1959-11-17 — Page 9

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THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1959.

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CHARLIE SMIRKE RETIRES

Fights Against Odds To Ride Four Derby Winners

The great

It has been said before and now it's official:

Charlie Smirke, four times winner of the Derby, No. 1 classic of the English Turf, has ridden his last His weight and keep-fit worries are over. Now his prob- lems as Mr Charles Smirko, owner, begin.

race,

quite like

. Charlie Smirke. There has never been anyone

him in the history of the Sport of Kings--a tough, dynamic little man who all his life has been fighting against the odds and proving his critics wrong.

As long

39 1928 ago

the cognoscentl of the Turt were saying that Charlie was finished. s licence Ind been with lynwn for five years and be was wring- ing out conlumes at a penny-a- time as a bathing-hut attendant | on the Brighton beach.

Yet Charlio exme back. Reinstated by the Jockey

steered the bay colt to victory in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. Smirke was a veteran of 51 and it was sald that the coll would not stay, So Hard Ridden was allowed to start at 18-1.

The horse romped home by small Ave lengths and many bookies were heavily hit. For on Thou- the morning of the

race

Club in 1933, he jumped back (sands of small punters put their Into promfiience the follow-bobs and half-crowns on Char- ing year by winning his first Derby on Windsor Lad (15-2).

In 1935 he won the St Leger late Ara Khan's Bahram (4-11). In 1935 bo

оп

lie's horac.

Il was one of the easlest Derby wins, a foregone

of

con-

success unti) ng inte ns 1953.

Sheer Kuts have enabled Smitke to make a series of suc- cessful comebacks. The son of a baxor, he had to choose between boxing and riding for a career and never regretted his decision. He rode his first winner at 15:

Last Race

Throughout his enterr be has Miss Pattabong

fought a constant battle to re- duce his weight. But even during

bis five years in the wilderness clusion by the time that

Hard he kept himself in training by Bidden was halfway up the boxing and playing golf. won the Derby and St Legerstraight. Afterwards Smirke said: with Mahmoud.

My "That was my last Derby. grand slam. I shall definitely re fire this yeaT."

War Service

The

Bombardier During the war Sourke vered with the Royal Artillery in Egypt and in Invasion Sicily. He returned home penniless and jobless and once again it seemed that his star had sunk below the horizon.

But the lure of the Terf proved too strong for Charlie, After a holiday in the Jamel- announced sunshine he

UTH

that bo felt "20 years younger" and re-applled for his Jockey's licence.

Charlie began by riding aver • Once again he was engaged hurdles and in 1947 he bounced! to ride in the Destryn the back into the news by winning | French 2.000 Guineas winner the Eclipse Stakes on Migcli. The Thymus. It was his 24th moun! following year he won the 2,000 in the classic. Guineas on My Babu and In

Confident Smirke has always 1952, having landed the job of been optimistic about his Derby

first jockey to the Ara Khan, he scored his third Derby win on Tulyar (11-2).

Charlie, or "Smirkie' as he is known to millions of race- the goers, will rank'among all-lime "greats" of racing— even though he never rode a hundred, winners, in a reason,

never

Wins North India

Shuttle Title

Lucknow, Nov. 15.

won the jockey cham- Thailand's Uber Cup player, Miss Pratuang Pattabong, won the women's singles title in the. Northern In- din badminton tourna~ meat today, defeating Miss Meena Shah, the holder, 9-11, 12-9, 11-9.

won

and

Brilliant Catch Ends A Bright Innings

In 20

Brigade's Kitching makes a brilliant catch behind the wicket to dismiss Kowloon Cricket Club's D. G. Coffey in the first division cricket league match between Brigado and KCC at Sookunpoo last Saturday. Coffey gave an attractive display of bright cricket during his stay at the wicket, scoring 33 runs

not out to topscore in minutes. The other batsman in the photo is J. Shroff, who hit up a chanceless 70 KCC's total of 201 runs for four wickets declared.

The match ended in a draw, Brigade scoring 145 for seven when stumps were drawn. Mail photo.

BOXER BROWN LIKES IT

But He Cannot

Find Playmates

By GEORGE WHITING

pionship.

For he

had eleyen classic triumphs and mumerous victories abroad. At 19, he won the Grand Prix de Park at 47, he shock- ed the Americans by winning the Washington International an Worden 11. He has also the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

His English victories include Bengal's Dipu Ghosh prospects and in 1952 he sent a four St Legers-two of them in Pronobe Boer defeated Erland Dave Charnley, that itchy-fingered ex-boilermaker

1935 he repeated Kops, of Denmark, and Puthni, pre-Derby telegram to the Lon-succession.

from Dartford, has already marked up a his victory of the previous year) of Thailand In the doubles don Press Club saying "Hope an

when he

Louisiana's Joc lucky was

get zoni-final 15-12, 17-15.

tactical advantage But by 1958, Smirke wne Wednesday at 3.40, I will be say- Bahram because of an Intury dubbed the "forgotten mun" of ing "What did I Tulyar?' He

Brown, whose world light-weight title-plus which prevented Freddy Fox, In the men's singles sond- racing.

He had won the 1,000 was right.

No. 1 Jockey anal event, Denmark's Kops,

20 per cent of the gate-money--he hopes to Guineas in 1957, but he finished Smirke has good reason to be the Aga Khan's

after leading 13-10 in the nowhere in the Derby and in the optimistic. A supreme handler from riding.

acquire by means of commercial bloodshed in Now, ut 53, Charlie following season he was given and judge of horses, he has the has finally quit the saddle. And over to Pakistan's Akram Beg Smirke third game, conceded a walk-

Houston, Texas, on December 2. only 14 mounts before the Derby grealest Derby record since he has Anished appropriately by duo to a grain in his right was held.

Steve Donoghue dominated'

well known Charnley, as is on thigh. Kops won the first game Few experts gave him held in the 1920s. It was partly winning a race at Windoor

15-8 and lost the second 10-15. these parts, flights wrong-

right foot - chance of winning on Hard due to him that Sir Gordon

-Retter. Ridden,

round, even though be had Richards was denied

FOUR D. JONES

ma MROM THAT RUSSIAN | FELLER, HE WANTS MB,

„TO REPEAT LAST WEEK's

PERFORMANCE.

FERDINAND

NANCY

(OW

BRICK BRADFORD

the

a Derby

"HAS HIMSELF DENT YES, DIS

"THE MONGY IN THAT) ALL HERE

CAGE, MY DEARD PRICINFUL

THE CAPELLS ASSUMES AN ORATA,, HEYZO KABOVE THE BAR KRA

BUT, NANCY--- WE WON'T SPOIL

YOUR NEW FOOTBALL

Sovereign Path.

10

{All Rights Reserved!

HOW LOOK HERE, IVE COME A LONG WAY TO DELIVER THIS STUFF, NOW WHAT ABOUT AN EXPLANATION? WHAT HAS ALL THIS TO DO WITH THE MOON?

EVERYTHING

ME BOY'O...

LIVE V KNOW

A MAN HAS TO

D

--- PLEASE LET US

KICK IT WITH OUR SHOES ON

THEN IT BESINS TO PLUNGE INTO BARTHE BARTHE ATMOSPHERE.

by MADDOCKS

ANOTHER CRUCZY IRISHMAN. THE WORLD HAS DONE STARK

RAVING MADDOCKE.

IF YOU'LL FOLLOW MAVZELIUM "THONNINIS SWEAT AILS YOUR TINY MIND WILL, BOOK SEB THE

LKSHT O'DAY THE

NIGHT.

By Mik

By Ernie Bushmiller

OUCH

THE CAPSULE AUST DE GLOWING WHITE-HOT RIGHT.

NOW, BRICK) T

BUSÄMILLER,

By Paul Norris

VEG.'LL FIRE THE FIRET CHARGE S REDUCE THE SPEEDIA,

In

way

SHEAFFER'S "SNORKEL

Actors prefer

SWISSAIR

THE AIRLINE OF SWITZERLAND

ROWNTREE'S

AERO

THE

MILK CHOCOLATE THAT'S DIFFERENT!

You can be SURE

#fa

over

this extreme forward-and unorthodoxy on the part of has perfidious Britisher brought me a loud and anguish- od wall from Mr Brown.

Л

Poor Old Joe, urgently in need of southpaw partners on whom to practise the shots te says he aitus to plurit on Charnley, just cannot find the right kind of playmates. Not even for money,

"I gotta get me awkward guys but they just ain't showin'," Joe tells me from his training headquarters at Camp Holden,

'Ain't Showed'

"First, there's this Joe Louis Murphy, a wrong-hander from out of New Mexico. I send him transportation and things, and what does he do? He decides to stay home.

"Frankie Davis, a portsider out of Los Angeles, is ticketed to arrive days ago, So la Solls Scott, who used to spar around But In our camp way back. they ain't showed. I sure hope they arrive real quick.

"These southpaws are scarcer than hen's teeth. The only one near my weight in the whole State of Texas is a kid with only two pro storis, but 'it looks like I may have to use him. I have to be sharp for your pal Charnicy, and the sooner I get stprted the better,

"I fought southpaw onc ume Kenny Lane. But the word around here is that Kenny ain't in the same league as Charnley as a puncher.

""There's another reasoUI have to slant training real coon. I hurt my right haud in a draw with Joey Parks in my last fghand this right hand is a kinita favourite with me, May- be I'll show It to Charley when he gets here."

Off His Chest

Having got this "no south- paws" moan off his ebony chest, the world champ waxes slightly lyrical over his country-skyld hide-out some 25 miles from 'downtown Houston,

"I trainext here three times and won them 'all," says Joe. "It's a rambling brick home and it's real. beautih in the Fall with oak trees all over. We got a TV set in the den, a record pinyer, radio and li tiyat KULT. We go fahin' in a big lake and thero in a nice dirt farm track for roadwork.

PBB Gore, my trainerI guess you know him in England ---is head span around here. We also got Billy DeFoe, a real old timer and a special cook to

11' see I eat like Baaye,.

1 real nice, but scenery ain't everything. 1 marn soula zebi Imppier with a fow of them southpaw around the job."

And

Charnley7. Our

China

FINE IN HIS HIDEOUT

•

| England is a verray parfit gentil it will include Ray Bart

knight--well, much the woran lett, the amaleur boxing official for them. And for Joe Brown | who first spotted the infant Dave About the only sentimental as a potential destroyer down espect of the Charley caravan | Dartford way. that gets

vut

today.is that

&

-London Express Service).

The H.K. Anti-Tuberculosis Association

FLAG DAY

Saturday, 21st November

(7 a.m. to 12 noon)

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY

Now on Sale

THE

HONG KONG

STORY

by John Luff

Soldier,

Teacher, Writer

The interesting factual story of fascinating Hong Kong from its found- Governors, ing in 1841 till 1900: Merchant Princes, Soldiers, Pirates `come together in humorous; interest- ing, romantic and sometime tragic. events that make up the History of Hồng Kong.

108 Pages, 71⁄2" x 10" with Soft Caver and illustrations

$10

from the Publishers

pocket atfestrin chiamolen says SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, LTD.

he is delighted to hear that Mr Brown is being Inconvenienced

Nat very sporting? Nos quilte tygowsk

Corinthian? Buy Formally. If the

13 Wyndhari. Street.

OR FROM YOUR NEWSAGENT":

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