WASHDYKE STEEPLES

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28951, 20 July 1959, Page 4

WASHDYKE STEEPLES

Pitlochry’s Easy Win Pitlochry humbled his rivals in the Teschemaker Steeplechase at the South Canterbury .Hunt Club’s annual meeting on Saturday. This gave him a cross-country record of three wins and a third from four starts.

Mr W. Grant’s six-year-old Callander gelding will have his next race in the Christchurch Hunt Club’s Homeby Steeples at Riccarton next Friday. He will school over country at Riccarton on Wednesday. Pitlochry is trained at Washdyke by M. R. Jones, and was ridden by A. Cowan, who saved every bit of ground possible on the two and a half mile journey. The best of Pitlochry’s rivals was his former stablemate Brig O’Cally. Brig O’Cally is another six-year-old Callander gelding, but. unlike Pitlochry, his jumping was not good on Saturday. He made a likely run forward into second position early in the last round, but he hit hard at two fences, and his gallop lost much of its strength afterward.

Sir Gerald was in front soon after the start, and Pitlochry followed him closely over the stand double for the first time. Tarsus also ran up into a contending position before they went far, and King’s Lace followed not far behind.

King’s Lace was in the race until a round from home. Then he hit hard at the first of the double and bumped B. T. Jones to the ground. Tarsus and Sir Gerald were then finding the pace too torrid and were dropping ’ back. But Brig O’Cally was making a strong gallop in second position in a gap behind Pitlochry.

Brig O’Cally got to within four lengths of Pitlochry at one point on the last round, but he could not quicken further. He had made two bad leaps, and he tired coming to the home turn, leaving Pitlochry to establish a lead of 15 lengths at the end. Sir Gerald struggled home for third 30 lengths behind Brig O’Cally, but 20 lengths ahead of Tarsus. Tarsus just beat Champion, the only one of the others to finish. Nonplussed was pulled up, and Top of the Morning lost her rider about seven furlongs from home when well back.