ST. SIMPER IN FAVOUR

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26179, 1 August 1950, Page 4

ST. SIMPER IN FAVOUR

LIGHT-WEIGHT PROSPECT FOR NATIONAL The- Invercargill owner-trainer, W. E. Hazlett,’ hhs ’peeh associated with two winners ni the .Grand National Steeplechase in *«stral~ Flame and Anglo-French. In St. Simpeij-he has a likely candidate for this year's contest, which will be run at Riccarton next Saturday. St. Simper did a pleasing National trial by winning the Homeby Steeplechase at the Christchurch Hunt Club’s meeting on Saturday, and the Sir Simper chestnut gelding’s record over the Riccarton country as now three starts for two wins. St. Simper first raced over country at Riccarton in the tawford Hack and Hunters' Steeplechase at the Christchurch Hunt meeting a year ago. The stiff fences did not trouble him and he won easily after. giving . a good display of jumping. By many that was regarded as a winning trial for the Grand National,’ in which he led to the third to last fence and then fell. It was. not the mistake of a tiring horse, as he was galloping strongly at the time. • St. Simper’s form then fell away and he showed little of his real ability at the Dunedin winter meeting in June, when he attempted to advance the good record of the Hazlett stable in the Otago Steeplechase. Since that meeting, however, he has he impressed by his appearance when brought to Riccarton. In the Homeby Steeplechase on Saturday St. Simper was always near the front and ran into a clear lead going to Cutts's brush. The race gained increased interest when the Wellington Steeplechase winner, First Act, started to close the gap to him from the half-mile, but the Southland lumper had a long enough lead to win by a length and a half without having to be shaken up. St. Simper has 9-8 in the Grand National Steeplechase. He towers above the other light-weights, and will set the bet-ter-performed horse? higher in the weights a solid task. Improved Jumping' The most encouraging feature of First Act’s effort was his standard of jumping, w'hich was immeasurably better than the best he could produce when brought south for the Grand National Steeplechase last year. On Saturday First Act was giving St. Simper a big start with six furlongs to run, and he did well to close the gap to a length , and a half while still going strongly at the finish. He drops in the weights from 11-3 to 10-12 for the Grand National, and now that he has shown that he can jump the country with ease, he will have strong support next Saturday. Jon Rosa’s Lapse Jon Rosa s refusal to be steered into Cutts’s was. sensational—almost as sensational as Golden Reign’s similar lapse at the second fence in the Grand National Steeplechase last year. It is a coincidence that these two winners of the Great Northern Steeplechase have both run off in their first appearances at Riccarton. On Saturday the race was only about half over when Jon Rosa refused at Cutts’s. How he ‘would have fared but for that lapse is hard to estimate. At the time he was at the tail of the field with Siglow. and was giving St. Simper a big start. Probably the race would have been too short for his stamina to be effective. Sir Abbot’s Second Win South Islana stables provided most of the runners in the Brabazon Handicap, and South Island horses filled the first three places, Sir Abbpt had only a narrow winning margin from the favourite. Detention, at the finish, but his win, his second in the race, was decisive. Well ridden by E. G. Low, who was also on him last year, Sir Abbot was always close to the leaders, and with a furlong to run he had reached the front on terms with Ned Kelly. There Dentention, which had been checked earlier, was almost on terms with them, and it appeared that he had the best winning chance. Sir Abbot, however, was still full of fight, and over the last 100 yards he ran on better than the favourite to win by a neck. Clyde Bridge finished strongly on the inner for third half a length back, and if he had been better placed for the run home he would have tested Sir Abbot more thoroughly. Biassed Unlucky Unluckier still was the Awapuni candidate, Biassed, which showed brilliant finishing speed to dead-heat for fourth with Ned Kelly. Biassed was slow away in the big field, and his effort to finish as close as he did to the winner was above the average. Biassed, a grey gelding by Pherozshah from Tirea, is. small, but. he is a smart galloper. He is raced by Mr W. S. Goosman and trained by J. L. Muir. At the Manawatu Hunt meeting at Awapuni he easily won the open sprint. Ned Kelly confirmed the promising nature of his track work in his race on Saturday. He reached the front when Terminus and Gold King dropped out with over a furlong to run, but he could not ?uite match Sir Abbot, Detention,, and lyde Bridge for finishing speed. In his present form Ned Kelly may be capable of winning a race soon, particularly if he is favoured with a heavy track.

Sound races were also run by Brenlock and Detract, which were sixth and seventh to finish. Brenlock was not prominent in the run to the straight, but .put in good work over the last furlong. Likely Improver Detract should be at the top of his form for the Winter Cup next Saturday. The distance of that race, one mile, will probably suit the big Defaulter gelding more than shorter journeys. The Southland candidate, Billy Mac, showed a lot of speed to finish eleventh after losing several lengths at the start. There was little to enthuse about in the performances of the hack steeplechasers. The jumping was bad in the Lawford Hack and Hunters’ Steeplechase, which Jolyon was little troubled to win. Jolyon showed improvement on his fornj at the South Canterbury Hunt meeting to win by over half a furlong from the favourite. Specialist, which tired badly. Favourites Out Early There were only six starters for the Christchurch Hunt Cup Steeplechase, and after two fences, the best supported runners, Prang and Penetration, were out of the race. When Silvestre and Owenga slipped approaching Cutts’s it seemed quite possible that the rest would be lucky to get round without falling, but Owenga was the only other to err in his jumping, he losing his rider at the second to last fence. Sparkling Lad was giving Quadrille and Silvestre a big start when the race was half over, but he outjumped and outstayed them, winning decisively. Wee Mac had little difficulty in winning the Longbeach Hurdles, in which he was at unexpectedly good odds, Tweedside being a surprise favourite. Wee Mac at his previous start over hurdles had been narrowly beaten by Winger in the Otago Hurdles on the first day of the Dunedin Jockey Club’s meeting in June. Since then he had raced twice on the flat and showed that all was well with him by running second to Pageant in the princioal flat race at the Waimate Hunt meeting. On Saturday Wee Mac was always within striking range of the pacemakers, Night Fighter and High Order. r Fyxen’s Third Win Fyxen won her third race in thd colours •of’the Riccarton trainer. J. S. Shaw, when she scored in the Kennels Hack Handicap. The Ruthless filly did her early facing in the colours of her breeder, Mr J. A. Mitchell, without making any return. Shaw took her over on lease before her two-year-old career was over, and in her first appearance at the Grand National meeting last year she finished solidly to win the Cashmere Plate. Fyxen’s form then fell away, but after being spelled she showed more encouraging form this winter. After finishing fourth on the first day, she brilliantly won the hack sprint on the second day of the Manawatu winter meeting. She was third to Robin Redbreast and Aquelio in the Te Aro Handicap on the first day of the Wellington winter meeting. Answer to Correspondent "Blondy,” Greymouth.—Kevin’s win dividend in the New Zealand Cup was £9 Ils 6d. .

Bad Jump at Sod Wall Jolyon made a bad jump at the sod wall near the nine furlongs, but there was little wrong with his other jumping. He was ridden back in the field for the first mile and a half, and quickly closed on the pacemaking Erin’s Smile running to the second last fence. There Erin’s Smile fell, but casualties had been so heavy that R. P. Langford was able to remount and bring the Sir Simper gelding home for third, well clear of Trencherman, the only other runner to complete the course. Won Easily Night Fighter dropped out before the half-mie was reached, and Wee Mac almost immediately ran past High Order. From that point Wee Mac was never in danger of defeat and he could have widened his winning margin of three lengths from the Otaki candidate, The Stormovik, which showed no loss of confidence in his jumping after his fall in a schooling bout last week.

Tweedside, ridden out over the last furlong, got up to cut High Order out of third place, but he was always too far back in the field to hold a winning chance. Tweedside stays well and should not be troubled by longer journeys. Fairhome and Mandeville finished close to the placed horses without ever appearing to hold winning chances. Brockie lost his chance early in the race when his rider lost an iron.