Racing: Theatre, racing fill life with grand passion

Robin Peel-Walker has had some memorable race days and Pretorius could provide another highlight. Picture / Kenny Rodger

Robin Peel-Walker always enjoyed acting.

He thought life as a racing writer and thoroughbred statistician might be a good way to pass time until the Old Vic called.

He will recall, and probably relay, that story if the horse he part owns, Pretorius, takes away the $200,000 City Of Auckland Cup at Ellerslie tomorrow.

Peel-Walker had four years working on the form guide Best Bets when it was owned by crusty publisher, the late Bert Organ.

The larger-than-life Organ - the only man who could eat a pie from each hand, read the form guide and talk at the same time - liked his staff to be similar to his own demeanour, something that was pretty impossible.

Budding actors with hyphenated names didn't really fit, so the staff had a few tricks.

Whenever old Bert was in the office someone would sneak out and call editor Lex Nichols' extension. Lex would pretend it was an outside caller asking a racing question.

"Anyone know who finished fourth in the 1932 Auckland Cup?"

Wised up beforehand, Peel-Walker always came up with the answer.

Old Bert was always impressed and died never knowing he'd been had.

Acting, not the publisher, finally tore Peel-Walker away from working for the form guide.

"I had to choose between the two because Best Bets was published on a Monday night in those days and I couldn't work at the theatre those nights."

Peel-Walker worked as a professional actor with the Mercury Theatre for four years and played a leading role in Green Gin Sunset, which won the inaugural Feltex Award for the best television drama of its year.

Racing was about to loom large again, though - Peel-Walker owned a third share in Silver Lad, clearly the best 3-year-old of 1976 with wins in the New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie and in the Wellington Derby.

Silver Lad was taken to Sydney for the autumn where he beat Australia's best in the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick and as a 4-year-old in the spring took the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington.

Peel-Walker has raced a number of good horses since, mostly through his association with Windsor Park studmaster Nelson Schick, part-owner of Pretorius.

"In the Silver Lad days Nelson was a fairly struggling studmaster, so he was always taking a big interest in what Silver Lad was doing because Nelson stood his sire Silver Dream.

"We've been good friends ever since."

The brilliant Mabuz was jointly owned by the pair.

Pretorius should have ended up in Hong Kong. He went through the Karaka yearling sales series ring for $500,000, bought by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The Volksraad colt narrowly failed the very rigid Hong Kong veterinary inspection tests and was bought back by Windsor Park.

Nelson Schick and Robin Peel-Walker took up the option and Pretorius became a good winner from the Melbourne stable of Brian Mayfield Smith before returning to New Zealand mid-year because the stayer was getting stale with Australian stable life.

If Pretorius was unhappy with the confinements of his Australian stable, he is simply loving the open air and beach training of Jakki Good.

"He's absolutely thriving," said Good this week.

"He will saddle up for the Cup in better condition than for any of his three recent wins."

In which case, faced with a firmish track, Pretorius is the horse the likes of Kerry O'Reilly will have to beat.

Robin Peel-Walker these days describes himself as a property consultant and investor.

Like for many in horse racing, the bottom line, unlike in business, is secondary to what the racing scene provides in excitement.

"If we win on Sunday we still won't be in front on this horse."

But that will only be in dollars.