CUP TRIUMPH

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19777, 3 November 1938, Page 12

CUP TRIUMPH

TWO PROUD WOMEN OWNER AND TRAINER MELBOURNE VICTORY RACING HISTORY MADE Racing history, as far as Australia and New Zealand are concerned, was made when the New Zealand horse Catalogue scored his surprise victory in the Melbourne Cup. It was only the second occasion since the inception of the race in 1861 that the cup has been won by a woman owner, but the unique point regarding Catalogue’s victory was that for the last two years he has been trained by a woman, Mrs. A. W. McDonald, of Awapuni.

Catalogue’s present owner is Mrs. A. Jamieson, of Palmerston North, who purchased the horse from her brother-in-law, Mr. E. L. ’ Barnes, earlier this year. As a three-year-old Catalogue showed great promise, but his form subsequently fell away, and mis makes all the more remarkable the training success enjoyed by Mrs. McDonald, culminating in yesterday’s Melbourne triumph. Prominent Horsewoman M rs. McDonald has practically grown up among horses. Her father was Mr. J. Maher, a well-known trainer m Hawke’s Bay, and before her marriage she was a prominent and successful rider in jumping events at shows, where she was always popularly known as Miss “Granny” Maher. Her husband, Mr. A. W. McDonald. is a well-known jumping rider, and Mrs. McDonald has been established as a trainer at Awapuni for some years. She lias trained several horses which have raced proninently in New Zealand, two of them being Inflation and La Moderne. Owing to the fact tiiat women arc not permitted to act as trainers in Australia, Mrs. McDonald did not visit Melbourne to witness the crowning achievement of her racing activities. When Catalogue left for Australia in September lie was under the care of her husband, who has been responsible for the final training of the horse preparatory to the race for the Melbourne Cup. Owner Sees Race Mrs. .McDonald at present is in Christchurch, where she lias Beaupartir preparing for the New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton.

Mrs. Jamieson was in Melbourne to be thrilled by the victory of a horse for which she and her brother-in-law have always had the greatest affection. The only other woman ownei of a Melbourne Cup winner was Mrs. E. A. Widdis, who was successful in 1915 with Patrobas. The unprecedented combination of woman owner and woman trainer makes Catalogue's victory unique in the history of the Melbourne Cup and justifiable pride will doubtless be felt by both Mrs. Jamieson and Mrs. McDonald at their triumphant assertion of "women's rights” in racing.