AN ALLEGED “ RING-IN.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19065, 10 January 1924, Page 8

AN ALLEGED “ RING-IN.”

LOOK OUT OR WILLIE LINCOLN? OWNER AND TRAINER VISIT TROTTER. DRIVER OF HORSE ARRESTED. William Williamson, aged 32, a resident of Christchurch, the driver of the horse which ran under the name of Look Out at the New Year meeting of the Southland Racing Club, was arrested yesterday by Detective Lean and charged with attempting to obtain the sum of £l5B 10s from the club by alleged false pretences. He will appear before the Police Court this morning. Whether Williamson knew that Look Out was not what he was represented to be will be discovered in the court later, but there appears to be little quesion now as to the identity of Look Out. Acting on information received the police impounded Look Out after his victories in the two races he started in and won at Invercargill, and he was placed in Mr G. Grant’s stables under lock and key till such time as persons who knew Willie Lincoln could view him. At Wyndham and Invercargill the racebooks contained a nomination described as J. Golding’s b <r Look Out, by Ravenschild—Bellbird. aged, with W. Williamson figuring as trainer, and the latter also handled the horse in each of his three races. At Wyndham Look Out finished third in the Diggers’ Trot Handicap, but was disqualified because his rider failed to weigh in after she race. Williamson was fined £2 for his failure to go to the scales. Look Out started sixth favourite in his race at Wyndham. At Invercargill he started second favourite and won the Oreti Harness Trot in 3min 37 4-ssec, and on the second day won the Roslyn Harness Trot, when he. started third favourite and won in 4min 48sec. Willie Lincoln, racing in the ownership of W. P. Capes, ran fourth in the Trotting Cup won in November last by Great Hope, and at the' same meeting won the Sprinters’ Handicap in 2min llsec. Disco!o”rations on Ix'ok Out’s cont suggest evidences of artificial alterations in his colour at some time or other. Willie Lincoln has been owned by Messrs lies and Young, of Christchurch, for a number of years. He was recently leased by his owners to a Christchurch man. Mr W. H. Young arrived from Christchurch on Monday afternoon, and at once went out to" Mr Grant’s stables to see the horse that had been detained. A member of the reporting staff of the Otago Daily Times came on the scene a few minutes later. “Have you seen the horse, Mr Young?” he asked. “Yes,” replied Mr Young. “Is he Willie Lincoln?” boldly asked the reporter. “I am pretty sure be is,” said Mr Young. “You ought to know him if anyone does,” remarked the reporter. “I want to be absolutely sure,” answered Mr Young with a smile. By the second express on Tuesday Mr J. N. Clarke, who has trained Willie Lincoln and driven him to victory in many of his important engagements, reached Dunedin. “If there is one horse I do know,” said Mr Clarke, as he alighted from the train, “it is Willie Lincoln. I’d know him in a million.” The party went out to Mr Grant’s stables to see the horse that has been detained. Mr Grant unlocked the upper door, and a horse’s head, with pricked ears and intelligent Hack eyes, was poked over the lower door. “Hullo, Bill!” exclaimed Mr Clarke, as he looked in surprise at the horse in the stall. “ Well, what do you think of that?” “Bill” was led out of his stall. “I’d better take his cover off,” said Mr Grant. “Nevermind,” said Mr Clarke. “I know Willie Lincoln well enough. There is not the shadow of a doubt that it is my old Willie Lincoln. You see, his mane was clipped short just behind his ears, and it has not had time to grow. Did they run him that way at Invercargill ?” “He had a hood on at Invercargill,” remarked a bystander. “Oh, did he?” said Mr Clarks, as he walked round “Bill” and felt his iegs and clapped his body. Then ho carefully felt the horse below the hock. “Come here,” he said to an official present. ‘Feel that.” “I know that lump well,” said Mr Clarke. Mr Clarke said that Willie Lincoln had actually run two miles in 4.24, although the time given was 4.27. Willie 'uncom. however, had been interfered with at the start by Asturio and had lost three seconds A horse which is alleged to be the real Look Out reached Dunedin early yesterday morning by a low train from the north and was “arrested” by De->c-tives Beer and Roycroft on arrival. Why this horse was brought to Dunedin may not be hard to explain. The police hr.ve a very definite explanation. They knew the horse was on the way south, and the” calmly rwaited his arrival. The Ravenschild—Bellbird gelding Look Out was recently sold in Christchurch. This horse started four times last season and was practically the outsider on the totalisator on each occasion. He also started at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s August meeting, starting the absolute outsider in the Queen Mary Handicap, in which there were 22 competitors. AN ARREST IN CHRISTCHURCH. i'Fbom Our Own f '->PRF.spownTOTA CHRISTCHURCH, January 9. William Percy Capes, aged 32, a fruiterer in Christchurch, was arrested late tin’s evening in connection with the alleged “ringing-in” of Willie Lincoln as Look Out at Invercargill. He will appear at the Magistrate’s Court to-morrow morning. It is understood that other cases of alleged “ringing-in” are being investigated by the New Zealand Trotting Association.