SURPRISE IN DERBY

Taranaki Daily News, 19 July 1929, Page 5

SURPRISE IN DERBY

THE FAVOURITES UNPLACED TRIGO’S LUCKY OWNER. WIN BRINGS A FORTUNE. London, June 6. Summer and sunlight had persisted right up to the day before the Derby. Wednesday morning, however, was .■•laden and overclouded and people took their mackintoshes with them to Epsom for the great days outing. They needed them later on, but the trek from London was done in weather that no one could criticise. The dust had bem laid by showers in the night am' it was cool and pleasant along the road. A party of 120 New Zealanders made the trip in special buses and had a splendid view of the course and the race. Most of those who looked to win a little money on the Darby were disappointed. It was essentially a day of rejoicing for the bookmakers. Cragadour, Kopi, Hunter’s Moon and Gay Day were names which had been head for weeks. But Trigo, Walter Gay end Brienz had made little or no impression on the public mind before the race.

THE GREAT CONTEST.

As for the race, the start was a goad one, although Kopi, Posterity ami Leonard dwelt. Kopi was the last to leave the gate. Hunter’s Moon had the inside position and. made the best of it. At the end of a quarter of a mile he was racing in front, with Trigo and Barbizon. En Garde, Rattlin the Reefer, Roberto and Gay Day were at their heels, but they had not gone much farther before Donoghue had to check Gay Day, evidently to avoid interference. Gay Day was never going well afterwards, At half-way Hunter’s Moon, Trigo ai d En Garde were well clear of the others and half-way down the hill to Tattenham Joiner En Garde dropped behind the other two. It was then that it looked as though Hunter’s Moon would win, for on form he was a better horse and a better stayer than Trigo. Marshall, Trigo’s jockey, appears to have been confident at this stage. The pair were level as they swung into the straight and one expected then to see Hunter’s Moon come right away. II was Trigo, however, which drew ahead, and Weston explained afterwards that hereabouts his horse began to feel the effect of racing downhill. Hunter’s Moon has rather straight pasterns and a horse so formed is at a disadvantage when descending a hill at full pace; he is also more inclined than others *o feel the jar when the going is firm. Just as they made the turn, Kopi slipped up and Posterity had to jump him, and Tor Peaitree was interfered with.

Then Walcei Gay was forced to the outside of his field. Before the straight was reached Cragadour and Mr. Jinks were holding out distress signals and a little further Gay Day was done with. Hunter’s Moon came on with only a neck lead of Trigo, Rattlin’ the Reefer, En Garde, Horus and Brienz. The first of ■these to era A were Rattlin’ the Reefer and Horus and then Brienz came on the scene. Walter Gay, racing wide on the right, began co gain ground. A hundred yards or so in She line for home Trigo headed Hunter’s Moon, who hung on to his rival we’l co inside the distance, where he resigned second place to Brienz and then Walter Gay. The latter put in some good strides, but Trigo had too big a lead to be really threatened. Though the Beckhampton-trained colt was fast closing, on him, Marshall’s mount stuck galls-’tly to his task, and went home a winner amid very little cheering by a length and a half. Two lengths separated second and third. THE UNPLACED HORSES. Hunter’s Moon, who ran a good race for a mile and a-quartcr, was three lengths away fourth. En Garde, prominent all the was a length and a-lialf off fifth. Posterity (slow off and interfered with) was three lengths away sixth.

Intervals of necks separated Cragadour, who was seventh, N.P.B. eighth and Rattlin’ the Reefer (who ran well for a mile) ninth. After a gap of two lengths came Le Voleur tenth, Mr. Jinks (lost his place at the end of six furlongs) was eleventh. A length and a-half off was Tom Peartree (running on) twelfth, after being baulked by the fall of Kopi, Cavenda (ran well) a neck off thirteenth Aristotle (prominent until half way up the straight) was fourteenth.

Barbizon (far from disgraced) .fifteenth, Reedsmouth sixteenth, Hprus seventeenth, Reflector eighteenth, Leonard nineteenth, Gay Day (ran ungenerously) was twentieth. The last pair were Roberto and Grand Prince, except Kopi, who came in riderless. Grand Prince was last. Time, 2min 36 3-ssec. OWNER’S GOOOD FORTUNE. Trigo’s owner, Mr. W. Barnett, is a Belfast grain merchant. He bred his Derby winner. Therein lies half the joy of this great triumph for him. His trainer, Air. Dawson, may have been left somewhat dazed for a moment or two, but he made a rapid recjvery, assisted to that end oy t±.e knowh dge that he is the half-owner of the latest sire of a

Derby winner—Blandford, bought by him as a yearling from the National stud for only 730 guineas, a winner of much distinction himself and now assuming the crown which is bestowed on every sire of a Derby winner. It often ha[ pons that when fortune comes to some people it comes as an avalanche. How else can one explain Mr. Barnett’s great good luck this season in England? Last autumn he sent over two horses to be trained by Air. Dawson. One, .Athford, was a threej ear-old; the other, Trigo, a two-year-old that had won the chief two-year-old race at Phoenix Park. Athford was an unlucky loser of the Lincolnshire Handicap.

PRINCE'S CONOR AT FLAT lONS. He then won the Newbury Cup and the Jubilee Handicap. And then conies Trigo to win the greatest of races and to remind us of the invincibility of Irishbred horses oq our racecourses this season. For, in addition to the exploits of Athford. and Trigo, Parwiz won the City and Suburban, Cregalach the Grand National Steeplechase, Air. Jinks the Two Thousand Guineas, Royal Alinstrel the Victoria Cup . Elton the Lincolnshire Handicap, First Flight the Chester Cup and Poor Man the Manchester Cup. Mr. Bar. ett received the warm congratulations of the Prince of Wales after , the race. Early in the season.hp chcr-

ished hopes that Trigo would win the Derby and befen the colt had competed for the Guineas he backed him for the Epsora race to win £BOOO. Afore recently Air. Barnett purchased an eighth share in the Stock Exchange ticket for Trigo and this brings him in a f urther £16,000. When it is borne in mind that the value of the Derby Stakes runs well into fiv figures it will be realised that Trigo’s owner has won a fortune in spite of not having supported the colt substantially since nis original bets. —Auckland Herald correspondent.