SYDNEY TURF SENSATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19149, 15 October 1925, Page 8

SYDNEY TURF SENSATION.

INTRUDER AT A STABLE. EFFORT TO GET AT FAVOURITE. An attempt to interfere with the A..T.C. Derby favourite, Manfred—who subsequently proved the winner was made early on the morning of October 2, the day before the race, says a Sydney paper. Mr. H. McCalman, trainer of the colt, is certain there was a plan to nobble Manfred and possibly the other members of his team. Boys sleeping in the corridor of the stable to guard the horses were startled into wakefulness about 2.30 a.m. by the sound of filing at the stable door. They armed themselves and tried to trap the intruder, but the miscreant had taken alarm and disappeared. But the lock on the stable door had been half filed through. Only the fact that special precautions had been taken to guard the horses prevented interference with them. ; Manfred, Whittier, Metellus, Sandringham and Spearset were housed in Sydney, at stables belonging to Mr. D. U. Seaton, overlooking the steeplechase course at Randwick. The matter was placed in the hands of the police and the services of detectives were requisitioned to guard the horses at the stable on the following night, on- the journey to the course and at .Randwick itself. After an investigation the police reported that they had not made any discoveries which might enable them to trace the culprit. "Nobody was actually seen by the boys," they said, "and so far nobody is under suspicion." "I have had my suspicions for some time," said Mr. McC'alrnan, when telling the story, "that some attempt of this kind might be made. An incident which occurred a day or two before increased my fears. There was a light lock on the door then and a keywas left in it for a few minutes, but during that brief time the key disappeared. The incident was disturbing and I decided to procure a new and stronger lock. "'Some months ago, in Melbourne, one of my horses, Fortesque, was doped while on the way to Caulfield, and, in view of this, the need for care seemed the greater. I decided that it would be as well to place boys in the stable day and night. Consequently F. Jennings and T, Clifford, two of my lads, have been sleeping in the corridor of the stables for the last two nights. "At 2.30 this morning the noise mads by someone filing through the lock on the stable door awakened .Jennings, He aroused Clifford. They dressed hastily and after taking the precaution to arm themselves, they left the corridor by a door at the end opposite to that at which the noise had been heard. This door had been locked on the inside, whereas the front door was locked on the outside with a stout lock. However, by the time they got round to the front door there was no one to be seen and a search failed to reveal any trace of the intruder, except that the lock had been sawn halfthrough."