Tina Comignaghi – Well Done
Our media do not seem to have coverage of this but yesterday at Riccarton Tina Comignaghi rode 5 winners and a second in an 8 race programme including the Early Quaddie which paid over $3,000.00. Overall this is an outstanding achievement even for a low key meeting on a Thursday.
Tina is a 31 year old born and raised in Argentina and when backpacking around New Zealand a few years ago, went home and then returned to sign on as an apprentice jockey based in the South Island and she has proved to be very successful.
I think her efforts yesterday deserve better than what I have seen so far in the media – hence this post.
Disclosure: I do not know Tina Comignaghi other than what I have read in the limited racing coverage in newspapers and seen on Trackside. I have always been a keen racing follower – mrspdm says it is bred into me and she may be right as some of my early memories include as a toddler in the late 1940’s sitting on my grandfathers knee at Porangahau listening to the races on a very staticy valve radio powered by some sort of battery. I am a small ($10 to $20 a week) but keen punter and watcher of trackside on Saturdays and other big race days. As an aside my grandfather was 96 when he died and operated his TAB phone account until hospitalised just before his death – he was a $1 for a place bettor and probably that interest kept him going as it was something he had to look forward to.
adolffinkensen
Gravedodger
Nick K
pdm1946
Psycho Milt
The Veteran
Tom Hunter
No Minister 
Lovely story, pdm, a bygone era. When I were a lad all men followed the geegees. My parents used to take me to Ellerslie frequently- most boring Saturdays in the year! Heaven help you if you interrupted Dad’s listening to the wireless when the race broadcasts were on. But no-one in my family follows racing now.
Cassandra
January 21, 2022 at 11:33 am
Cassandra your mention of Ellerslie reminds me of my Grandparents who spent almost all of their early life in Central Hawkes Bay and my mother and her 12 siblings all grew up at Porangahau. No electricity at the house, my grandfather refused it but, in 1957 (I was 11) they `upped sticks’ as the saying goes and moved to Auckland to look after my Great Grandmother who lived near Tin Tacks corner at Onehunga.
On to Ellerslie – they were keen racegoers and rarely missed a meeting at Ellerslie, Alexandra Park or Avondale despite my grandfather being about 70 and my grandmother in her 60’s when they moved…
The point of this story though is they never ever went anywhere on course but the public area and used to meet with my Grandmothers sister and her husband at most meetings over the fence between there and The Lawn or Members area which her sister and husband were. Huge status difference between the two couples and Ellerslie was pretty much the only place they saw each other as I recall..
pdm1946
January 21, 2022 at 12:24 pm
I must say that the Members area is much better than public but the way to do it is to go with an owner, which I have done once. That’s classy. Most expensive bubbles and lunch in the world (for the horse owner, that is).
Cassandra
January 21, 2022 at 4:08 pm
Brother in Law and I spent most of a day in the early 80’s in the Presidents Room at Hastings Races – free everything apart from betting and a great view of the course. Hairy ride home with the BIL driving lucky I was pissed as a chook .
pdm1946
January 21, 2022 at 4:42 pm