A VETERAN RIDER.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 185, 8 August 1927, Page 11

A VETERAN RIDER.

TWICE REPORTED KILLED.

STILL MUCH ALIVE

FARI.V <•!: \M> N.\Tlo\.\|.>. !! ' M.1.1 l>. '■ v,-\vf.\i:ki: "Hani:!""ii >• i , ;..ii 0.10 Thur-daj." Thi» tn»—«-■■ '•■■l- cliarnctci istir of Tommy —'■ ■' Briet. definite, \ m . perative. i:. -• n i;.i.-d mo mot© vividly of my fr.■ ■•. ; - prr-.n.ility than did a frarrd pi'" , ":." ■>]•'<: whi.v, had kept him in meninry rr ilr.vty o/\'\ year*. Two clays pn-\!-..;-iv I ;.,id written asking xh<"rnaii ' ■ ni , " , : ir.i> .it -nine place con■l'nipnt, f> but-ill n- e,irlv n« possible. In my ijyi'-i.Mio' of t!, ( . my.nut of the Wnikai" ■ii-n- V■ - * I '.:■•.I underestimated t'.ir fat ill* n , - lif i-Tijoyeil, His message left m» "i"h i.i.iy opportunity of rsachintr mir -•!<■> t *-<l meeting place nt th« ipp-'iul"'! t nir-. ,i train -teaming put of VVcllitrj'- ii «:!)iin a few minutes. Comes tfi Now Zealand. In W'i 'l'"M.i:i;. ■ line :<< X"W Zealand tn tbarxc '■■' ■*■ liorse, I ♦hint* M'-—' '■■•■' i»n> ~■!•• i i; . , I a.«mmid by [..ury M.ivki'V. and fur a year eT two hi> .i - ,i--...i it I'd with that most fiflitfiitful "t .ill il-liuhtftil Iri-h sportsmfn settli'l in '!;i-i ii.Miitw. at Kowai pa««, in t..e Miihi'in ili-tri't. It was during r"«i — p.>i;n<l rlisti iie "uiad" , ' that frondPT'fii! "h-pp-T' , Mousetrap, the galItnt lit 11** fellow that with Koyalty tli«- li>'uour« of the tir-t (Jrand National run at T>ir-i-tirtr>n, and twn Teir» lutei won »he jumping hlne-ribbon i|eri«ivply iiiin*eif. Before this, and during thi> -< -h rn •1i n 2 p:i>ee*«. Tommy Jntl stperei! Mou-«tm]i to victory in a ronpl<" of flat vm(-,.s rind a ouple of Hurdle runs in hi-< own circuit, ;uid hftd p\rn th* , public nn e\hi l iitioil of the yrcy pon\'- tnurvell'iii* \ers»tility by winning tin , r.inwo'"! >: cplecha.«e ovrr on* of the »tilT>>-t lines oi natural country ever tl»2ir<*«l "if i'l this country. After pn«-ing tin , winning y>o«it in thi* e\et,t Moiieetrap went on in »pite of all >lnH'nan'.« effort* to stop him until '■>•• dhe-l into a twelve feet TcnTable t'o:"-e fi'ip'o a derj, ditch in front and rolled over on the other vide. The -tory inn* th;it Mousetrap wa* nnythiMg but .i tnietnluo pupil durtn>r the early -i.ise- of hi< tuition. Tt i> said Mi.it he would -I.v lit ,1 rail lyinir on the ground, until oni> d.iy the e\ll(ip , r;lt» > ;l I..ITTV piikr-' up the rail and Iroke it o\nr }i : - i|iinrr.>r-.. After that, •o the atory con.-'ude*. It.- would not turn hi* h-nd h' i< h«u«e if it hapi>ened to be in hi* wpy. Needle-* to «ay I rfid not mention Miit tradition to {Shffnßii. !!'• fc'alid* bare-headed at tbe mention of name, and to defame his idol would be to imperil • frifnd-hip of half n century. But whatever the merit* of this in negotiatfce, there is littb- r.uiiht that in negotiatiup the waer jump at the first Grand National, which was fa<ed by a three feet si\ inch rail. Mmi«efap cleared at l«a*t thirty-six fept. which at that time *»% equal to the world's record, and is, I think. *till. A «üb*e<)iient measurement made Mousetrap's jump a good faot more, but by the time it wa<* taped tbe Haling was a. perfect quagmire, and tte boot prints confused.

Bitter Game. He make* no complaint on his own account, but Shecnan had much leo« than hi* fair share of luck in his attempts upon the (.ran I National. lie had no mount In the big event, when it was inaugurated at Hioartoii in 1870; but a •porting lady already had discovered the quality of the young man that did thing*, and in her colours he steered Zetland into s> i-ond place behind Moose in the Maiden Plate and brought him out (ifcain to win the Consolation Handicap. He had been turning his hunting experience to good account and was jotted down by runny a critical observer as one of the 'wry i-o-r pilots of the day on »n extremely difficult course. In the following year ihr trysting place was on the outskirts of Tiniaru. where the local sportsmen, hard riding fellows themselves, had taken care that the line of roontry was sufficiently exacting to try the mettle of the best of the competitors. Poor old Fred Hedge's unexpurgated account of his ride that day on the veteran Ivanhoc wns one of the choicest gems in his ever entertaining fireside repertoire. Shcennn, on Shillelagh, a rsnk outsider, survived all the mishaps by hill Mini dale that assailed the whole of the big field on the «odden ground, and finished .-croud to Fakir, the only four-year-old to win the race, that some vears later won hunt cupe for Horrie I.unn and ga\e him many a pleasant ride to hounds. Next year Sheenan was on a horse of his own, shark, but it was Mousetrap'? day of atonement, and the 'ittle fellow. ridd»n by Pat McCoy, another good Irishman, got home comfortably from Moose and Zetland, two winner i of minor e\ents, a* already mentioned, at the inaugural meeting. Oamarii \\a« tin- seme ~;• the 1870 contest and s he nan on Royalty, being the nr*t to emerge from a 'water jump" •Wollen by pei«i«tfiit rain into a veritable mud lake, counted confidently u F>on -. tting home fir-t; but many willirtsr linnd. ,\t > i-nto,l Apent from the 'epthini; pool, ;,,k1 this great good geld"'g. fateli■,!,■.■ 1;..\.,1ty at the last fence, '•eat him I ■ ~ , rr ,, w niargin. There w»« >.., n ,.' 1.1H; ;,i ,],.. time of the proI'lifty ~[ tl 1P „..;.. ~.,.,. , JIVPU , o A gent in hi* i r ••i;.-.,;,., ~-. i, lit sin«rn;in is not 7'' ""'' "' '■ ■'!: :., dwell ~ii a detail of that kin!

Up: and Downs. I s '"' "••■ ■■■■ v frifihl'* iIJ-!ufk yet p"" 1, '••■:. I!.- .N-i-i.«.H! was Lark" at i .iii-t.■':■,:■ ii ~, ],m). ain] curiously ''""■-•h Ai-.nt ~,„] };,,valty filled the r.ilc, ~r win.i.'f itn<l riiiiiUM-u|i ro>{>ecU J'. V - H'.;:-,.. l.iirni riilinp t!i<? former ar»d 5!i,•..,;.,• •> !, t ,p,. A-nit ,nl.-o won in.- Ma-.v..) ~_ .„,.,. ~, t ) ii: , n ,,.,,tinp, the M,,rit < ■•'''» ■'!•. :;,.. ,K.j.iiJai- idol at this "■'»' , i" Iμ- •.•.I-μ r 1»- in- >i ntj • 1 vi'n\f. >!| -i-tian .»^.i;ii um|p a lior-e of his '■«n in :■,.■ ,-.i• •• .it I imam in 16S1, when 'leiTTc ■ :v,, u ti:r,ni«h Agfnt coming ■own ,i« il■■■ i.i-! t'lMico but one, and was >1.,. - •■•,,,,, ,~ whpii the game ' Hl, ' in-u. •-illv a .»h:ulow of his ~,rru" r ■"if ■ f ui ~«■-! tlu. course with «"fie r,t 1,., ~.,| ,!.,.;, b,.1,in,l Katerfield, Uareji.-,. „,„[ My friend's j>er•wtorcy picv.iilcii in'the t'ollowine year, *ii»'n K<.--in-fci> ) th,. ,i n ef performer in «»■ lit'i>. i-:.-i,l'Tit iit A-liburton to which I referrr.! at the U-»inniiiy of this etory. furr.ed him »af>*ly over a roujfb and K«l<lrri ( r«». hi Tiinani. in which «n«-tal!.-.! r ..M< am! HtnU.lcl paddocks 7' 1 '" '"■ 'lu I twi.-e over to reach J" , W|l|l! ""-' I" "' i'inTi-nce, ri.lflen by < i.-irli- -.( ,•..,!■ ■:-. V..-V Z...-i|ji!i.l\ ,-rinc\. j>r >t-rv ~ ai ;,! , ~„;,.,!, , i,|,| rh ;,v Iforrio I'tnti. «iT" nnuli hotter f;»nriofl than the *'""'i. i ... ~...;._■..; ..;;,i M..., f . 1; . J.!,;,, w . pn . '"' th.- »!,],. ,-,,- ,]„, ..m.,,!,., .\ ],;,j,p ( .,,. .>»f in tin. ra-.-p that linvPi- in the

dT^-Y S , Ba I bary fallin * flat on his un*fin tJ end u d in a q«»Smirecl road. Sndfi °-7 h the °PP«»i*e fence and firmv g < ♦ V der, . a lad named - Mart i n . >> winning the Convolution Handicap on CoamiMiowr, but. after all. the smiles of the fickle dame p ro v,. ] onlv IW4 he finished second on Barbarv to ■ , i ? n .' 1 I ,n thc '©"owing year, 'with i ■•to 4 laid on his mount, Kavenswood j toppled over with him at a flimsy hurdkhat completed the course. In'l*St> he had a extremely unploa,ant ride on I Aroha, an<l that con(ludcd his iict . ve .artuupation m the quest for the Dominion t> fross.oouiitry championship. Out it was not in the big jumi.ui" ra«-cs alone, by a very long "wav" Ihal Mieenan acquired his fame as a fearless d s fu , ross . cou ; s : j tr> nder The recor.is from 1873 onward ! for nearly three decades contain i.articular* ot his exploit, in the saddle/and j then th.-y gradually merge into a rl-w- I ; nition r.f his achievements a> a ycvv\ j capalile trainer-owner. ' '