Electric
Whips scandal - Adelaide 1955
May
21 1955 was the date and the racing world was rocked by
news that an electric whip was seized from a jockey at
the starting gates by the SAJC chief steward.
Yes,
it really happened. The end result was a jockey being
disqualified for ten years and several well known racing
identites being charged with conspiracy.
The
horse involved at that autumn meeting in 1955 was called
Thundering Legion and was Melbourne trained by Noel Conway.
Thundering Legion was backed off the map in the then strong
Adeliade ring as its opening price of 33-1 ($34.00) was
snapped up by all and sundry and continued to firm throughout
the betting as if unbeatable.
In
fact it started at 7-2 ($4.50). Melbourne big time punter
of the day James Jenkins was primarily responsible for
the plunge together with a Sydney man that history records
as Frank Russell and another Vistorian man identified
in the history books simply as W. Irvine.
Just
as the horses were being called in to line the chief stipe
of the SAJC, a Fred Everest, was tipped off that an electric
whip was in play and frantically got driven over to the
start where he leapt from the car and demanded that Adelaide
jockey Bill Atrill dismount from Thundering Legion and
hand over his whip.
As
Atrill got off the horse, Everest reached over and grabbed
the suspect whip, only to be thrown in to the air by the
resulting electric shock much to a lot of people's amusement.
The whip was really "live" with a battery and
leads cunningly disguised within the whip. The poor guy
must have nearly had a heart attack.
A
long delay ensued as Everest took Atrill back to the jockey's
room for instant questioning. Amazingly, the horse was
allowed to run with Des Coleman put on the horse by the
chief stipe as a substitute rider.
Even
without the elecrtric whip. Thundering Legion bolted in
and devastated the bookies who were forced to pay out
with the announcement of correct weight. To say they were
unimpressed is an understatement.
At
an enquiry that followed, jockey Atrill was disqualified
for ten years, trainer Conway for five years and Sydney's
Frank Russell was warned off racecourses for five years.
The
matter ended up sensationally in the Supreme Court with
Conway, Atrill, Jenkins and Irvine charged with conspiring
to defraud. All parties were found not guilty.
