OLD-TIME 'CHASERS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 158, 10 August 1914, Page 2

OLD-TIME 'CHASERS.

INCIDENTS OF EARLY DAYS. AND BYGONE CELEBRITIES. Although to'morrow 's big contest at Biccarton will celebrate the thirty-ninth anniversary of the Grand National Steeplechase, cross-country racing was quite a popular pastime in Canterbury long before Royalty won the first race leld under the auspices of the Canterbury Jockey Club, at Riccarton. Of the anany thousands who will attend the «oming fixture, few indeed will be able to look back.on .those contests held in vthe early a few score of enthusiasts assembled at some suburban homestead and-watched the efforts of tnje champions' of those days over natural country, for prizes that now seem'insignificant in the extreme. Yet old-time sportsmen will tell you that the competition in those days -was just as keen as if the stakes were as big as those now provided by a benevolent totalisalor, while the good feeling that prevailed then lias been swamped by the growing spirit of commercialism. -_„ - EARLY CONTESTS. Recently .the writer had a very pleasant chat with one of the links with early days of 'chasing, Mr F. Brittan, who won the first' Grand National at Biccarton with Royalty. ' One of-'the very earliest, steeplechases held in the vicinity' of Christchurch took place in Heathcote Valley. A three-miles course over natural'country ,was flagged out for the occasion, and amongst the competitors was the late Mr C. HoodWilliams, who had the.mount on a horse yarned Flat Iron. The dinner, turned -up in a practically unknown quantity, Peacock, whose ordinary-vocation was that of acting as leader in one of Cobb and Co.'s coaches. Another of the very early contests took place at Riccarton, between the Bush Inn Hotel ami the present racecourse, and the course that had to be traversed tried both the stamina and the jumping abilities of half a dozen competitors. Increasing settlement led to another change of venue, and about. J874, what was then: known as '' The Sandhills,;" and is now known as North Linwood, was fixed 'on'as the convincing ground. At that time there was very little settlement in that portion of the dis-! triet, where creeks and sandhillsabounded. The eompeitors started at a \ point near the Avonside Church, and bore away towards the Ferry Road, turning from there to Buckley's corner. Thence the route lay past what is now the Linwood Cemetery, and then heads were turned for the finishing post, a big sandhill near Cowlishaw's corner. A better test of the ability of both the horses and the riders could not be imagined, for there were fences and ditches to be negotiated, and sandhills to be skirted or crossed, as the riders thought best. ' -.< . ; Quite a little history was attached to that first contest at The Sandhills, for which two of-the best 'chasers of' the time, .Merrimac and Don Juan, ruled as favourites. With the idea of, .making the race a certainty for Don Juan, a well-known horseman of the day, one who was cooling his heels in . goal for debt, was. bought ..out of durance. vile, and given the mount oiji Merriniac. It was the party behind Don Jtoan who'had effected his release, oiji the! express condition that he stopped Merrimac an'the Don's favour.. In the' circumstances, Don. Juan's party felt quite justified in going for a__go.od win with the bookmakers, but 'much''to" their disgust they saw Merrimac clear out from the start and never give his opponents* a look in. Needless to say, mutual" recriminations were freely indulged in. but the only explanation tendered was that Spinks could not hold %is mount, # and simply had to win. . PATRONS OF THE SPORT. Amongst the leading spirits of those early meetings were two well-known sporting journalists, Messrs E. Griffiths and J. Selfe, and Messrs "Tom'' Millett, "Pat" Campbell, F. W. Delamain, and Watts Russell. In the second *'Sandhills'' contest three prominent competitors were"Dan" O'Brien, on Bismarck-; Harry Prince, a well-known bookmaker, on Trump Card; and "Pat" Campbell) on Harlequin. At the last jump Prince's mount came down, and everyone thought the rider was killed. Fortunately, matters were not so serious as at first supposed,, though the mishap .led to Prince entirely severing his association with cross-country racing. After leading for most of the journey,it.looked any odds' on Mr Campbell's niount prevailing, a*d even after the winning post had been passed the ori--v Hookers thought that Harlequin had gained the -verdict. Much to the general surprise, the judge, Mr Watts Russell, declared in favour of "Dan" O'Brien's mount Bismarck, as the result of that astute horseman's cleverness in keeping Jus horse going while Mr Campbell was taking matters all too easy. A-SHIFT TO RICCARTON. Prior to 1576, there had been no recognised cross-country championship, but in that year the Canterbury JockeV Club decided to hold a steeplechase meeting, and. so the Grand National came to be instituted. "The initial contest brought out-a field of six, and ffladl to everyone's surprise, resulted in a win for Royalty, a Blood Royal gelding, whose apprenticeship had been, aerved in tue hunting field. Royalty's eareer- was a remarkable" •ne. Before attaining racecourse fame he was hunted by Mr Cardale, « well--known .stationnolder in the Hawkins district.- Getting out of his owner's, paddock, Royalty disappeared so completely that after days of searching by the station hands he was' given up as. lost. As a matter of fact, Mr Cardale thought so little of ever seeing his sure- '. footed hunter again that one evening, over the port and walnuts, he agreed "> .to play'Mr Brittan- a-game of euchre for the Jiorse, the stakes being £5 on . - one side and the possession of Royalty —if-'he could be found —on the_ other. Port-one favoured Mr Brittan, and he got up from the-table the owner of a '„- future national winner, whose whereabouts ..no one "knew. Some weeks -'' fitterwards Mr Brittan received'infor"-

mation that a stray horse had been seen near'the mouth of the Selwyn River, and investigation proved that it was the missing 'chaser. After a few weeks training, Royalty was sent to Riccarton for the National, but as he was only a hunter, and was to be ridden by an amateur, Mr Martelli,he was thought to have little chance with such as Auckland Kate, owned and ridden by "Dan" O'Brien, Tommy Dodd, on whom Fred Hodge had the mount, and Mousetrap, all of which had already proved their worth in many a hardfought contest.

Of Royalty ; s jumping ability- there was no question, for prior to the race jhe had negotiated the Riccarton country, a much more formidable proposition then than now, and in that test he was ridden by a lady. The contest [demonstrated that in steeplechasingthe 'race is not always to the fleet of foot, for, after most of the competitors had come to grief, Royalty was left with matters pretty much his own way. In those days there was a water jump and fence right in front' of the stand, and it was this that settled the pretensions of most of the fancied candidates, including Auckland Kate. Royalty contested several subsequent Nationals, but though always "in at the death" he never managed to repeat his achievement %f 1876. Both Royalty and Mr Martelli terminated . their careers as the result of mishaps. Royalty met his fate in an encounter with a draught horse, and Mr Martelli "was killed in the'hunting .field at Timaru. ANOTHER. CHANGE. In 1877 the convincing ground ef the Grand National was changed to Timaru, the. course being situated in what were then known as Cain's paddocks. These,, like the Linwood'sandhills, have now been turned into residential 'sections, and only the old identities of Timaru could point out the scene of Fakir's triumph in the second Grand National contest. Fakir, who was owned by Mr G. P. Williams, earned little subsequent fame, and not a little of his success was attributable to the excellent horsemanship of "Sam" Osborne. In the next year, Riccarton was once more the venue, and that grand little jumper, Mousetrap, did "Larry" Markey a good turn.by carrying the popular Irishman's colours to victory. Mousetrap had previously won a race at the Sandhills, when ridden by " Tommy'' Sheenan, and he also acted as runner-up ; to Royalty in the first Grand National. Of all those old-time, celebrities ..The Agent; who won in the two succeeding iyears and /again in 1884) was undoubtedly the most famous.' In his very flrs't /attempt at .Riccarton, he/ made/light of the 12st allotted to Kim,.', aiiA . subse : qiieritly at Oaniaru,' he carried 12.7 to victory, being ridden on the latter occasion by "Horry" Lunn. A wonderfully clever jumper, The Agent was one! of those brainy horses that seem to know jus,t what's--is-expected, of'thousand- he was also: with .more than an. average amount of pace. Someyears ago, discussing^.bygone steeple-, chase' celebrities Agent's' owner, "Patsy" Butler, the writer, ventured to suggest that even spcli an undoubted great jumper ris : that *olden champion would have a sli'iiculiy in footing it with;some (>f#the more recent National was; quite enough to arouse the wrath of the impulsive .little Irishman, .who averred that. The Agent; could ...givAt anyother horse.-that ever 'faced th e Rieear- ', ton country a furlong and a beating. -■ IN LATER YEARS: The contest of 1881 was held at the Washdyke, and was mainly remarkable from the fact that "Fred" Hedge rode both Clarence, the winner, and The Agent, who secured second money. Two furlongs from home, Butler's horse parted company with his rider fc and after' Hedge had weighed in on Clarence he returned to where The Agfmt was standing, and rode him home for second money. From ISS3, when T. Sheenan scored on Mr Adams's Kosciusko, the National has always been decided at Biccarton and to-morrow's contest will mark its thirty-ninth anniversary. No one would be bold enough to argue that-'the field for this year's race includes the equal of ,«ome of those old time celebrities, such as Clarence, The Agent, Canard, and Chemist, but from the even nature, of the field, the contest is bound to be one of the keenest ever fought out over the historic convincing ground.

TEMPLAR,