Racing: Veteran jockeys plan revenge

By MIKE DILLON

When Johnny Anderson won the Auckland Cup aboard outstanding mare Froth on New Year's Day 1959, among the beaten jockeys were Billy Day, Gary Edge and Baggy Hillis.

That latter trio will get their chance to reverse that decision 41 years later on January 1.

Not in the Blue Star Auckland Cup, but in the Oldtime Jockeys' Race, a 1400m special event on the Cup programme featuring some of the legends of the saddle of the past 40 years.

The race is just one of the features the Auckland Racing Club has organised for what could be the most memorable Auckland Cup day yet.

Stephen Autridge, Neil Hain, Linda Jones, Roger Lang, Herbie Rauhihi, Barry Long, Gary Phillips and Bob Vance will make up the field for what is the most exciting ex-jockeys race staged in New Zealand.

The $500,000 Blue Star Auckland Cup, $250,000 McDonogh Railway and the $75,000 Auckland International Airport Millennium Steeplechase cap a huge day.

Two A-Class Mercedes Benz cars will be given away, one as part of the prizes for the Fashions In The Field and one in a lucky draw for everyone who attends any day of the four-day Ellerslie summer racing carnival.

"There is one entry for each day someone attends Ellerslie, so if they go to all four days of the Cup carnival they are in the draw four times," said ARC charman Barry Neville-White yesterday.

"The draw will be done under police supervision on January 3 and the winner is not required to be on course that day," he said.