Reefton Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 I have had a guy ring me this morning seeking info about West Coast Racing identities and in particular Jockeys who hailed from the Coast. Now there are some obvious ones(the Skeltons, the McCanns, Maria Hampton, Ashlee Mundy for instance) but can BOAYers let me know any others they can think of who originated from the Coast. I know of a few who were lesser lights who have come form here in my time but I think we are looking for more notable riders. Artie Stokes and Ned Thistoll were mentioned as well. Anyone help??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 You didn't mention your brother. Are we only looking at those who had a certain number of wins? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Where did Michael Mein come from? Or was his name Graeme? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 14 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: Where did Michael Mein come from? Or was his name Graeme? Canterbury. Michael was the son Graeme the father and there was another brother Philip who roade a winner or two and another brother Paul who was a journo for a long time. Michael Mein - what a wasted talent he was 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Doing some research I found this of Hokitika in it heyday! Didn't realise there used to be racecourses at Okarito, Hari Hari and Kokatahi! Hell must have been some circuit in those days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Okarito must have been fun - they had bagmen - bookies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 LOL this is fun! My Great Grandmother Mrs Graham was the first female publican in New Zealand. She owned and ran the Kokatahi Hotel which was 15 mile inland from Hokitika. Looks like she even had her own racecourse! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Hell look at the crowd at Greymouth! This doesn't look like Omoto - Reefton might know but was the original course where Victoria Trotting Park was? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Newspaper clipping for the January 1916 Meeting of the Westland Racing Club. Some good tips. Thomass should take note that they were BEFORE the meeting. Heck he could have ridden the top weight in one race - 10st 12lb (69kg's). ( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 The track is cutting out a bit Reefton! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 What were the farmers doing this year at Reefton? Gone to the Melbourne Cup maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 4 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: What were the farmers doing this year at Reefton? Gone to the Melbourne Cup maybe? at least they were clearly using the fence - no bias in evidence on the best prepared track in NZ that day 6 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: The track is cutting out a bit Reefton! looks rather like PS Richards aboard a Coulbeck runner. Extremely unusual to see a little moisture on the (no doubt) superbly prepared Reefton course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 30 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: Doing some research I found this of Hokitika in it heyday! Didn't realise there used to be racecourses at Okarito, Hari Hari and Kokatahi! Hell must have been some circuit in those days! they had picnic meetings all over the place. Kevin Lalor used to tell me about the Hari Hari Sports - he used to ride there. There was another at Slatey Creek(near Pike River) and the Craigburn sports day was held at Bill Kennedy's at Atarau/Ikamatua Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Hell looks like even in 1892 West Coast Racing was getting screwed by the big Metropolitan Tracks! A Letter to the Editor, West Coast Times, 7 December 1892. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 28 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: LOL this is fun! My Great Grandmother Mrs Graham was the first female publican in New Zealand. She owned and ran the Kokatahi Hotel which was 15 mile inland from Hokitika. Looks like she even had her own racecourse! f... I didn't know you descended from the Grahams at Kokatahi! That means you would be a relation of Stan's? Better show you a bit more respect in future(take note Tom arse - this bloke's relation didn't bugger about when someone annoyed him) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 LOL I'm still chuckling after reading that letter to the West Coast Times. History repeats! The only thing we learn from history is we don't learn from history! Nothing new under the sun! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 11 minutes ago, Reefton said: f... I didn't know you descended from the Grahams at Kokatahi! That means you would be a relation of Stan's? Better show you a bit more respect in future(take note Tom arse - this bloke's relation didn't bugger about when someone annoyed him) Yep dear old Stan was a relation (although I do have an out as I was adopted - my birth family are from prominent Waikato Thoroughbred owning/breeding stock). LOL I was actually in the movie Bad Blood about Stanley - played an army cadet involved in the final shootout. My cousin is a Policeman and he was on his first placement in Wellington after finishing at Police College. It was the day of the Aramoana shooting where I think 13 people were killed. One of my cousins colleagues walked past and said "Looks like your family has lost the record!" Stanley shot and killed 7. My cousin responded with good old laconic dry wit - "Yeah but we still hold the record for shooting the most Policemen." I guess that story isn't particularly PC nowadays. Took the Army, Airforce, what was left of the local Police force and a team of local farmers to capture Stan. Even then "capture" is a moot point as having been shot about a week earlier he was suffering from gangrene and blood poisoning and many believe he was handing himself in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 This is from the 1890 Grey Evening Star. It talks about 10 race meetings on the Coast in a given year at 5 venues. 5,000 pounds in stakes - an average of 200 pounds per race in prize money. I just did a conversion of that to today's money. The total prize money for the Coast would have been $890,000 or approximately $30,000 a race! It seems even then the West Coast Club weren't working together! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Match Fixing West Coast style 1885. Those Greymouth stewards were always dodgy bastards! Where was the RIU? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Reefton - were you on the job in 1936? The entrance looks in good order! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Most of you are probably bored now but there is so much of this historical stuff online. Some of it is really funny and really interesting. Just read the results from the Westland Racing Club 1876 meeting. 200 pounds was bet on each race = in today's money $30,000. The winner in one race paid 11 pounds to win or $1,650. Yes it was the outsider! 2,000 people on course for the meeting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 LOL in 1887 two steamships the Wallabi and the Kennedy travelled to Hokitika for the Westland Racing Clubs Easter Meeting. Also a steam train travelled from Greymouth. Surprising the Wallabi made it as the year previously trying to get to the Greymouth races it ran aground at Cobden. The Kennedy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 In 1897 the oncouse tote turnover at the Westland Racing Clubs Summer Meeting Day 1 was the equivalent of $400k in today's money. 2,000 people on course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said: Most of you are probably bored now but there is so much of this historical stuff online. Some of it is really funny and really interesting. Just read the results from the Westland Racing Club 1876 meeting. 200 pounds was bet on each race = in today's money $30,000. The winner in one race paid 11 pounds to win or $1,650. Yes it was the outsider! 2,000 people on course for the meeting! yes well it isn't helping much with my search for info re jockeys originating from the West Coast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said: Reefton - were you on the job in 1936? The entrance looks in good order! As usual the best presented venue around. Whilst 1936 was 27 years before my birth it is notable that the Reefton Jockey Club would still in 2021 lap em when it comes to venue presentation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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