Tuesday, October 4, 2022

MOTUKARARA MURRAY. A titan among friends ...

 

Yesterday evening, Wendy and I lost one of our very dearest friends. I had known Murray Edmonds for some twenty years, Wendy a good deal longer, since the days when they were young harness-racing folk together. And, like so many people in the business, we loved 'Motukarara Murray' muchly.

He was only 62, but the demon cancer stops at nothing ...


I see that he won 377 races as a trainer during his memorable career ...  the seven of those were for me.

Five wins, during 2010-11 with SEPPL -- three at Addington, the others at Kaikoura and Bank's Peninsula --


One at Marlborough (2016) with Seppl's little brother MONTMORENSY ... whom he then sent south where he picked up a brace of others at Forbury Park for Darryn Simpson


And then, finally, just weeks ago, back at Addington with EMILY ...

But this time Murray wasn't in the cart. He was in hospital watching the race from his bed ... Thanks be to all the gods that she did win ...

Murray, thank you for the thrills you gave us ... and the horses you educated, trained, raced and drove for us ... but most of all, thanks for many years of the sort of friendship that's hard to find. We sha'n't forget you as long as we live ... Good bye, old pal.


My first meeting with the Edmonds family. Their ALL SUNDON won my Knights of the Yellow Wheels trophy at Nelson.  (Murray was gearing up the next horse!)  



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