WILLIE WIN’S EFFORT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 264, 6 November 1937, Page 6

WILLIE WIN’S EFFORT

N.Z. HORSE AT FLEMINGTON DOMINION FLAVOUR IN CUP With the trainer (Stan Reid) and the winning rider (Ashley Reed) born in New Zealand, the success of The Trump in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday had a strong New Zealand flavour, but Dominion racegoers would no doubt have been more pleased if their own representative, Willie Win, had prevailed, instead of filling second place. When the Riccarton gelding left New Zealand for Melbourne early last month, his prospects of winning the Melbourne Cup were highly regarded, but his failure in his first race lost him much support. He, however, executed an encouraging Cup trial by running second to Frill Prince over a mile and a-half at Flemington last Saturday, and this performance probably brought him into strong favour for the big event. Willie Win was bred by his owner, Mr. I. L. M. Coop, of Ataahua, and is trained by Mrs. J. Campbell, who, however, is not eligible to hold a licence in Australia, and the Polazel gelding figures in programmes there as being trained by his owner. Miss Florence, dam of Willie Win, is by Masterpiece from Prayer Wheel, dam of Entreaty, who produced the 1930 Melbourne Cup winner, Phar Lap.

Willie Win was not raced until well into his four-year-old season, and he won three of the four hack races he contested. Last season he won two more hack races before a victory in the Banks Peninsula Cup, his first open success, and this was followed up

by a win in the Sockburn Handicap at Riccarton, preparatory to winning the Great Autumn Handicap, on the following day. He then developed leg trouble, and was put aside for several months, but on his reappearance he won the Heathcote Handicap at the Grand National Steeplechase meeting last August, and he was not raced again until he went to Melbourne.