Tudorlight 21 Report post Posted July 29, 2021 Hi, just to set the record straight. Lol. There is a post which suggests Grey Way should have been relegated in his win over Show Gate in the Stewards at Riccarton in the 70s. I have watched the replay of that race many times and still have a recording of it. They were in the middle of the track and there was no interference. Show Gate carried three kgs more so it was a huge effort but Grey Way was a fair winner. He was an amazing horse. From memory, 15 track records and at one stage held the Australasian record for 1400m - which very much proves how good he was. Grey Way was such a professional racehorse … he would jump, settle and then change gears when asked. It always bugged me that the connections put Maurice Campbell on him for some races, he didn’t need such an aggressive rider. There will never be another horse in NZ that wins 51 races and only an elite few achieve a 30 per cent plus win rate. He was a trude champion. Baz (NZ), Memphis3, Pam Robson and 2 others 4 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasman man 742 Report post Posted July 30, 2021 6 hours ago, Tudorlight said: Hi, just to set the record straight. Lol. There is a post which suggests Grey Way should have been relegated in his win over Show Gate in the Stewards at Riccarton in the 70s. I have watched the replay of that race many times and still have a recording of it. They were in the middle of the track and there was no interference. Show Gate carried three kgs more so it was a huge effort but Grey Way was a fair winner. He was an amazing horse. From memory, 15 track records and at one stage held the Australasian record for 1400m - which very much proves how good he was. Grey Way was such a professional racehorse … he would jump, settle and then change gears when asked. It always bugged me that the connections put Maurice Campbell on him for some races, he didn’t need such an aggressive rider. There will never be another horse in NZ that wins 51 races and only an elite few achieve a 30 per cent plus win rate. He was a trude champion. Yes Grey Way was a very special horse ,and one of my favourites. However Show Gate was special too....with a lot of brilliance and will to win. Her owner/trainer was my neighbour and I popped thru the fence regularly and Gordon was adamant that in that 1976 Stewards his mare was hampered and this cost her the race. The margin was narrow. He told me that on a number of occasions. Gordon was very fair minded and he had a belief/policy of never protesting a race.And this despite that he had a race taken off Show Gate at Southland and at least one relegation of another good horse he trained ,in Middy who won a NZ Cup. Are you able to put the tape on to this site ? How can I source the recording ? Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tudorlight 21 Report post Posted July 30, 2021 Hi, I have the recording on a DVD … I will have to ask a techie minded person if they can load it on the site. There are other races on there from Turf Talk … one collection when he was retired. Pat Corboy’s wife kindly sent me a video which I got converted to a DVD. There may be someone out there who has the same collection … one of the races … which unfortunately is not very clear … shows his incredible acceleration. I realise it wasn’t a stewards view … but the horses were in the middle of the track down the straight and the great mare does not look inconvenienced in any way. No argument that she was amazing … tragedy she didn’t win the Wellington Cup. Patiti, Baz (NZ), Gruff and 1 other 3 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
poundforpound 745 Report post Posted July 30, 2021 I had the pleasure of riding him a few times, never in a race, but raceday He gave you one hell of a feel, big strong boy with a beautiful quick action once he quickened up I also had the pleasure of winning a race on his nemesis, the freakish Show Gate She didn’t give you the same feel but she was a hell of a mare The tragedy is that Grey Way wouldn’t win 20 races today, because the handicapping model we use is so fucked up, it drives consistent male horses out of the industry or into WFA far too quickly . Sad really, but nice to do the feel good nostalgia thing, and to reflect on their greatness Baz (NZ), tasman man, Pure Steel and 2 others 4 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruff 2,790 Report post Posted July 30, 2021 Missing the Showgate footage here as well GREY WAY - beats the champs in the 1977 Easter Handicap - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0oTUZErrz8 tasman man and Patiti 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dopey 214 Report post Posted July 30, 2021 showgate: https://loveracing.nz/News/12644/Showgate-RacingHallofFame.aspx Grey way Enjoy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasman man 742 Report post Posted July 30, 2021 18 minutes ago, Dopey said: showgate: https://loveracing.nz/News/12644/Showgate-RacingHallofFame.aspx Grey way Enjoy Great memories Dopey......one myth fancied by journalists was the Gordon put on "boys that rode the work". Early on Gordon employed an apprentice Michael Craig and when he got too heavy he used a Cantab David Reed then had a number of jockeys including the established Bruce Marsh and Gary Willetts and the Cantab he thought to be the next big thing Leo Molloy. He mainly favoured apprentices after being offended in 60's when Bob Skelton chose a local horse Captain's Command over his top 3 yr old Middy in the Dunedin Guineas. At start of 1974-75 season he gave promising Southland apprentice Chris Ramage a shot and he won six straight including famous treble during NZ Cup week. He stuck with Ramage until weight became an issue and went back to Bob Skelton on ambitious North Island campaign , then Ramage's star dulled just prior to Show Gate's final race. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memphis3 1,261 Report post Posted July 30, 2021 2 hours ago, Gruff said: Missing the Showgate footage here as well GREY WAY - beats the champs in the 1977 Easter Handicap - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0oTUZErrz8 What a champion he was. 51 wins crikey that’s unreal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasman man 742 Report post Posted July 30, 2021 9 hours ago, Memphis3 said: What a champion he was. 51 wins crikey that’s unreal. Sure was Memphis. But he generally disliked rain affected going.....a horse said to dislike a spit on the track ! i learned that early on when I was counting my doubles winnings before they happened...Gore at Labor Weekend....soft track, Gore Guineas and he ran one of worst races...winner was another fav horse Dandyman [by Gatekeeper]. Yet Grey Way went to Aussie at one stage ,was dogged by went tracks yet still won a race ! Personally I think that 1977 Easter was his best ever win ! Memphis3 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tudorlight 21 Report post Posted July 31, 2021 Hi again, yeah the wet tracks were his kryptonite. Lol. I just loved the way he could change gears … he had that ability to go to another level when his jockey asked him to unleash … that set him apart. Unfortunately I can’t find the DVD of the reel which included the stewards … awful feeling I may have accidentally put it with some stuff for the sallies. I do still have the vhs version but no vhs player. Hopefully there may be someone out there with the Turf Talk clips complete with Glyn Tucker and Mark Leishman. Would be great to have them online. I think it’s either the Topsy Stakes or Pakistan II stakes in which he blasts away halfway down the home straight … making some very good sprinters look ordinary. There would be few horses who could handle the race and travel schedule that was asked of him. A very different era. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patiti 274 Report post Posted July 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Tudorlight said: Mark Leishman. Probably his brother Phillip Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tudorlight 21 Report post Posted July 31, 2021 Oops, yes it was Phillip. And sorry can’t see edit function to correct true (not trude) in original post. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
