MOUNT ON AN UNKNOWN

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1932, Page 4

MOUNT ON AN UNKNOWN

PUZZLED JOCKEY’S EXPERIENCE. COMEDY WITH HAPPY ENDING. It' is related of a horseman, not unknown in the south, that he recently hurried down country from a nontotalisator meeting to fulfil a prior engagement at a town fixture. Arriving late on the course for the opening event, for which he had been specially retained, he found that another jockey had been substituted, and the late-comer admitted rightly so. On seating himself in the jockeys’ quarters to consider the situation, he was presently officially informed that he had been fined for being late at the scales. He explained that another jockey had been secured to fill his ■ place and pointed out that two horsemen could not ride the same starter. His attention was then drawn to the number board, and what was his astonishment to see his name opposite that of a horse he had never even been asked to ride nor had he heard of it before. The official declaration was that he had to pay his fine and take the mount as announced. The flurried horseman resolutely refused, to ride the strange equine, whose owner and trainer were unknown to him, unless the fine was remitted, says the Southland Timas, and with a shortage of suitable riders in supply, this was eventually agreed to. Stripping hastily and in grave doubt, the puzzled jockey elimbed into the saddle and set off for the starting post, wondering what it was all about. However, he jumped his charge away well, made a. scoring progress and came home an easy winner by several lengths, while the horse he was to have piloted, narrowly missed second place. It was a case of all’s well that ends well later on, as the horseman caught a train for the far south a few hours later, and was on hand in time for his next engagement, when in a similar class of event he rode for people he knew and landed their representative a clever winner.