The race was a triumph for Syder, the Wembley trainer, as both the winner and the third dog came from his kennels. His other charge, Avian. Ballerina, who was bought for £25 and yet went through to the final, failed to gain a place. A pity, Had she won 4,000 children in the Elephant and Castle district would have been given a free tea and a cinema show by her owner, Mr. S, Hyams.
One could not help thinking of them as one watched Avian Ballerina beaten. They were sitting up late to see if the dog won. It had been arranged that a green rocket should be fired to show that she had won, A red one was to go up if she was beaten. When a red shower burst over southeast London, there must have been many, sad little hearts.
The dog which gained second place, Shove Halfpenny, was brought out of retirement in an effort to win his first classic. This great dog has beaten nearly every racer of note in the country but has never yet won a "classic."
The dog was discovered by his present owner, Mr. C. C. Keen, running loose in the streets of Tipperary. In company with a little fox terrier, his inseparable companion, Shove Halfpenny was the terror of every cat in the district.
When Mr. Keen, who was greatly impressed with the ' wonderfully muscular build and powerful shoulders of the dog, decided to buy, he was offered the terrier as part of the bargain.
Realising that it would not be possible to kennel the two dogs together at Northaw, Mr. Keen had no alternative but to leave the terrier behind.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.