OLD LIBERATOR.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14453, 27 May 1911, Page 2

OLD LIBERATOR.

To the Editor of the "Timaru Herald. 1 ' * vSir, —May I ask for a brief space in 3 which to refer to that well-known t horse Liberator, who, as mcntuyied in < a "local" in 1 your paper the other day, j met'with a fatal accident at Kaituna reqfntly. 1 notice your "local" is taken from a northern paper; and perhaps'this accounts for its concluding paragraph. "Most of his successes were, rcborded in- the interest of Mr i \Patsy' Butler." 'l.feel, sir, tJiat I am also entitled to some little mention in j connection with the game old horse, j I bred-him in 1887, and from th© first j hod high hopes of himj September J 1890 saw his first appearance ,on a ; racecourse.. This was at Geraldine. i ,He was placed second in the Squatters' Handicap. He met with a slight 1 accident —a twisted plate—and was not ; raced again until the following April, • 1851. In tin? meanwhile I had sent hrin to a professional trainer, who sent him back in six weeks as not being fit to bother with. I did not lose faith, and mv faith was fully justified, as at I<a;rlie lie won the Maiden and Easter , Handicap. Thr.ee days latc-r he scored a double at Timaru, and .a wc-slc ] afterwards he annexed. another double t nt Ashburton, six wins in ten davs. Just about a record I think. Hero j is another record—six seconds in four weeks, receiving £6O in stakes, and no second money over a 'tenner.' But hotter than this, ho within those four weeks won a Consolation race at the North Otngo- meeting. He finished that season by winning £540- in stakes; Still there were many who- had less coniid.£nce in the horss tjhan I had. •fiu'v used to call it Daly's hack, but they changed the tune the following year. S.imo of your readers may remember when .he m«t Saracen awl Prime Warden, South r'>nry s alleged best. at T;mnm. Tm> r>vwd wyr-3 .thunderstruck wiujn 1 i;r- late T-maru Rhodes order-d l„i1 >:■Va z* .r's j number up. They said it r.uiM, ! c an t accident, couldn't be anvtir ; ir ! Nc.vt day Lady Zetland and Sat;ne<m ! a go at him at their fancy i distance, 1J miles. If lie didn't make I hacks of them at all events they never .headed him. Two more goad wins for * *des\}:sed one. Next season at Ashburton he met and beat Mr D. O'Brien's Hazel, winner of the Great Autumn Handicap of that year, and the late Mr G. G. Stead's Moraine, and eight others. The. judgment of the public was.shown by their letting me collect a £2o or thereabouts. He was nominated tfien for the Palmerstori Nort'h Cup, in which he had to carry Bst 41bs. . I thought it was worth crossing-Cook's Strait for. In those da,3's there were Calcutta Sweeps, and one of these was worth about £SOO. I got in this fairly cheap at £4O. He won the Cup, worth £3OO, the sweep of course followed, making £BO3 for one afternoon- Perhaps I am talcing up too muoh of your space, but to show that the most of his successes were not altogether due to mv late friend Patsy. I may state that while-I owned him he started 43 times, won 27 races, was placed ■ second on eirjht, occasions, third on three occasions, • and was five times unplaced. Dear old Patsy, and dear old "Lib.", !4oo(l friends both of them of mine, are now no more, and although I was. sorry when I parted with the old horse I . was always plad to think tjiat he was I in the best of hands. Trusting I have not encroached too much upon your : space, and. thanking you in antioipa- ) tion.—l am, etc., > -TIM DALEY.