M.Corkery, outstanding success with a small team in 1956

The Riverton owner-trainer, who has an outstanding reputation for winning important events with a small team, prepared the novice hurdler Dusty Miller to win the 1,000 pounds hurdle at Wingatui in 1956.  Corkery had earlier won a Riverton Gold Cup and Invercargill Cup with the same horse.  Other good horses he has produced have been Mijiji (Wellesley Stakes), The Denbigh (twice winner of the Great Western), Naughty Lady, Loyal Lady, Haughty Boa, King Gundi, Baygundi, Beam and others.

Dusty Miller, still far from an accomplished hurdler, has been placed in hack hurdles in the spring.  He raced on the flat in Riverton, at Easter and again in the Southland Winter Meeting, where he ran sound races for 5th each day.  Dusty Miller contested the Greenfield Hack Hurdles on the first day at Wingatui finishing a credible sixth.  In the Otago Hurdles, over two miles and with 9.2 his stamina was the deciding factor.  His jumping was an improvement on his earlier efforts but chances were almost written off when he lost 4/5 lengths after two horses had fallen in front of him.  He did exceptionally well to get up and beat The Tongs by a head, especially after he had tailed off early and covered extra ground to get to the front at the mile.
Dusty Miller can likely be heard more from now on as a jumper.
A seven year old Milling gelding he is out of Black Robe by Leighton, from Habit, by Thespian, from Cowl, the dame of nine winners and of 32,165 pounds.  Black Robe was a good race mare, winning 15 races and this has been a notable Stud Book family and has included such winners as Smoke Screen, Rational (24 wins), The Monk, Velimond, (21,616 pounds) Siegmund, Da Vinci, Yaada and a host of others.