first time, since such records were first compiled, a trainer has reached the ; half-.century mark in number of horses prepared for a season. With his two successes on the.final day at the recent Otaki "Maori Meeting, the Trentham trainer T. R. George brought his winning total up to fifty for the pre- .. sent season in the Dominion, and before the close of the term the stable is likely to enjoy even further success. The tally does not include Debham's > 'win in Australia during the spring, nor Cuddle's first win this season, when she was given as officially trained by A. Reardon, the stable's head man, who was in .charge of the establishment while George was in Australia. ~ * The record George has broken is his own, set up two years ago, when he turned out 47 dinners during the . season. The'best-previous figures were ■also held, by George, with 40 winners, • four seasons ago. .Back in the 1923- ( 24 season S. Trilford produced 39 winners during the term. J ] FOR FIFTH OCCASION. ; Assuming, that George's position at J the head of the trainers' list this season is invincible, he will have headed j the table'for the fifth occasion. He 1 was on top in the 1930-31 and 1931-32 £ seasons, and, missing the 1932-33 honours, which went to H. and A. Cutts, j when he was down in eighth position, j he has now been leading trainer the last three seasons, Last season, his t first as a public trainer, he scored 35 t

points, but he did not start training on his own account till after two months of the term had passed, and he did not have a winner for the term up till'then, George thus has the additional honour of having gained the leadership for. the Trentham centre during both seasons he has been there in his present .Quarters at "Brentwood j ' Farm.'' : . .' , George's tally is made up as follows season:—£ ; ' Stakes. • -• : - Wins. .Places. >£ ' /.'c w.';». 7-' 4.' ■ - ' ■ j •<-I.'1.' PfostratfoA "B .r- ' f', :t 7Jj'. : 'Aftdr "Money ' .* »' .180 Mnco ~.' i; ' ]«.. 544 Might ', 3. r, 5J7 "Darccdurt- 4 v.» 5 if. 50K- • Diamond 2 3 4TO Boomerang- ...» 4 • 8 ' '".417 — Dfthlliiili • 3 I :i ][) . " ' Jirown ■ Pearl ;. 4 n 31C Princess. Doreen I -j Hlne Ra 3 -- 203 Others ■ 10 35 i.ujj 50 87 ' £0112 ' . The list is for,the Dominion only, but the only winner on the trip to Sydrtey in the spring was Debham, Cuddle's fine sequence in the autumn was, of course, not from the stable, as she was then in charge of G. Price at Randwick, though a great part of the credit for Cuddle's form must be given to George. Cuddle's first win of the season, at ' Masterton, is also not included in the 1 list, though practically it might have : been, as the mare was then a member ' of the stable.

. ' THE OTHER WINNERS. ■■ The others" who have been winners the stable during the season are the two-year-olds Cricket, Dcficit, & n £^ re £ Gold > Sk * (thiee wins), -Debut, Going Gay,. Fulojoy, and The Ranger, but none of these horses has ™°n £200 m stakes for the term, though The Ranger might yet,improve I ms score during the remaining six! weeks, for he as only jyst coming into form.

. r Georges ascendancy among, Trent ham trainers is very marked. Only three others have gained four-figure 'tiWn? Worses this season r t r e 4? r f e beui S R - w - Lewis tin > W. Lowe (£1235), and W. J. Wood (£1180). It must be observed,.however, that the George boxes are usually sheltering upwards of a .score of horses, whereas the other gainers mentioned have had only two to four horses on which to rely. Lewis has only Billy Boy and Shy, J. w SF'.Sunee, and Good Sun! S A t rctl c King and Sansfoy, Jewish Lad SPaCGS Arctic ;Star and

Not only has the Trentham centrc fe. h P n 9 l , ? r of Possessing the Dominions leading trainer, but some of thp races tl£? n * licaP V m d important w.f.a. 4?. tem have also been won b- y centre s horses. The handicans Auckland o C,^ e N T 5 e £ an * Auckland- Cups, which Cuddle won and also-the Great Northern Steeplechase, won by Billy Boy. There have ;been no three-year-olds better than ordanary, handicappers from the centre during the season, however, and the two-year-olds generally have been disFree Gold, Cricket, and Deficit are types of youngsters who might make fame for Trcntf h o e Jessies and big handicaps during the spproachitig season.