Randall Hall

Sportsman of the Month

Gisborne has always had its share of good sportsmen and not the least of these have been the men who have owned or trained thoroughbred race-horses.

One such man to make a name for himself recently has been Randall Hall, a company director who lives in Tukura Road. He is the owner of Udare which, last January, took one of the richest races on the programme at the Wellington Racing Club's meeting, namely the $6,000 Asian Conference Handicap. Udare was always handy in the one-mile-and-a-half race, and fought on in a punishing finish to take the honours by a head from Amie with another head to Jen Hai, and create a then new record of 2min 27¼ sec for the distance.

This record was previously held jointly by Takatu, Froth and Titian.

Trained at Matamata by Bill Ford and ridden by David Peake, Mr Hall's horse won a magnificent trophy that went with the race.

Udare is the first horse that Randall Hall has owned although he now has a three-year-old gelding, Ujinx, by Maquario out of Gay Jinx, which has just started racing.

Now a seven-year-old, by Pride of Kildare out of Marco Vixen, Udare has had 12 wins, 13 seconds, eight thirds and six fourths from 92 starts for $35,000 in stakes, a pretty good return for the $1,000 paid for him at the Tren-tham yearling sales--although you need to win a decent amount in stakes these days to pay any horse's way.

And, by the way, to show what a courageous horse Udare is, he never gives up - in most of 13 second placings he was beaten only by a head or a neck.

Mr Hall's good galloper can also number among his wins a Waikato Gold Cup, a Thompson Handicap, out here at Makaraka a D. J. Barry Memorial Handicap, and also a great fourth placing in the Wellington Cup.

Now at home on the Hall property with a sprained suspensory ligament, Udare is being given the V.I.P. treatment with plenty of walking and exercise in the seas and on the beach. Two years ago a cracked sesamoid bone appeared to have halted his career but after the best of care at home he was soon on his winning way, - as he will be again next season when the big ones come up for decision.