Purple Comet

[Gerrymir00 24]

To settle a bet, one of my earlier betting forays into e/w  betting was on a horse called Purple Comet on a meting in the CD....won paying $72, question is what year....hope someone can help, thanks.

[slam dunk 1,317]

http://www.nzracing.co.nz/Breeding/32294/Purple-Comet-NZ-1977.aspx

Looks like NZTR has form going back further than before.

[Memphis2 1,078]

My old man came home from the club back in the early 80s and told me some one had tipped him a horse. Of course he couldn't remember it's name. Finally I got out of him that it was a colour  Turns out it was PurpleComet . It won but didn't pay $72 that day 

 

 

[gubellini 3,996]

Purple Comet won the Apprentices’ Handicap at Awapuni on 22/5/82.He paid $74.70 and $17.55. The last leg of the treble which he won was paid out on the second horse El Toro.

[bazach 133]

Gubes, on a related  note, you may be able to find this one for me - goes way back to the 1970s. A two year old called Monrana (hope I have the spelling correct!) - by Monitor I think, won at massive odds in the CD, ridden by P Meynell.

[gubellini 3,996]

bazach Monrana was a brown colt foaled in 1969 by Monitor out of Kirana. He had his first start at Wanganui on the 12/2/72. Ridden by Scott Hammersley he was unplaced.His second start was on the 26/2/72 at Otaki. Ridden by Peter Meynell he won by five lengths and paid $348.95 and $62.25. Second was Ari and Don Foley. Third was Haut Sifflet and Des Harris and fourth Rose Mellay and Scott Hammersley. At his third start at Manawatu on the 25/3/72 he won again ridden by John Skinner. He was trained at Otaki by his owner G. Blenkhorn.He was then sold to Australia where he raced as Lord Monrana.

[bazach 133]

Great, thanks Gubes. I was talking to Peter (Meynell) about this a while ago, and he remembered it well. That would have to be one of the largest dividends ever in NZ I would think. Does anyone know of any which were larger than $348?. At that money, you would think only a couple of people would have backed him!

[Fartoomuch 1,376]

An Evening Star Dunedin racing journo once backed the card at Waikoiuti in The 60s The all up was in the vicinity  of 8 k pounds. He was admirably given  a full column  by Jack Morris the racing editor of ODT

[slam dunk 1,317]

4 hours ago, bazach said:

Great, thanks Gubes. I was talking to Peter (Meynell) about this a while ago, and he remembered it well. That would have to be one of the largest dividends ever in NZ I would think. Does anyone know of any which were larger than $348?. At that money, you would think only a couple of people would have backed him!

It would be enlightning to know some background to the win. Why could no one see a five length win coming up? Why did it win by 5L.

And did it ever duplicate the effort in subsequent starts?   Surely if a horse is going to win by 5 len there must be some sort of clue.

[Gerrymir00 24]

19 hours ago, gubellini said:

Purple Comet won the Apprentices’ Handicap at Awapuni on 22/5/82.He paid $74.70 and $17.55. The last leg of the treble which he won was paid out on the second horse El Toro.

Thanks for the answer, I knew it was $70 odd but not exact figure. Came up in a discussion about the wet track sires of old.....Zamazaan, In The Purple and the like.

 

[blackcaviar56 48]

Great day...My cousin and I both in our early 20's at the time and ever since we have had a saying whenever we see the races at awapuni and it's raining and the winners are coming down the outside of the track "it's a purple comet day"...we both backed him I had 3ew and he had 2w 3p and we both got the quinella (very luckily) as the rider of the third horse got interferred with by El toro but he didn't put in a protest within the required time to do so...happy day's i can still remember the bar table covered in bourbon & cokes 

Never thought Purple Comet would be mentioned on here

Thanks Gerrymir00 for the great memory