Cragford, John P. Arthur and Pat Quinlan
Cragford fits into this story like a fly in the ointment and could very well have scuttled this double with his brilliance. Yet, it is in Cragford we see on display the multidimensional Eric Connolly at work, running more than one double's combination leading up to the 1930 Melbourne Cup. While he is given credit for orchestrating the Amounis-Phar Lap double, it is clear Connolly also backed Cragford and Soulton heavily in doubles with Phar Lap. It indicates how the 1930 Caulfield Melbourne Cup double evolved rather than necessarily being some carefully calculated plunge focused on just Amounis and Phar Lap.
There is no doubt Eric Connolly had a soft spot for the brown gelding Cragford due to his close relationship in the breeding of the horse and his friendship with owner John P. Arthur. Connolly traveled to England in 1925 with Andrew Robertson, Sol Green, bookie George Shrimpton, disgraced pair Jack Corteen and Cecil Godby to help relieve the English bookies of their money and buy some horses. Also on board, another of his good friends, John Arthur. Being advised by Andrew Robertson, Connolly purchased the Lemberg sired Eastern Monarch for 2,000 guineas off Sir George Bullough for Arthur.* It turned out to be a smart purchase as Arthur's horse sired consistent winners. From Eastern Monarch's first 1926 batch comes Herbert Powers winner Taisho and Cragford.
John Authur developed a reputation in the racing community of selling off good horses way too soon. He sold Rostrum to Connolly in 1921. The horse went on to win the Newmarket and Epsom Handicaps the following year earning Connolly nearly £7,000 in stakes and £50,000 in bets. Arthur also owned Fuji San, winner of the 1925 Doncaster Handicap. He sold him to bookie Joe Matthews in 1926 and Fuji San won the AJC All Sire Stakes. In 1935, John Arthur won a Newmarket Handicap with Count Ito, trained by Pat Quinlan with Lou Robertson's star jockey, Keith Voitre on board.
* The Register 16 July 1925
Cragford's trainer Pat Quinlan grew up on a large farm outside Temora, New South Wales, about 170 kilometres, northwest of Canberra. Raised around horses, Quinlan developed a lifelong passion for them. He also became an exceptional cyclist and runner. Had he not turned professional, Pat Quinlan could have represented his country in either sport. He backed himself heavily with a series of wagers and won a small fortune. Quinlan was known overseas as “The Kangaroo Comet”.*
*Sporting Globe 13 February 1932
His transition to professional horseracing was via the betting ring when Quinlan set himself up as a bookie. When he later switched over to training thoroughbreds, people noted his training methods were very similar to how he trained himself as a runner. First taking his horses over long distances and then incorporating speed work.* Pat Quinlan developed a reputation of having at times a prickly personality but enjoyed a long career and was one of Melbourne’s most respected trainers. In 1930, Pat Quinlan had as his Caulfield stable a young jockey of unnatural skill, Scobie Breasley.
* Courier Mail 3 November 1952
Cragford’s performances leading up to the Metropolitan Handicap in Sydney grabbed Connolly's attention and that of the racing public. A late developer like his sire Eastern Monarch, Cragford’s work as a two-year-old was abysmal, as a three year old not much better. Quinlan still thought entering him into the VRC St. Leger a good idea. With Eric Connolly’s close friend Bobby Lewis in the saddle, they ran last by some distance in a race Phar Lap cantered in first by a country mile. After the race Bobby Lewis told John Arthur not to sell him and for Quinlan not to race him until spring. Cragford reminded Bobby Lewis of the brilliant Carbine sired mare La Carabine; twice winner of the AJC Plate, a Sydney Cup and VRC Australian Cup.
It turned out, Lewis was bang on the money. Quinlan immediately cancelled all Cragford’s remaining autumn races. Returning in spring, Cragford went on a four race winning spree before his Metropolitan run. Reaping huge dividends for Connolly, Arthur and Pat Quinlan in both stakes and bets, Cragford was also making money for syndicate organiser Rufe Naylor. The Metropolitan would make it Cragford’s fifth victory in a row and Connolly and Naylor had no intention of missing out on the action. The men, particularly Naylor, not only backed Cragford heavily for the Metropolitan win but doubled him with Adrian’s March for a win in the Epsom.*
* Referee 24 September 1930
Most of the press following the money figured Naylor and Connolly’s hefty double fell through when Adrian’s March failed to place in the Epsom. Yet this is a great example of Connolly's double or triple betting game in action. What he sometimes touted publically as his main bets or focus on a race often turned out to be highly misleading. It was only revealed later the pair had their real money on 25-1 outsider Cathmar. It seemed after a lean year, recovering from his heart attack, Eric Connolly was back in the game. Not only did Cathmar recoup their money, Connolly somehow managed to crawl back from the dead to conjure up a repeat of the year before when he successfully coupled Nightmatch and Loquacious in his lucrative Epsom-Metropolitan double. For Connolly, his rewards were just as glorious and probably tasted twice as sweet. When Pat Quinlan’s young apprentice Scobie Breasley scored his first major win by riding Cragford to victory in the Metropolitan, in a déjà vu moment with the Sydney punters, the crowd turned on Connolly with a vengeance.*
* Truth 12 October 1930
Breasley's was a cracking ride and displayed many of the skills that would later make him Australia’s greatest jockey. Seemingly boxed in for most of the race, instead of taking Cragford to the outside and journey the long way around, Scobie Breasley would become famous for his patience and skill at waiting for precisely the correct moment without leaving the rails if he could possibly help it. Sure enough halfway down the straight that opportunity presented itself, giving Cragford an easy victory by over two lengths in record time.* In 1945, after Breasley rode four Caulfield Cup winners in a row (1942-45), he still rated the best two horses in this period, Cragford and Lou Robertson’s injury prone Lawrence. This takes into account Hall of Famer Tranquil Star, Lawrence's half-sibling Counsel and St. Magnus sired St. Fairy.
* Referee 8 October 1930
Cragford trouncing the field in the 1930 AJC Metropolitan: Breasley’s first major win
It was estimated Connolly, together with John Arthur and Pat Quinlan, walked away from Sydney at least £40,000 the richer. Due to their hostile reception they were receiving it was more likely far more. So the group did not exactly stroll away from Sydney. That would give the impression of Connolly casually leaving New South Wales, bit of a hug and a smile to an adoring crowd, as they lovingly shout to the trio , “Y'all come back now ya hear”. Closer to the truth, Connolly was threatened by members of the ruthless Sydney underworld, abuse hurled at him by infuriated punters and scorned by the press.* Of course, Connolly later denied having been stood over by Sydney mobsters or harassed in any way. He could have still been denying it when he woke up in a cold sweat, dreaming of being taken out to the middle of Sydney Harbour at three in the morning wearing a pair of concrete boots. It was later revealed Connolly and crew also picked up winnings in Adelaide when another Eastern Monarch sired horse, Baccho Sakao won the Port Adelaide Guineas.
This record breaking run by Cragford placed Connolly in a genuine quandary with regards to the upcoming Caulfield Cup and this impending double. If you read the stories of Connolly backing the Amounis-Phar Lap double you would assume all his funds were being invested on that double. This is plainly not true. From July, the Soulton-Phar Lap double was his preference, then as a saver the Amounis-Phar Lap combination. Since the Rosehill Cup victory of Cragford, he started backing the Cragford-Phar Lap double. Then a dark cloud started drifting across the Cragford camp.
Racing journalists agree it was a wonderful victory in the Metropolitan with Cragford and Scobie Breasley were made for each other. Unfortunately for Breasley, the AJC stewards were not nearly as impressed by his ride on the rails as the punters and press. They disqualified Quinlan’s skillful apprentice for two months for interfering with John Buchan. This was extremely bad news for the Cragford camp yet all the while there loomed a far more serious problem than not having Breasley available for the Caulfield Cup. In the weeks leading up to the Metropolitan, Cragford had been barely trained, especially after his easy Rosehill Cup win. Apart from walking him slowly around, Cragford hardly broke into a canter before running the Metropolitan. No one could understand what was wrong with their horse. The only thing Quinlan knew was that his star colt appeared to have some undiagnosed stomach ailment. So worried, Quinlan called the newly appointed Randwick vet V.E.H. Davis who could only note the horse seemed slightly sore all over. Other than that, there appeared to be nothing wrong. Davis also noted a few other horses in Sydney were suffering from similar symptoms and they too had no definite diagnosis.
Cragford’s easy win in the Metropolitan in record time possibly gave Quinlan, Arthur and Connolly a false sense of wellbeing. Especially having just landed a fortune from their early bets. Cragford came back to Melbourne to be readied for the Caulfield Cup but even on the train journey down, the horse appeared to be slowly deteriorating. Despite this, Cragford now shared favouritism with Amounis, Phar Lap and Soulton. Some pundits went as far as to be talking up Cragford’s chances to beat Amounis and even Phar Lap.* One of those pundits was Eric Connolly.
* Sydney Sportsman 7 October 1930
Soulton, Harry Winten and Pat Ryan
“A real Jack Blunt if ever there was one” -Pat Ryan describing Harry Winten, Brisbane Telegraph 1952
Harry Winten did not suffer fools gladly which proved unfortunate as most people, in his estimation, fell decidedly short of his high standards. It tended to place Winten in a perpetual state of annoyance. Yet he was not all vinegar for while Harry Winten could be incredibly ill-tempered with some, he was particularly generous and sympathetic to others. Being 44 years old at the onset of WWI, Winton was not allowed to volunteer for service. Still keen to do his patriotic best, he travelled to the UK to join their Flying Corp. For a man with such an acerbic demeanor, Winten could also be incredibly generous and supportive. Returned servicemen, his neighbours, and the community were often supported with anonymous gifts. He was elected Rosalie Shire Mayor for the three years before he died in 1939. However, his generosity to some cannot disguise the fact Harry Winten could be incredibly fiery; particularly with those involved in racing. Being one of seven children, and particularly one of four hot tempered brothers (Leslie, Rowland and Darcy), Winten maintained a propensity to solve disputes with a good punch up.*
* Shane Winten
Harry Winten imported five colts on his return to Australia after WWI. Preferring the studbook to be state based, this placed him in direct conflict with the Yuille brothers who were in charge of the Australian studbook.* Thet deemed some of Harry Winten’s horses were not thoroughbreds. Lodden Yuille must have been relieved Winten resided in Queensland for his own safety. However, despite this rancorous relationship, Harry Winten managed to stamp his authority on Queensland breeding in a remarkably short period.
* While there were state-based stud books before federation, the Australian studbook had been started by Scottish immigrants and bloodstock agents William and Archibald Yuille. Subsequent generations of Yuilles continued on with the work, later resulting in Winten having some blistering disagreements with Lodden Yuille.
Thanks to his good friends Somerville Tattersall* and Walter Bick,** who often advised Harry Winten on his bloodstock, his Darling Downs stud, "Rosalie Plains" became successful. Through these connections, Harry Winten and his brothers managed to purchase the Martagon sired stallion Paddington from solicitor and long-time AJC Committeeman Reg Allen who had his horse on lease to the Commonwealth Government.*** On Tattersall's advice, Winten approached Allen, as the horse was being wasted as a station sire in outback NSW.**** Paddington to a degree was seen as something of a failure until Winten matched him with Evelyn Soult, bred by George Currie in New Zealand. This coupling produced 1932 George Ryder Stakes, Myles La Coplen, Patti Eve, winner of the Queensland Derby and Queensland Cup and Soulton.
* Bloodstock specialist and sixth-generation Chairman of Tattersall – Europe’s leading bloodstock auctioneers created by Richard Tattersall in 1766. Truth 20 December 1931
** Headed the bloodstock department at Mactaggart’s Primary Producer’s Co-Op Association in Brisbane. Winten and his brothers all used Mactaggart’s for their livestock but Walter Bick proved particularly knowledgeable and helpful to Winten when it came to developing Roslie Plains as a thoroughbred Stud. Truth 20 December 1931
*** Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May 1952 – Solicitor Reginald Charles Allen, died aged 93 in 1952. In his younger days Allen represented NSW and Australia in both cricket and tennis. Cricinfo.
**** Martagon sired a number of important horses to be imported into Australia or New Zealand. Andrew Robertson had already imported the American sire and Goodwood Cup winner Mazagan for Allendale Stock Farm but there were many others. These included 1916 Caulfield Cup winner Shepherd King, 1914 Sydney Cup Lilyveil, 1917 AJC Plate and Adelaide Cup winner Greencap and the most valuable of the lot, Martian whose influence on Australasian bloodstock is enormous.
Pat Ryan and his brother Frank came from tough Irish Catholic stock. They gave as good as they received and in 1928 they received Harry Winten into their house. He wanted Ryan to train some of his horses. Winten approached the Ryan brothers with all the charm of a blunderbuss. A moment like a demolition ball hitting a powder keg. Right from the get-go it was as if war had been declared. A man on constant high alert to having his horses doped, Winten felt he knew more about the breeding and training of a horse than any trainer.
Most would be on their best behaviour in attempting to woo a skilled trainer into your employ. Instead, Harry Winten’s opening gambit to persuade Pat Ryan to train for him fell just short of a punch in the head.
“I was thinking of giving you a few good horses to train but they tell me that you dope your horses, is that so?”*
Pat looked at his brother and they both looked back at the old bastard standing in their lounge room, “I reckon that is a silly question to ask.” replied Ryan seething at Winten, “If I did use dope I would not tell you. If you want to leave your horses with me I’ll talk things over with you. If you came to make remarks I don’t like, you can get.” Winten backtracked only slightly, “Hold on, I want to leave Paddy Bernard and Paddi Eve with you, do you want them?” Still smarting, Pat Ryan finally nodded, “Yes, but I don’t want an owner making a nuisance of himself!”* Even as these words left his lips, Ryan knew he could file it under “Wishful Thinking”. This volatile owner-trainer relationship went from one heated argument to the next with Winten having no intention of following his young trainer’s request.
* Brisbane Telegraph 23 June 1952
Just as Ryan alluded, the situation between the two men worked best when Winten left his harassed trainer alone. The obvious problem here being that Harry Winten was not that type of owner. For starters, he felt he knew more than Ryan and if he had the time he would train the horses himself. Most great trainers possess an unnatural amount of patience, so counterbalancing Winten’s self-belief as a trainer was his complete absence of patience. On most days, it hovered somewhere between zero and volcanic. Ryan may have been able to train Winten’s horses but continued finding it nigh impossible to train Winten. His practice of showing up anytime in Ryan's stable, hollering at staff while accusing someone of having doped his horses, was the backdrop to a training miracle. Ryan was only given two months to take the two horses sired by Paddington and turn them into gold. As a testament to his training skills, he starting having success with both Paddy Bernard and more so with Patti Eve that won the 1928 Queensland Derby and the Queensland Cup.
Eric Connolly may not have been well when he travelled to Sydney for the 1930 AJC autumn carnival but it hardly slowed his scheming. One move saw him steal the control of Soulton right out of Pat Ryan’s grasp. In a similar move from the year before when he wrangled the management of Nightmarch and effectively took over the training from Alex McAuley, this season’s trick would be the Queensland gelding Soulton.
“Connolly is said to have selected Soulton for the next Caulfield Cup and what is more to the point, proposes to train him for that event.” Brisbane Truth 4th May, 1930.
Alcman, Dave Price and Fred Kitchen
“Alcman – a 50-1 chance ran third for me in 1930.” - D.J. Price, 1939
The brown four year old Alcman had been bred by famed AJC committeeman and studmaster, Edward James Quadrant (E.J.) Watt. An incredibly successful breeder, having generated over £300,000 in stakes, with studs in New South Wales and Queensland. Watt is most famous as the owner of 1937 VATC Futurity Stakes, Epsom Handicap and Canterbury Stakes winner Chief Ruler sired Gold Rod. James Watt, Gold Rod, his trainer George Price and jockey Maurice McCarten, all originating from New Zealand. Watt’s other good horses include, Mildura winning two Doncaster Handicaps (1940 & 1941) and a Newmarket Handicap (1940) and Mountain King sired Mountain Knight (and like his sire) won a CB Fisher Plate (1914), AJC Derby (1914) and both the AJC and VRC St Leger (1915).
After graduating in Law from Cambridge University, James Watt returned to New Zealand, as a director of North Island land and estate auctioneers C.B. Hoadley and Son. Always a canny businessman and land speculator, Watt transferred his interests over to Australia and bought beautiful properties in New Zealand, Queensland and New South Wales to expand his pastoral interests.* Watt imported the Tracery sired Doric out of Cyllene sired Doro to stand at his NSW stud in Moolong. Matched with Queen’s Bounty, produced Alcman in 1926. Dave Price trained James Watt’s Melbourne horses and recommended to another of his patrons, Fred Kitchen he should purchase the colt.
* Watt resided in the 30 room National Estate sandstone mansion, Fernleigh Castle in Rose Bay.
Out of their humble grocery business in Bolton, William Lever came up with Sunlight soap in 1884. Nearly forty years later, their small family business had grown into the multinational Lever Brothers.* Humble grocer Bill Lever became Lord Leverhulme as his £300 million business now comprised of 130 companies spanning the United Kingdom, North and South America, South Africa, Europe, Asia, Pacific Islands and Australasia. The Lever Brothers were producing a good percentage of the world’s soap, candles and margarine. Along their incredibly successful journey from Bolton grocers to Soap Kings, the company merged with Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide factories operating under J. Kitchen & Sons and W.H. Burford & Sons.
John Kitchen started his soap business in 1856 and became a household name in Australasia. Then J. Kitchen & Sons merged with Burford’s, both commercially and in marriage, to create a virtual monopoly of soaps and candles when they joined forces with the Lever brothers. Grandson of John Kitchen, Fred (F.W) took over the role as managing director of Lever Brother’s Australasian arm in 1924. Kitchen & Sons and Lever Brothers collectively owned household brands Lux, Solvol, Rinso, Surf, Omo, Handy Andy, Electrine Candles and Continental packet soups. While Fred Kitchen enjoyed being the soap and candle king of Australasia, a leading light in developing the Victorian Chamber of Manufacturers and sitting on numerous boards and committees, his real passion could be found at a racecourse. And Fred Kitchen’s New Zealand born trainer was Dave Price, a lifelong friend of Lou Robertson.
* Later merging with Dutch company Margarine Unie to become Unilever.
How Dave Price became involved with Fred Kitchen was through a set of events tracing back to his friendship with Lou Robertson. After Robertson took a break from training in 1918, his services were in high demand when he returned in 1922. Robertson briefly looked after the Sea Prince sired Tookarby during this period before handing the horse over to his friend, George Delaney to be trained for Jim Montgomery, a Gippsland pastoralist. Fellow New Zealanders and Mordialloc neighbours, George Delaney,* Dave Price and Lou Robertson were all lifelong mates and fellow punters for over 50 years. So it stood to reason when Sea Prince, imported by Andrew Robertson and leased to Eric Connolly, sired Tookarby became available, Montgomery should give the horse to George Delaney when Robertson had too many horses to look after. Along with Purser, the gelding Tookarby counts among Sea Prince’s best progeny. However, this situation was not to last.
* Born in Auckland 1883, Delaney died a year after Lou Robertson in 1956. Both Delaney and Price started their racing careers as jockeys. http://www.the-delaneys.com/family-trees.html
In 1925 Delaney lost Tookarby in somewhat tawdry circumstances after a meltdown at an early morning training session at Caulfield. Unfortunately, George Delaney’s explosive Irish temper got the better of him when he let rip at VATC steward Stan Moule during track work. Delaney blew up, blaming Moule for a previous 12 months ban. Still pissed off with Moule, the outburst forced Delaney into another year away from training. The papers euphemistically reporting the suspension being due to a “misdemeanour” or “having met the displeasure of the VATC.”* The real reason could not have been reported verbatim 100 years later much less in 1925. George Delaney seems to have lost his mind for a moment. Delaney’s case reads like something lifted out of a French farce.
*Sporting Globe
Sitting in front of VATC chairman Clive Leonard*, committee members George Woodforde, Ben Chaffey, Merson Cooper, Arthur Syme (friend of Lou and raced under nom de course "S.A. Rawdon") and VATC solicitor Charles Lort Smith, were VATC employee Stan Moule and George Delaney. Clive Leonard turned to the wounded Moule for his version of events.
“Leonard - Dictate to the shorthand writer the words complained of on the Wednesday morning
Moule – I refuse to speak them, they are too filthy and disgusting.
Leonard - That does not matter. We must hear what the words are.
Moule - On the Wednesday morning Delaney said to me…(taking a deep breath)… “I would like to put my f-----g pr—k up your bloody arse as far as I could get, you bloody syphilitic, gravy-eyed looking bastard. You took my living away from me for 12 months you f------ c---.” Complaint by Stanley R. Moule against George Delaney for using abusive and insulting language. VATC inquiry minutes 15.10.1925
… blink… blink… dead silence… cough…
At the request of the chairman, the parties withdrew so the committee could consider their verdict. The door shut as committee members staggered over to the drinks cabinet for a stiff scotch and find some smelling salts for the poor girl taking shorthand. Unfortunately for Delaney, he ran into three significant problems when professing his innocence. Firstly, Delaney’s reputation for temper and language had seen him fined on multiple occasions. Secondly, his none too subtle outburst could be heard four suburbs away. Lastly, while Delaney lost Tookarby through the suspension, he also lost his relationship with Montgomery. Lort Smith was Jim Montgomery brother-in-law through sister Louisa.** Unfortunately for Delaney, his training career never fully recovered from this moment on. Montgomery transferred Tookarby away from Delaney, and on Lou Robertson's recommendation, to Dave Price who immediately won the Moonee Valley Cup with him in 1925.*** From that moment on, Dave Price remained with Montgomery as his chosen trainer.
* Merson Cooper had a long association with the VATC and owned San Antonio winner of the 1924 Williamstown Cup and the very good Violincello sired Prince Viol winner of the 1927 Moonee Valley Cup, Hobart Cup and VATC Coogny. He was involved in the wool industry and stockbroking. Director of the Australian Knitting Mills and a partner of John Goodall when it merged with JB Were in 1943. Sporting Globe 26 January 1948
** Louisa Lort-Smith is best known as the Founder of the Lort Smith Animal Hospital in Melbourne.
*** Tookarby was still racing as a 12 year old and even further handicapped because he was considered to be improving by the VRC handicapper. When Price was training his horse at Caulfield, mates of Price would gather around and nod, laughingly shouting out, “Gees Dave, looks like your horse is improving!” DJ Price memoirs
Whether or not it was through Price, Jim Montgomery and Fred Kitchen joined forces. Montgomery ran his horses under the nom de course "Mr. M. Denis" and both in partnership and individually the men were excellent patrons to Price. When Jim Montgomery died, Kitchen bought, under Price's instruction, many of his horses. Kitchen in turn dispersed his stable in 1935.* Dave Price is an underrated trainer and was in fact, as many of his peers noted, rice as “one of the best trainers of this century.”**
* Sporting Globe 27 February 1935
** Sporting Globe, 20 November 1937
The history of Dave Price does not shine kindly on a career that could have walked among the greats of both harness and thoroughbred racing. Whichever road D.J. (David John) Price was travelling it always seemed strewn with obstacles, potholes, bad luck and controversy. His influence, assistance and friendship to Lou Robertson, along with the legion New Zealand ex-pat racing men now in Australia, proved to be one of the most enduring and important elements to Lou Robertson, and a host of other top flight trainers of this era. Price’s contribution to both codes of racing is incredibly understated and unappreciated by many racing historians. He should have been inducted into both the Australian Racing Hall of Fame and more particularly the New Zealand Harness Racing Hall of Fame. Yet for the most part, Dave Price is an obscure footnote in both codes.
Dave Price was born Fox Hill (south of Nelson), number six of twelve children to William and Emily Price.* William took his family over to live in Ashburton, south of Christchurch in 1873 when Dave was only four. Despite their competitiveness and Price being older (born in the same year as Andrew Robertson), Lou Robertson and Dave Price became the best of lifelong mates when they worked closely in Christchurch. Despite their competitiveness with one another, the pair constantly shared secrets and training methods causing comparisons to be drawn between the two men. Both worked exceeding hard, were constantly talking with their horses and choosing to give verbal commands rather than resorting to whips to achieve results. Because of Dave Price’s continued involvement with gallopers, he would later prove one of the most decisive reasons for Lou Robertson to swap over from training standardbreds to thoroughbreds. While they may have loved training winners both men enjoyed fleecing the bookies in the process. Dave Price’s most important influence on Robertson was the art of betting plunges which Lou Robertson had first learnt by necessity in Blenheim and Palmerston North but later honed down with Price in Christchurch. It was perfected still further in Robertson’s career with Eric Connolly.
* Census and New Zealand Birth, Deaths and Marriage
By evidence alone it would be very easy to conclude the sartorially elegant Price was being a little too cavalier with the rules of both life and racing. It would, unfortunately, gloss over the achievements of an extraordinary racing identity and incredibly gifted horseman. Blessed with a great sense of humour and always a dead hand at picking wonderful horses, it could be argued Price was the first truly professional standardbred horse trainer in New Zealand. His methods and approach to training were years ahead of his counterparts. His dedication and innovations had a profound effect on how Lou Robertson went about his work as they were very similar in their approach. “Sporting Globe” writer and ex-driver Jack Sing was lamenting the lack of horsemanship in 1940 when he cited both Lou Robertson and Dave Price as prime examples of what was missing in the modern driver or jockey.
“'And rarely do you hear a lad speaking to his mount. Horses get to know what a rider requires of them if he is on speaking terms. Lou Robertson and Dave Price talked to their trotters when riding or driving them. Most of their horses would be waiting with ears cocked for the words of encouragement or command”
Dave Price is a prime example of a great trainer not having the best horses to train. For D.J. Price certainly had the skills of a Lou Robertson, Frank McGrath or Jack Holt, he just never had that champion horse. Well he did in a pacer called Ribbonwood who was his horse in a lifetime. But in the thoroughbred world, Dave Price never found his Phar Lap, Gothic, Strephon, Amounis, Peter Pan, Hall Mark, Eurythmic or Nuffield. That Harry Telford be inducted into the Hall of Fame ahead of him, would be greeted with disbelief in 1930.
All three trainers, Quinlan, Price and Robertson, all had their horses primed for the Caulfield Cup. The question is did they have them ready to win or come second and what instructions were given to their jockeys?
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