Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Friday 27 September 1935, page 4


WOMAN'S REALM

A RECORD OF TRIUMPHS

Well-known Horsewoman

Yesterday was the 22nd "People's Day" Which Mrs. A. A. Laidlaw, of The Hill, Ararat, has seen from an exhibitor's view-point. Mrs. Laidlaw and her team of horses are almost part of the Melbourne Royal Show now, and the show rings of almost every other State are as familiar to her as is Flemington. With her family history it is not surprising that she is such a keen horse-lover, for her grand-father, Sir William McCulloch, was the largest importer of stock in Australia, and the blood of one of his most famous horses, Pilgrim's Progress, runs through most of the best Australian racing stock. Woodlands, near Navaree, Glenroy, and Warbreccan, Deniliquin, were three of his properties.

Lieutenant Bill, who won the Caulfield Cup in 1902, was bred and owned by Mrs. Laidlaw's father, Mr. Colin McCulloch,

and as soon as he was broken in she rode and helped to train him. Her first essay in the show ring was at Deniliquin, when

large country shows hers were the colours first past the post. High-jumping, in the heyday of its fame, was another event which attracted Mrs. Laidlaw, and she has frequently taken her horses over 7ft. fences. She broke the Queensland record with one of her favourite horses, Once More. "As fat as a little whale and so quiet that a baby could ride him," was her description of him. Another horse, Look Out, won for her the Australian record at a height of 7ft, 10in.

"I think, perhaps, that Wait and See was the best known of my horses," Mrs. Laidlaw remarked. "He was a grey hunter, and everyone seemed to know him, even if they did not know his owners. He won championships everywhere." Gum-tree and Ocean Foam, two horses which she and her father trained, won distinc-tion for themselves by winning at events in 14 starts. This year Mrs. Laidlaw has brought down six horses-four for show purposes and two for education. One of

-Spencer Siu

Mrs. S. McKay is the president of the Lady Forster Free Kinde,

Kindagarten committee, which is making arrangements for a picnu golf gymkhana to be held at the Peninsula Country Club

October 9, to aid the funds of the kindergarten.

at the age of six years she rode over fences in a jumping event. Since then she has won championships in every State, and early this winter she won the Aus-tralian women's riding championship in a special event at the Mildura show. The competitors in this event were all asked by special invitation, and among many others were Miss Phyllis Bray, of Ade-laide, and Miss Kitty Sutherland, of Mel-

bourne.

Perhaps her most exciting ring event was at the Dublin Horse Show, when she just failed to win the King's Gold Cup with an Irish hunter called I Will, who was led round the ring a dozen times before the judges could decide whether he should be first or second. During the hunting season in Ireland Mrs. Laidlaw rode to hounds six days In the week. In Australia she is one of the few women who have driven trotting sulkies, and the black silk jacket striped with yellow, with red sleeves and cap, of her racing colours were familiar on many show rings, and in open races at a number or the

the latter, [Manfredonia] (known

[intimatley as Jimmy) won the Warrnambool Handicap recently, and he has been brought down to accustom him to show

conditions

With her other four Mrs. Laidlaw has

collected a championship, three reserve champlonships and a second and a third prize. The little restroom adjoining the stables has quite a collection of award

ribbons adorning the walls and on the table are a number of bottles

filled with flowers which various people bring to her her each day. Some of the prettiest flowers yesterday were brought to her by the man who sweeps the gutters

outside the stables

Mrs Laidlaw s first Melbourne Show was that of 1911 and since then her horses have competed at every show. She still holds a clear record for consistency. She is a most enthusiastic person and is always the flrst to applaud somebody else's effort in the ring and to give young competitors helpful advice