New Zealand's Racing Historian Pat Finnegan (pictured) continues his recollection of the facts and entertaining racing stories of bygone years. Check out the fourth review in a monthly series.

What, the wrong starting point? 

These days it is hard to imagine a race being started from the wrong barrier.  It is more than 50 years ago that it last happened and that was at Rangiora when good sprinter Lord Advocate won an advertised 7½ furlong race, mistakenly started at the seven-furlong mark.  The rules stated that if a race was started at the wrong place the race shall be declared null and void and the race should be re-run as soon as possible.
The owner of the winner of the ‘no race' declined to start his horse in the re-run held after the last race and as the rules were in those days, punters lost their money as there were no refunds on late scratchings.
An interesting sideline to the fiasco was that Lord Advocate was ridden by Cleve Mackie in the ‘no race,' who replaced Keith Nuttall on the winner of the re-run, All Night.
It happened quite a few times beforehand.  In 1887 at Riccarton, there was controversy over no less a race than the New Zealand Cup.  The winner was Lochiel, but two days after the race, Dan O'Brien, owner of the second horse Gipsy King, entered a protest on the grounds that the horses had been started from the wrong post, two chains in front of the correct post.
He became aware of this, he said, when on the second day of the meeting he accompanied his own horse to the half-mile post and found it was the same post from where the Cup had been started.
The stewards dismissed the appeal, but Dan O'Brien was a very experienced horseman and there was doubt about the verdict for years after.

Racing Colours date back to 1750. 

A part of racing which is very important is the subject of racing colours.  They first appeared in England about 1750, but were voluntary and were not required to be registered until 1887.
One of the very first set is the colours of the Duke of Bedford, registered in 1787 and still in use here in NZ by Henrietta, the now Duchess of Bedford, whose late husband Robin, traces back to the original Duke of Bedford.
In New Zealand there are still a few sets of colours going back a long way, including those belonging to the Greenwood Family which raced Gloaming and later, Defaulter, while the white, green sleeves and black hat, made famous here by Bill Hazlett are now used by his granddaughter, Mrs M.J. Weastell who is based at Riccarton.
Many gallopers now go round in stable colours.  This helps particularly ‘occasional punters' identify their fancies as they become familiar with the stable colours of the McKee, Moroney, Rogerson, Anderton, Browne and other stables with big teams. One of the downsides is when a stable has two or even more runners in the same race.  The racebook does not have a different cap colour noted, something the authorities could perhaps look at.

Waikato Racing Club caps it. 

The Waikato Racing Club, over 40 years ago, tried something different when it decided to trial using different coloured caps for each horse. It was explained by putting the sample colours on the front page of the racebook, but proved most unpopular. The W.R.C. was a most progressive and innovative club in those days under the leadership of  its President, Jack Pollock, so good on them for trying something new.

Tulloch Sets A Record.

Again, more than 40 years ago, TULLOCH became the first horse in Australasia to win over £100,000  ($200,000 in prize money).  He won 36 of his 53 races.

Early Centralisation Move.

One of the earliest centralisation moves was when the Ashhurst-Pohangina Club held its last meeting on its home course in January 1942 and thereafter raced at Awapuni.