‘The last of the great turf writers’: Max Presnell’s time at the Herald comes to an end

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In 1964, a young Australian newsman – and alleged punter – named Max Presnell boarded a bid successful Darlington, successful County Durham successful the northbound of England.

He was headed to London to spot 1 of the biggest bets of his beingness connected an underrated equine successful the Ascot Gold Cup (4014m), 1 of the world’s astir prestigious staying races enactment connected for kings and queens.

The equine had small value connected its back, and due to the fact that it came from the northbound of England would person scant respect successful the betting ring. Better still, the nag loved the wet.

“On the bid thrust down, the rainfall was coming down,” Presnell recalls, rubbing his hands together. “I said, ‘How bully is this?!’ I’d mustered each my fiscal reserves. It was going to beryllium 10 to 1.”

Unfortunately, determination was too overmuch rain. By the clip Presnell arrived astatine Ascot, the contention gathering had been called disconnected for lone the 2nd clip since its archetypal moving successful 1807.

“Of course, with a pouch afloat of money, I went to a casino instead,” Presnell continues. “Then I was connected the adjacent bid backmost to Darlington astatine midnight with nary money. Three days later, I received a missive from John Fairfax asking if I wanted to travel home. I had thing and they paid my mode back. If that equine had tally astatine Royal Ascot, I would person won and I’d inactive beryllium there.”

How fortunate for those of america who worth words, reporting, unflinching opinion, and the enduring romance of the way that Royal Ascot was excessively waterlogged for concern that day.

Presnell returned and for the adjacent 60 years, successful newspapers, vigor and TV, helium brought the characters and colour of the way to life.

Sadly, it’s travel to an end.

A period ago, the legendary Presnell, 84, wrote his past file for The Sydney Morning Herald. He’s excessively arrogant to constitute a last portion – “It’s similar penning your ain obit,” helium grumbles – but his publication is excessively important to simply brushwood aside.

He started with Fairfax successful 1954 arsenic a 15-year-old transcript lad with the now-defunct day insubstantial The Sun and served his cadetship the pursuing 3 years earlier being graded successful 1961.

That year, helium backed Fine and Dandy to triumph the Doncaster into Sharply to triumph the Sydney Cup, won a 1000 pounds and headed to England for 3 years. “I thought I was a punter of immoderate substance,” helium says. “That didn’t past long.”

In total, helium has provided a staggering 67 years of work to Fairfax mastheads. For context, economics elephantine Ross Gittins earlier this twelvemonth celebrated 50 years astatine the Herald.

Max Presnell started with Fairfax successful 1954 arsenic a 15-year-old transcript boy.

“Ross had a large instauration successful the Salvation Army,” Presnell says. “I was the lad of a publican astatine the Doncaster Hotel. Ross was spreading the bully connection connected the thoroughfare portion I was frequenting Bub Brown’s SP store successful the backmost streets of Kensington.”

Max Presnell was the man. Still is.

“I’m conscionable a tabloid hack,” helium says.

Really? Come on, Max.

“And arrogant of it! Those were the days, son. One of the much celebrated Herald sporting editors said I’m an old-time racing writer. I said, ‘That’s the champion rap I’ve had. Banjo Paterson was a racing writer’.”

He adds: “Nobody could inquire for a amended woody than I’ve got. But newspapers person changed. I grew up successful a antithetic world. It’s present antithetic to however I judge it should beryllium done.”

Fox Sports brag Steve Crawley learned astir penning turf alongside Presnell astatine The Sun and The Sun-Herald in the 1980s, listening connected arsenic helium and his contemporaries would dictate 40 inch-perfect paragraphs down the telephone enactment to a copytaker successful the bureau consecutive aft a race.

Racing identities Bill Casey, Keith Robbins, Bert Lillye, Jack Ward, Max Presnell and Bart Cummings astatine Rosehill.

“Max is the past of the large Sydney turf writers,” Crawley says. “There was Bert Lillye, Les Carlyon, Bill Whittaker, Keith Robbins, Tommy Brassell, John Holloway, Ken Callander, Bill Casey – and present Max Presnell. Max had a antithetic mode of telling his stories; the aforesaid arsenic helium dressed a small otherwise and fundamentally ran his ain race. We’ll miss much than his words.”

It was his words, though, that made Presnell compulsory reading. Like the precocious Carlyon, you couldn’t get capable of him.

He had 1 oculus connected the present, portion doffing his fedora to the past. In much caller years, helium transported the scholar to a clip erstwhile Sydney and racing was ruled by characters who belonged successful a Damon Runyon play.

A 2010 file astir Perce Galea, the celebrated gambler and amerciable casino operator, stands out. Galea was part-owner of 1964 Golden Slipper victor Eskimo Prince with his lad Bruce.

“Following the authoritative presentation, Perce threw a wad of notes implicit the obstruction into the crowd,” Presnell wrote. “Some accidental it was £150 successful £10 notes, others a 100 successful azygous pounds. The bundle is unlikely. It would person spoilt the chopped of Galea’s suit.”

Bruce Galea (right) and his 3rd woman Cindy Galea, on with his begetter Perce (far left) astatine Warwick Farm successful 1977.

In the precocious 1990s, his play appearances connected Sportsworld connected Channel Seven each Sunday were compulsory viewing arsenic helium and Melbourne-based adept Keith Hillier went astatine each different with big Bruce McAvaney acting arsenic referee.

“I was the ringmaster and I loved it,” McAvaney says. “Max had specified a beauteous crook of phrase. We’d either person a immense laughter oregon we’d spell to the dictionary and find retired what helium was talking about. What I retrieve astir astir Max is that helium ever had this wide explanation of a ‘champion’. He was precise reticent successful declaring one. When helium did, you knew it was special.”

Presnell has seen generations of “great” horses, but lone a fistful of “champions”.

“Two of the astir overused words successful athletics are ‘champion’ and ‘luck’,” helium offers. “I’ve seen excessively galore large horses, but however bash you accidental 1 is amended than the other? It’s conscionable a feeling. Most talented horses oregon humans are bully for champion performances, but it’s wherever it’s sustained and you locomotion distant and cognize that you’re successful the beingness of thing outstanding here.”

He covered the biggest stories and the biggest scandals, from Fine Cotton to Jockey Tapes, and was respected for his unwavering quality to telephone it arsenic it was.

The fallout from the Fine Cotton ungraded continued into the pursuing decades.

“In our business, if you constitute thing you can’t interest if it’s going to upset someone,” helium says. “My top fallout was with George Moore.”

One of the top jockeys of each time, Moore often clashed with trainer Tommy Smith, with whom Presnell was close.

The champion pairing of jockey George Moore (left) and trainer Tommy Smith connected Challenge Stakes Day astatine Randwick successful January 1960.

“I erstwhile called George a ‘Pitt Street farmer’,” helium laughs. “Someone got successful interaction with maine and said, ‘Iris Moore is gunning for you’. Iris was George’s wife. Did I ringing up and instrumentality my punishment similar a man? I took 3 weeks leave.”

When Moore died successful 2008, Presnell delivered the eulogy – astatine Iris’s request.

His champion communicative was 1 of his first. “The protestation aft the 1961 AJC Derby was the archetypal large communicative I ever did,” helium says.

Mel Schumacher connected Blue Era had beaten Tommy Hill connected Summer Fair successful the shadows of the post, but Hill rapidly fired successful a protest, which was uncommon successful those days due to the fact that the usage of movie was successful its infancy.

“The 1961 AJC Derby, featuring the top thrust I’ve seen astatine Randwick oregon anyplace other erstwhile Mel Schumacher connected Blue Era grabbed rival Tommy Hill’s limb and mislaid the contention connected protestation to Summer Fair. ”

“Everyone thought Tommy Hill had gone mad,” Presnell says.

But Hill was adamant he’d been wronged erstwhile helium fronted main steward Jack Bourke.

“Mel Schumacher leant implicit and pulled my limb and pulled maine backmost adjacent the post,” Hill said. “I got beaten by a head, that outgo maine acold more.”

“Are you sure?” Bourke asked.

“Mr Bourke, I would cognize if a snake spot me.”

Schumacher was incredulous.

Jockey Mel Schumacher leaves the saddling enclosure astatine Randwick connected September 30, 1961, aft being disqualified for life. His prohibition was subsequently reduced to 10 years.

“Preposterous,” helium told the inquiry.

Then they showed the grainy footage and the head-on changeable consigned Schumacher to his fate.

“He was fixed life, walked disconnected the people – and we had the communicative successful the paper,” Presnell recalls. “When you’re a 21-year-old cadet, it’s not casual spelling ‘preposterous’ to a copytaker.”

Presnell mightiness person filed his past file for the Herald but they won’t beryllium his past words. He’s going to commencement his ain website. He draws inspiration from his large mate Les Bridge, who earlier this period won his 2nd Doncaster Mile with Celestial Legend – astatine the property of 85.

“I don’t judge successful the connection ‘retire’,” Presnell says. “It’s ne'er been work. It’s a mode of life. I’ll inactive spell to the races, inactive person an opinion.”

In caller years, I was blessed to screen immoderate large contention meetings with Presnell. What stood retired was however the big-name trainers, jockeys and owners would attack him to talk, seldom the different mode around.

But my enduring representation of Max isn’t a communicative he’s written, nor a question asked. It’s not his myriad tales of the way and newsrooms, which I could perceive to for days.

Max Presnell has provided a staggering 67 years of work to Fairfax mastheads.

Sitting successful the tiny property container astatine Moonee Valley connected Cox Plate Day successful 2013, I noticed him get up and marque his mode for the door.

The horses were astir to beryllium brought into the mounting yard, which is located astatine the backmost of the main grandstand, truthful I decided to travel him. It was my archetypal clip covering a gathering astatine the Valley.

I watched successful awe arsenic Max weaved a magical way done the assemblage of sloshed racegoers similar helium was Clive Churchill, the fullback of his beloved South Sydney, jinking and weaving astir women wobbling connected precocious heels and men swaying backmost and forth, staring astatine the TV screens. He’d acceptable a cracking gait and it was hard to support up.

Suddenly, helium took disconnected down a ramp, past immoderate stairs, done a door, earlier popping up successful the betting ring, a wad of hundreds successful 1 hand, contention publication successful the different and some eyes connected the tote boards.

Max Presnell was the man. Still is.

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