mr blanks ricebird

Sun, 02/19/2023 - 03:10

I have just noticed that the mysterious Mr Blank was the owner of Ricebird which ran in the "B" Class Handicap Once Round in the Extra Gymkhana on 8th July 1922. I have previously suggested that Mr P.H. Holyoak might be Mr Blank, but Mr Holyoak is named as the owner of the ponies Jaybird and Daybird that ran in different events at the very same gymkhana. I therefore now think that Daybird was not a misspelling of Jaybird after all. At the moment I can't think of a reason why Mr Holyoak would run two ponies in his own name and a third in the name of Mr Blank. All three ponies were ridden by Jockey Sewell at this gymkhana and all three were unplaced in their races. In theory, all the ponies with the name "---bird" would belong to the same owner, the owner of the Bird stable. Ponies sold to a new owner usually (but not always) had a name change with the tag "late this or that". Would any other clever searchers of the old newspapers like to take part in solving the puzzle of Mr Blank? Perhaps the Jockey Club archivist has some ideas, David? The above race report excerpt  is from the China Mail, 10 July 1922.

Date picture taken
10 Jul 1922
Author(s)