A TRAIL OF CHIPS

Southland Times, Issue 22728, 2 November 1935, Page 11

A TRAIL OF CHIPS

In “Paddock Personalities” (Hutchi-, son), J. Fairfax Blakeborough, racing correspondent and novelist, has a large number of excellent stories of the turi, all of them deserving to be true. He writes of a trainer, Martin Gurry, who offered sacramental vessels to his church and asked to have them inscribed “From Gurry to God. There is a story of a North country trainer who asked the local parson for public prayers for Lucy Gray. On the following two Sundays the congregation were duly requested to supplicate for Lucy, and on the third Sunday trainer went into the vestry before the morning service to tell the vicar there was no need to repeat the request for prayers. “Is Miss Gray better? asked the cleric. "Better!” retorted the trainer. "Didn’t you back her when she won at 8 to 1 last week?" On one occasion a parson rode in the Grand National. And when some busybody sought an interview with his bishop to tell him the Rev. Mr Drake was going to ride in the Aintree classic, all the satisfaction he got from his lordship was: * Then 111 bet you even money he wins.” Blakeborough, by the way, says: _ “I am one of those men who though intimately connected with racing; never have a bet? Another good story is of Bog Armstrong, the Middleham trainer, whose old head lad asked for a day or two off “to bury his father,” and was given £5 to cover his expenses. Armstrong heard that he had sp®it the

time in a public house in Penrith. When he arrived back for duty Armstrong tackled him on his deceit, and Griffiths, quiet and unabashed, explained: “You should hear me before you condemn me like this. I was a little previous: you see he didn’t quite dee.” That is a good variant of a well tried story. ♦ * *