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Grey Way


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Remembering Grey Way: Racing club honours 'Washdyke Wonder'

www.stuff.co.nz

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South Canterbury Racing Club secretary Mary Gazzard with a picture Grey Way ahead of Wednesday’s race day at Timaru which honours the popular sprinter-miler who won more than 50 races in his career.

JOHN BISSET / THE TIMARU HERALD

 

Gazzard said Grey Way’s 50th birthday was somehow missed by the club, so they were remembering him at Wednesday’s meeting at the Phar Lap Raceway which was the club’s first race day of four for the 2024-2025 season.

 

Although a number of those involved with Grey Way’s career, including owner and breeder Peter South, trainer Pat Corboy and jockey Bob Skelton, have passed away, Gazzard said invitations had been extended to families associated with the horse’s upbringing and racing.

 

Former jockeys who also rode Grey Way to victory, Snooky Cowan and Doug Holden, were expected to be among those at Wednesday’s meeting.

 

Grey Way was foaled in Washdyke in 1970 not far from where another racing great, Phar Lap, was born in 1926. The gelding had 164 starts, finishing with 51 wins, 27 seconds and 21 thirds and was NZ racehorse of the year in 1973 and inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame in 2010.

 

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Grey Way wins his 50th race at the Geraldine track in 1980.

Auckland Star Collection / STUFF

 

 

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4 hours ago, curious said:

Are you going to the meeting?

I so wish! but mrs works tue and thurs and is not up for a day trip... lol, so want to be there,  v good mate has one ready to GO! :)

I did have a 13 minute with a Chris Turner and I like to think we have a plan going forward, including some involvement with me... one thing at this meeting,  'this is the beginning', some Oral History needs to start,..   

All the photos I have of GW are in my 'private collection' and are not for digitalizing, but for a on course permeant display, all photos were taken by the late Ken Lush, who gifted them to me after I had spent Many Hours going through all of GW's CD starts! 

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Over 40 years since Grey Way retired from racing so great to see the Club give hem a mention and make an effort to attract a bit of interest tho there has been a lounge on course with his name attached. Great for the retirees of Geraldine ,Oamaru and Dunedin to remember from their rocking chairs !He was a tourist attraction in Geraldine !

But a while back I had a quick look at the Clubs activities and looked at possible reasonswhy such a versatile track had seemingly fallen out of favour compared with neighbour Ashburton . To me it seemed as Timaru had almost given up , lost their enthusiasm as jumping collapsed and general interest died. Some years the AGM was attended by fewer than the committee and raceday stewards ,barely reaching the quorum.

And contrary to Doomed regular reminders the track/weather has helped them much in recent times with wet summer days and wet and/or frosty winter racedays.

Not the Washdyke I enjoyed when younger with Corboys , MJones, BTJones , Cowans , Daly ,Hampton  et with well known Orari families as well.

Grey Way certainly had a great career from a 2 year old ,racing 12 x at 2 , including several occasions when he backed up witin a couple of days

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