Padishah’s record safe?

Press, 1 August 1989, Page 42

Padishah’s record safe?

By

DAVID McCARTHY

Trelay Boy and Ben Hur have been nominated for both the Grand National Hurdles and Steeplechase at the Riccarton winter carnival and there seems at least some chance that a horse will attempt both features for the first time in several years. / •

Whether either could win both of course is another matter and it seems that the unique record of one of the most famous horses to have graced the Riccarton track will survive, perhaps for all time. That record, of having won the National Hurdles and Steeples at the same meeting, belongs to Padishah and was set fifty years ago this month. The only factor which prevents any outright claims that his feat will not be repeated is that so many experienced racing men were convinced in August 1939 that it could not happen a first time. Padishah was quite a remarkable horse. He raced every season from his second year until his tenth. He won the Grand National Hurdles twice and in 1939 performed the ultimate Riccarton jumping feat of winning the Homeby Steeplechase, and both Grand Nationals in successive starts. But Padishah was famous before that. He had won the Wellington Cup as a seven-year-old in 1938 and the Hawke’s Bay Cup the previous season. He had also been campaigned in Australia as a younger horse but without success. Should any future jumper equal his National achievements, Padishah supporters can still point to the fact that he won three races on the flat at Riccarton

as well including the Otaio Plate and the Metropolitan which, in those days was second only to the New Zealand Cup among important handicaps run at Riccarton. Padishah was raced by a Hawke’s Bay sportsman, Jack Hennah, and was a halfbrother to the outstanding staying mare, Cuddle, which wbn two Auckland Cups. Although Padishah raced for nine seasons he had had only sixteen starts in New Zealand until a seven-year-old when he had that many in one season. Between his Grand National Hurdles win in 1938, when ridden by Bert Ellis, and the 1939 event, he had not contested a hurdle race. His owner had extraordinary success in Grand Nationals. Mr Hennah had horses contest four until 1940 and all had won, Captain Jingle having won the 1912 National Steeples. Another aspect of Padishah’s remarkable double was the achievement of his Steeples rider, George Beatson. Mr Hennah had had trouble getting anyone to school Padishah in his earlier days and finally asked Beatson to do so in exchange for which he promised him the race day ride. The decision to go ahead with that deal was not especially popular in professional riding circles but that did not bother Mr Hennah. Beatson’s race record was remarkable

for he had not ridden in a race until the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase less than two months before the National. Bert Ellis again substituted for him in the Hurdles. Padishah was the shortest priced favourite in National Steeplechase history and gave his backers few reasons for concern. In the Hurdles two days later, he set off slowly but jumped right into contention in the last round and won easily. Padishah returned to Riccarton in 1940 in an attempt to extend his remarkable record. There he clashed with Clarion Call in the Steeplechase with Padishah, carrying twelve stone, seven pounds (79.5 kilograms), and Clarion Call, acclaimed at the time as the greatest jumper seen on the course, at twelve stone, one pound (76.5 kg Clarion Call had won the 1938 National Steeplechase and had twice been placed in the National Hurdles. Padishah had failed to fire in the Wellington Steeplechase and did not look the horse of old until a fine effort running second in the Homeby suggested he could win the National again. The race was an anti-climax. Padishah spreading himself on the first of the stand double with a round to go and having to be pulled up. It was subsequently found he had injured his

pelvis and he never raced again. Clarion Call won easily. It may well be that two such famous jumpers had not met in a race like the National before or since. It was later revealed Padishah had had a cold in the lead-up period to the National and his connections had thoughts of scratching him up until a day before the race. The Steeples/Hurdles double has always been difficult largely because of its timing, partly because of the different techniques involved and in latter years, often because the roles of hurdling and steeplechasing are more specialised. It was said at the 1939 National meeting that good judges who thought Padishah a certainty in the Hurdles still would not back him because fifty years of history was against him. Another forty-nine years of history suggests their canny assessment was justified and another year should make little difference. For the record Padishah carried ten stone, five pounds (66kg) and eleven stone, seven pounds (73kg) in winning his two National Hurdles and eleven stone, five pounds (72kg) in the Steeples.

He won the Hawke’s Bay add Wellington Cups with the equivalent of 48.5 kg.