RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
Value Bell

Photo.

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I have this photo, 8x6. Dont know what year photo was taken. Back row, L to R = D. Green, R. Fergusson, R. Clayton, C. May, A. Pringle, M. Baker, F. Tunstall, J Young snr, A. McKenzie and H. Black.

Front row, L to R = S. Dickie, T. Rea, R. Carter, D. Shand, L. Frost jnr  and D. White. Free to a home.

Scan.jpg

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16 hours ago, drove a few said:

Love the old style colours, no letters, no advertising the pub you own, just basic sashes, stripes etc.

I know it's black & white but I like that in those days the helmet was part of the colours and generally matched in with the colours the driver wears.  These days often the colour of the helmet clashes with the drivers colours or just doesn't look right.

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On 9/13/2021 at 2:09 PM, Value Bell said:

Dont know what year photo was taken. Back row, L to R = D. Green, R. Fergusson, R. Clayton, C. May, A. Pringle,

I see A Pringle drove the NZ Cup winner in 1908 & 1914 so must be a very old photo.

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2 hours ago, tasman man said:

Probably not that old.....I'd guess mid to late !950's.

I think it would be well before the 1950s as I don't recall seeing most of those drivers during that period. I am pretty sure A Pringle didn't drive then but a Jack Pringle did. I could be wrong however as the mind is not as good as it once was.

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51 minutes ago, Overcheck said:

I think it would be well before the 1950s as I don't recall seeing most of those drivers during that period. I am pretty sure A Pringle didn't drive then but a Jack Pringle did. I could be wrong however as the mind is not as good as it once was.

My guesstimate was based on the assumption it was GD Shand in the front row as mentioned above.

GD Shand was my Dad's favourite , and I remember reading a few articles about him. 

The first was he drove his first winner in late 1951 and the second said he started driving when barely out of nappies.

Assuming ,again , that the minimum age may have been 15 I added a couple of years cos how old he appeared in the photo.

Initially it looked like a "junior drivers' race if there was such a thing back then ,except for the guy far left ,back row.

It's a query that there is not a legendary driver among them ....eg MHolmes, JD Litten,CC Devine , CS Donald , R Young , DC Watts , DGNyhan , F Holmes etc.

The other factor in my guess was the type of windows and the hats worn by men in background !🙂

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2 hours ago, tasman man said:

My guesstimate was based on the assumption it was GD Shand in the front row as mentioned above.

It does look like G.D Shand but the time line doesn't fit with there being an A Pringle given it doesn't look like a massive difference in age between them.  Could it perhaps be Georges father?

There is a C May who I assume could be Ricky Mays grandfather. Terry May began driving in 1959 and G.D.Shand in 1955 so their fathers would have been driving together if G D Shands father drove at all. 

If that is right I think the photo could be anywhere from 1920s to 30s.   A Pringle doesn't look too old. If he is the one that won  the cups in 1908 & 1914

2 hours ago, tasman man said:

Initially it looked like a "junior drivers' race if there was such a thing back then

 

2 hours ago, tasman man said:

except for the guy far left ,back row.

I thought the same thing.   Is it possible Juniors back then were based on experience (or lack of) rather than just age?

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The stats on HRNZ website start at 1955 and most of the few I checked had driving wins or places that year and 1956/7 seasons and junior driver was beside a couple of them.I assume only winners and place getters are included cos a couple of those I checked had no mention

Andrew Pringle noted as a junior driver in 1955 .....driving one second.

Clarrie May was quite successful as far back in 1948 up to about 1970..... ....he involved with a good horse Loyal Nurse who won a NZ Cup when with the Berketts.

Clarrie drove it to second in 1948  Interdoms.

It could be another C.May in photo..

I'm still guessing 1955 for the photo !

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Further digging shows that Ricky May ,whose father is Terry May ,had two uncles Leo [ drove Vanadium a bit ] and Clive May.

Clive was a Junior Driver 1955-1959 ,maybe before then but drove one winner in 1955.

So likely he in photo above.

Clarrie May , a blacksmith ,and Ricky's grandad trained Loyal Nurse to win Auckland Cup in 1946.

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All makes sense now thanks to Tasman.  A Pringle must have been related somehow to the A Pringle that won the Trotting Cup early on.

Must have been a junior drivers race given how young all except one of them is.  It may have been a rarity in those days hence they all lined up for a photo.

They were called probationary drivers in those days I think.

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