1955-04-09 — Page 5

Page

ONE OF THE WORLD'S STRANGEST STORIES

THE

RACE

THAT NEVER WAS

By IVOR HERBERT

TRANGE horses have Reaper boing published in the

won good races, good second paper as five to two,

Thost bookmakers who had

horses have strangely not yet paid out understand- lost bad ones, and the poor ably wished to verify this punter, weighed down by strange discrepancy, The Trod- bookies' bills, swears never more Hunt Club itself should to have a touch again —

know, they thought. and has half-a-crown each way on the 3.30.

When his bet goes down he will rant at the fraudulent cor- ruptions of the Turf. All trainers are crooked, be will Buy, owners dishonest, jockeys pirates and

the bookmakers bare-faced thieves. Financial loss, like any other depression, .casts a black shade over the lamp of life. The shadows on the wall become distorted.

In the light of day, however, the racing scene does not appear so grim. The actors on its stage are not all criminals, but they are not all as innocent as babes unbom.

Opportunities for malpractices exist, and people dependent on racing for a living will some times be tempted to take them

The most fantastic traud ever perpetrated in racing was not, however, motivated by any such understandable a need as that of making both ends meet.

· Iis unknown, originators werC

not dependent on the Turf for a living. They were, in fact (and here heads must be hidden, eyes averted, blushes covered)

ย

group of sporting journalists. Undiscovered they reaped the harvest of their incredible plan and "undiscovered they Je-

mained.

They are believed to have taken their secret to the grave, but if one of them was only 25 on August Bank Holiday, 1909, he would be 70 now.

No Surprise

Until the war mest. Hunts in England, in addition to running their own Point-to-Points, held an annual Hunt Race Meeting run under National Hunt Rules.

Of the few that survive today the West Norfolk Hunt Meeting at Fakenham remains as example.

RA

But 45 years ago there were

But where was Trodmore? It

appeared on no map, in no

'gazetteer.

."

Closed Mouths

What was the Trodmore Hunt Club It appeared in no refer- ence books.

Mr Martin?

Where and, indeed, who was

unbroken silence fell

An impenetrable darkness, an Uke ง cloak over

the race meeting which had existed only in the minds of a band of conspirators. Greatly enriched

by their in- credible innepidly and guile

but not as vastly as they had i huped) they continued their normal works and kept their mouths closed

they died,

And nobody yet knows the identity of "Mr Martin" and his, fellow conspirators in this almost unbelievable, fraud.

THE

MININA MAIL-SATURDAY, APRIL

1955.

VRDOT

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THE BOSSES of LONDON

PRINCE OF MAKE-BELIEVE

I

many, and it came as no surprise with

N his offices at the back of the Coliseum theatre, Mr Prince. Littler sits at a desk his head framed

by MILTON SHULMAN

to the editor of the Sportsman squarely against a small, when a gentleman calling him- self Mr Martin presented him- black safe. The symbolism drome to act as the chairman of

self at that paper's London is by no means inappro

the details

Mces Empires.

But wherever he is Mr Littier

gone up enormously, they stil cost the same as they did.40 years ago. When I protested that

were much programmes larger in those days, Mr Littler replied: "We gave them more but we didn't tell them any

more."

J

the

Prince Littler's experi intimate knowledge

and and stretch on late into office to ask whether the editor|priate. For Mr Littler's always exudes the same down theatre

Mr Littler 15 of the evening would agree to priet

the forthcoming August/authority in the London to-earth approach to a notorious devoted to it. His parents ran

comes from a lifetime particularly proud of a peasion for

scheme he has organised for Bank Holiday Steeplechase theatre stems from such ly head-in-the-clouds industry.

the Royal Artillery Theatre,

his statt. "It is the only meeting of the Trodmore Hunt. unartistic matters as bricks by talk becomes most animated Woolwich, and when his father pension

It is not surprising, then, that

scheme in the Even today there are so many and mortar, real estate and when he is discussing the amor-

was suriously injured the chil- business," he said. packs of hounds that no one

dren - Prince, Im le of a capital debt or call

liar if you very hard cash. 4.

Bianche took over its boasted of a day's hunting Others may associate the telling you where 52 percent of

agement. with the Trodmore. "Where is drama with aesthetics and the trading profit goes. that?" you might be asked, And

would

your word.

عد

practical 2

tisation

monopoly?

lose as much as

"We can

und

Maz)-

As a young man he began extending his interests to theatres in Manchester had Cambridge, and picking up the he provincial, sights of London

if like Mr Martin, you said the emotions. To Mr Littler it Trodmore hunted down. in is

business Comwall, no one would doubt proposition. He represents

the reality behind the £45,000 on a big musical," There

ere must have been dozens of race meetings that August tinsel, the statistics behind will say, and one substantial successes. By the time he was Bank Holiday, but the editor the make-believe,

loss of that kind can wipe out 20 he already had six or seven the net profits obligingly found space to print "I am not in this business for

we made on the Trodmore Hunt programme, fun" Mr Littler told me, "I hits like which

he took from the official don't feel we have to put on Oklahoma, race card and list of entries

artistic things that lose money, South Pacific brought by Mr Martin.

I am only in my position so long and The King as the shareholders are happy.

and I to Mr Littler's "position" is like

With so much that of a strong men balancing influence in so

of acrobats on his a pyramid shoulders. He is the main figure few hands," it On Bank Holiday morning.

is natural that band of sporting journalists in a series of interlocking com-

the charge of began a long round of London's panies that own or control most bookmakers to

home of the important theatres in the

Mr Martin also promised that he would be kind

enough wire the editor the results the meeting and the starting prices of the winners.

of

ons to back Ted Reaper in the fourth race West End.

called

at the Trodmart Hunt Meeting The bets were accepted and the conspirators waited with under- standable ecnfidence for the morrow. Then they knew Mr

Two offices

Then there are first-nights to

attend, scripts to read and periodic visits to New York--“I can't stand the central heating" -to investigate "potential dramatic imports.

Every week-end he, doffs his impresario mantle and becomes a farmer on his 350-acre fanın in Surrey. Here he and his wife-thre former Nora Delaney, whom he married 22 years ago when she was principal boy

• I'm not in this business for fun, says the man who represents the

reality behind the tinsel of theatrical make-believe,

monopoly has been levelled against Mr Lättler and his Associates.

Pantomimes became

in one of his pantomimes relax among their herd of 70. Guernsey "Cows, take me away shows touring the provinces, cattle. did everything with those pro- from it all," he said. ductions but stick up the bills,” he said,

Now at 53, this "slightly They have been attacked for

plummpish, benign-looking" "man, his with the George Robey eye- restricting enterprise and experi His official jobs read like a ment, for doing little to recruit specialty, and the estimates he brows his sister, Blanche, Martin would. telephone throud tycoon's poem. He is the chair- or encourage new, actors, authors has been responsible for about incidentally, is the widow.of

man and managing director of or producers, for keeping many 200 of them. Basically pantos Sir George Robey has to the Sportsman the name of the Stoll Theatre Corporation playhouses 说她 antiquated have not change the said intention of either restricting the non-existent Reaper as the and of. The Associated Theatre spe, for maintaining such "The public will not tolerate his acavities or shrinking, his winner of the non-existent Properties (London) Ltd, the minor haitations in the theatre any tampering with tradition, empire,

chaman of Moss Empires, the desmolding and charges for Five To One managing director of the Theatre flimsy programmes.

Royal, Mr Martin duly returned Drury Lane, and a direc

tor of a number of other com- Reaper the winner results in the Sportsman and hotels beer and ships. Sporting Life were the two

Trodmore Hunt Meeting,

papers

somewhat

can."

First night

under

no

In fact, he already has his eye on the new world of comimercial TV.

The news fat he has joineri

forped with Mr Norman Collins means that some of the biggest names In

will variety available to this formidable combination The move is not to still theory of nopoly that hav

now

ba

especially the interchange of sexes. Anyway, a wornan in the New world part of a Dome, would not be, Mr Littler's reaction to these unable to display her

nearly.. as funny. Shea be modestly at 5 to 1 and since i panics concerned with theatres, criticisms is almost bland". "No-wear as energetically as a man

body has put up an argument Behind this facade of prosaic against us that calls for any then accepted (as the company names lies control of defence," he said. "Our theatres. of London's best-known re available to any independent officie latter is now) as

theatres and a host of provincial producer who has a good show." of settling bets, the purpose the conspirators began to collect theatres as well. their winnings on the only

In the Whatever, you see at Drunny. A good show" is defined by

thirties he bought Her Majesty's, the Mr Littler as something he par- theatres in Leicester and inty there has ever been in Lane,

Coliseum, the Prince of Wales, sonally thinks will have a reason- Cardiff, asquired lenses of"

of success. I theatres in Manchester and the Palladium, the Lyric, the able chance Some bookmakers, however, preferred to rely

results Apollo,

Phoenix, the wouldn't let a theatre to a pro- Norwich, and a decade later Littler's activités 00

But Mr Liter does not and Aldwych,

Stall printed in Sporting Life,

St. ducer it. I thought he had a flop." was invading London "When belleve television is as much the locked in vain for any mention James's, the Cambridge and the be said. "A theatre can easily you are reasonably successful of a threat to the theatre of the Trodmore Races in that Palace is to some extent deter- get a reputation for housing flops other people come to you with vaper Mr Martin was not mined by Prince Littles, and there what we for to propotillonese Covelopments "TV creates personalities Fini

a troubled. He telephoned Coreldering the power he prevent." greatly

Life complained od wields in his West End empire Mr Later, who smokes six Mr Littler- teels that the Sporting

total absence of publicity his parent sem to bat cigars a day, feels that a amok public has a thoroughly dis given by that paper to & great unduly retient in christening ing ban in the theatre would be torted conception of a theatre sporting event, and suggested him "Prince" when they might, that it should

ould forthwith publish with some lustice, have made

the resul: Ethese, he suggested, kel sasv

could most easly be taken

plaining

i usually have the Pernally, watches the

money

it was originally feared to be,

the public comes to the theatre

to

The

see them in person,

asked Mr Littler if he

a necessary restriction But manager, "They think of him thought there was much oppor

for newcomery in the a producer insists on a "no es bman who stands in the unity

-Unless” young people smoking rule daring a run, he foyer,

smokes xigars and beatcer

come were delicated to the theatre

be

they should be- couraged. There was so Bust looking after more than room" the top did 1000 / exployees-electricians

To keep his affairs straight Mr direct from the Sportsman The Littler has two offices. In the I never smoke in the theatre un rolling, be paid. editor of Spring Life obliged, morning he is ensconced behind lem and bor," he nëded. and once again all seemed set the Coliseum, colucting the

afairs of the Stout Theatre Coe Me Liter

Hawayer by a thousand to portion; in the afternoons; he with those who complatz

etror whips off.

pesulled" in" the wurting price of over to

pled to those wanting to go

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