IRISH SWEEPSTAKE

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 July 1932, Page 2

IRISH SWEEPSTAKE

THE DERBY DRAW LONDON, June 2. Subscriptions to the Dublin sweepstake on the Epsom classic race, known as the Derby Stakes, reached the amazing total of £4,128,486. The hospitals received £1,032,121 (25 per Cent, of the total subscribed), and after that and the expenses were deducted £2,801,643 was left for prize money. Under the recent Free State Budget the Exchequer takes one-fourth of the amount available for the hospitals. Thus the Minister of Finance has hopes of netting £250,000. This is the sixth sweepstake of its kind; the first was a financial success, ahd each one since has been a greater financial success than the one before it—with this one the greatest success of all. The total sum available for prize money was £562,166 more than was available in March last for the sweep on the Grand National. The first horse out of the drum was Miracle, the second favourite for the race, and actually third when the race was over. Of the 28 Miracle tickets no fewer than ten came to the London district. The draw at the Plaza occupied three days, and was still in progress for the consolation prizes on the day of the race, which was broadcast from Epsom to Dublin. The names of winners were announced at the rate of five a minute, or, in terms of cash, £5OO a minute. There was, of course, tremendous local interest, and the utmost care was taken to guard the drum and its snowdrift contents. Armed police were on duty inside the Plaza and outside the authorities taking no chances. The draw was superintended by General O’Duffy, Chief Commissioner of the Civic Guard. New Zealanders have not been particularly lucky this time, for there were no Dominion names among the draw-, ers of horses, and only the following can be discovered in the very long list of £lOO consolation prizes:—Pitch Toss Syndicate, Dunedin; The One Brown Syndicate, 26, Kensington avenue, Petone, Wellington; Two Norths, 215, Lambton Quay, Wellington; Mr. J. White, Box 29,, Opotiki; T. Riordan, Christchurch.

AMONG THE WINNERS

Mr. John Prince, of Iff ley road, Oxford, who used the nom-de-plume “Necessity” on his April the Fifth ticket, is employed by a firm of pork butchers in Oxford Market. He was serving sausages when told of his good luck. “How wonderful,” he exclaimed. Peope who were buying meat from him congratulated him, and within a few minutes he carried on serving sausages. “Aitches,” of Felixstowe road, Ipswich, another April the Fifth ticket, conceals the identity of a vacuum cleaner salesman. Four laundrymaids and a daughter of the proprietor, Mr. J. H. Smith, of a laundry at Potter’s Bar, near Barnet, share £30,000 with an April the Fifth ticket. Each of the five women paid 2/- to buy the ticket. “Needy,” who drew April the Fifth is 77 years old Mr. Walter A. Thomas of Bedminster, Bristol. One of the £30,000 winners is a Sompting, Sussex, blacksmith. The Miracle ticket, “Champ,’ ’is Mr. Robert Williams Champion, a London journaist. Although he has bought tickets in the sweep ever since it started, this is the first tinie he has won anything. \ “Third Time Lucky” another £lO,000 ticket, was bought by Mrs. Hannah Edney, the widow of a cowman of Henley. Since her husband died in 1922 she has carried on the duties as milkman, beginning work at 5 a.m. She has one grown-up son living at home and a married daughter who holds a share in the ticket, together with three of her neighbours living in cottages. This was her third attempt in the Irish sweep.

Major Sir Philip Crawley, of Hove, who is a past chairman of the Brighton Conservative Association and J-P--for Hove, took the news that Miracle had won him a fortune very calmly. He had been for a walk on the front before the race. He listened-in to the result, and said: “I am not surprised, because I thought it would win.” , A well-known barrister, Mr. Gilbert Beyfus, drew Orwell, the favourite, which, however, proved to be one of the “also rans.” He heard what seemed to promise great good luck while engaged in a case at the Law Courts. The Judge at that moment was intimating that he was on the losing side. Later in. the day Mr. Beyfus heard that he had also drawn a horse (Summer Planet) in the Stock Exchange sweep. The next sweepstake in the series is on the Cesarewitch, to be run on 12th October, and already money for tickets in that sweep is pouring inti Dublin