SPIRITED AWAY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 307, 11 December 1931, Page 2

SPIRITED AWAY

DISAPPEABANOE OF SIMBA. SEARCH BY POLICE. Simba, about whom quite a mystery was woven when he was shipped to Australia from New Zealand six months ago, was stolen from stables in Hiles street, Alexandria, on the night of November 27 (states a Sydney correspondent). Valued at £2OOO, the horse is believed to have been taken out of the State, but the owner, Mr. George Guest, of 2 Rickard Avenue, Bondi, is at a loss to understand why it wae stolen. Simba was quartered at stables occupied by Mr. Sam Wallace, a well- 1 known carrier, and owned by Mr, I F. Johnson, of Sussex street, Sydney, x and his disappearance was discovered at 1 a.m. on the Saturday by an employee of Mr. Wallace. The door of the stables had been broken open, but nobody seems to have heard the watchdogs bark. The stables were once used to house

Frank Nowland’s horses, Stately and Puff, but Nowland has gone to Gosford, and Stately is new trained by J. W. Cook at Bandwick. Stately, a New Zealand-bred mare, which won races at Randwiek, will bo remembered as having performed a trial at Warwick Farm with Gagoola, which ran second in a race at Flemington and subsequently vanished Mr. Wallace, seen by a “Suu” reporter, said he knew nothing of the reported disappearance of Simba, lie had not reported the matter to the police. STATUTORY DECLARATION. Mr. Guest, when seen at his home, said he had been away from Sydney for some days, and knew nothing of the loss of Simba until he returned on the Thursday night. The horse had been at the Alexandria stables since November 5. Mr. Guest produced a statutory declaration made by the New Zealand trainer, J. T._ Jamieson, on November 5, reading:— “I have this day, in company with Mr. Pottie, veterinary surgeon, inspected a brown gelding at Mr. Pottle’s yard, Bedfern, and I say that the said gelding is the horse known as Simba, which I purchased in New Zealand for Mr. George Guest, and which I shipped to Mr. J. Smith, Kensington.” Mr. Guest said that beyond this lie could supply no information, except that Simba had been brought to Sydney with the object, of being registered with the racing authorities and being placed in training. When his leg was right (he had been blistered by Mr. Pottie) he was to have started training. STILL NO CLUE. Since Saturday, Detective-Sergeant Parmenter and Constable Bushell (Bedfern) have been investigating the case. They have interviewed several people interested in the horse since it came from New Zealand, but have been unable to obtain any clues as to its whereabouts. Simba was purchased in New Zealand on the recommendation of Amnion Ba’s trainer, J. T. Jjjmieson, and shipped to Mr. Guest. The ship’s consignment note showed that the horse was sent to J. Smith, of Kensington, but according to Mr. Guest this was due to a misunderstanding. After his arrival in Sydney his new owner announced that lie was to be spelled, and from inquiries made at the A.J.C. office no steps have been taken to register him ns yet. This has to bo done before he ean he raced in New Smith Wales. Simba, in his last start, finished second to Tenterden (now in training in Sydney) in the Hawke’s Bay Stakes, a semi-classic fil-fiirlon-g race in New Zealand,