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Letter of the Week

Laff a legend

Further to the interesting Paul Richards story on Teddy Byrne (28/8), I have several recollections to share.
Much of Teddy’s success was based on the great rapport he developed with Warrnambool’s Lafferty family, with whom he lived for eight years.
Byrne, who neither drank nor smoked (but was known to use colourful language) was a model tenant — helping around the house and often having the kitchen floor mopped and the surfaces sparkling on the Laffertys’ arrival home from a day at the races.
One New Year’s Day, he won the New Year Hurdle at Flemington on a Lafferty horse (possibly Iman) and travelled back to Terang to win the Terang Cup later that day.
The feat was repeated on another occasion when he returned from Flemington to win the Hampden Cup on Serena — trained by Kevin Lafferty and part-owned by Terang butcher Stan Starkie.
This exercise was completed via Byrne’s fearless driving at a now-illegal speed (notwithstanding the tricky track through the Stoney Rises). His driving was so fast (recklessly so) that Kevin Lafferty refused to travel with Byrne.
Teddy Byrne’s father, who had been a prisoner of war, raced a horse called Snob, trained in Warrnambool by Alby Brooks. Snob was heavily backed and duly won a maiden flat race at Warrnambool, ridden by Teddy. Rumour has it that Teddy in fact owned the horse!
 Kevin Lafferty had many good horses but also helped many jockeys.
J.N. (Neil) Williams was one of the best and mostly rode Solight, who won 28 races on the flat and over fences including the 1957 Annual.
Kevin Lafferty trained Sohrab (jockey Wally Carter) for Koroit potato farmer Paddy Madden to win the Glamis Steeple at Flemington in the presence of the Queen Mother. In fact, Lafferty had three runners in that top-class field.
Lafferty’s stable of jockeys included Pat Ryan, father of trainers Simon and Pat junior and AFL umpire Shaun. There was also L. “Hop” McKenzie, who won an Annual on the Lafferty-trained Yes Sir for the Kirby family of Mount Gambier.
Kevin Lafferty’s achievements were exceptional, and all while having the inconvenience of a wooden leg.
Lafferty had lost his leg as a result of an infection following at the point-to-point jumps.
Never one to complain, he achieved great success and his record thoroughly deserves wide recognition.
Certainly, it would make the basis for a full and entertaining story.

Des McKinnon
Terang (Vic)
Today's Racing
Saturday 30 March
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