HOW YEOMANS GOT EVEN,

Otago Witness, Issue 2416, 28 June 1900, Page 40

HOW YEOMANS GOT EVEN,

Amongst the nominators for the Y.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race is the old-time crack horseman, Mr W. Yeomans, whose representative is a Tormentor gelding named Rackstraw, who has won a few races about tho Riverina. RackstraAv's dam is a mare called Pinafore, and that is how he gefcs his name. Though in his riding days Yeomans almost entirely confined hie attention to the flat, says "Reginald," he always had a great fancy for a jumper, and he is hardly ever without one. There is a story about Yeomans donning silk in a hurdle race somewhere in the North-east many years ago. It wae, so to t<ay, "force of circumstances" that made him take a hand as pilot in thai partic^ar race. It is not my intention to vouch, for the truth of the yarn, ior it was before my time, but here it is, anyhow, as told by old-timers. It appears Yeomans^ had some interest in a horse that looked like winning the hurdle racs. but the more money thai? went on him thp better mice was on offer, or words to that effect. The thing got very ugly -looking after the weighing-out bell had rung, and suspicion was directed to the rider, a man from Melbourne. Yeornans acted at once. irle took the colours himself, and donned them. The change had a magical effect in the ring. No more liberties were taken with the horse, for Yeomans himself went on with the riumg contract, and, what is more, won easily. About the best lepper Yeomans has had through Jus hands of late veal's was Frantic, The gelding, who saw service as a~stalion hack before being put into work, was a scare-crow-looking customer, and it wad extremely hard to 'keep flesh on him ; but, at his best, he was a really good, §ame horse. To say that Frantic was a difficult horse t-o train would be putting it mildly.' He was a very dainty "doer." Jn a, strange pl&ce he woiild (sometimes refuse food altogether, and would ev&n go right off water, too. But despite all these- drawbacks, feomans did well with Frantic. At Randwick one meeting he put up a rather remarkable performance, for, after landing both hurdle races, he came out on the last day and added the steer>lecha«e lo his account. Frantic afterwarda finished fourth in a Grand National Steeplecb33O at Flemin^ton. His many old friends all over Australia will be pleased io learn that Mr Yeomans is enjoying good health. He lives in Wagga. Wagga, the scene of many of his riding triumphs. It was there he won the Great Ten-mile Race on Australian, and Ihis is an event unique in the annals of the Australian turf history.