A GOOD JUMPER

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 113, 15 May 1934, Page 6

A GOOD JUMPER

PROSPECTS OF, DON, ERWIA

MAY- FOLLOW NUKUMAI

■The Don Erma that- won .the Grandstand Steeplechase, las.t Thursday, arid the Don' Erma'tbat contested the Wanganui Steeplechase -on the Saturday.'; -Were two different hqrses.. At. least' dne"'/:would" be pardoned • for thinking that such : was the ease. ; On' the opening day Don. .Erma gave a very smooth; disjjlay in.;'the:short cross-country -'event .and- he -would have WJn by many lengths had- his- rider, not been so engrossed at the-final fence looking, for likely danger from.the rear. "

On Saturday the horse Wanted, to bolt in his preliminary, and so it was in the race'itself; he;' literally pulled -himself to pieces oinV in-, front, wanting to be given his head.' It'is very rarely indeed that races are^ won•this way, .especially over a distance, and so it was with Don Erma, for he was a tired horse, and a wellbeaten one, half a mile from home. His jumping did not seem to be affected, however, for he still"..took the fences .'splendidly, but at, the emPhe' ivas about seventeen lengths- behind the winner, in fourth pl.ace. .-■.,.• .'.-.: "•'-■■■

• There were excuses -lor his defeat, and it may be best to overlook this failure in view of the circumstances that-undoubted-ly led up to it. When he settles down to, : chasing it is .going to take a good one to.beat' Don Erma, for Tie ..-has--only been racing; this season; and is'"as v yet new at the .game. He is now an aged gelding (although he comported, himself like a two-year-old on Saturday) and he races in .the colours of. Mr. S. G. Davidson, of Waverley, the colours being the wellknown brown, mauve sleeves, -nd red. cap made famous to Dominion .racegoers by, that grand old horse Nuk"umai,~a' master of winter conditions on the flat arid over hurdles—yet,, a comparative "dud" as a 'chaser. It will be recalled that' 3\ Tukn T iriai won his fir.st race over country, this being the Egm'ont Steeplechase,', but he disliked the big fences, which was rather surprising in a born jumper. Danilof, the'sire of Don Ermaj is a halfbrother by Boniform to Sasanof,' while the dam of the Wanganui winner, Erma, was :by Patrorius (a large number of whose stock raced round Tnranaki many years back with more or less success) from lima, a mare bred in South Australia in 1889, by Neekersgat from Perhaps, a daughter of Gang Forward and Peradventure, by Adventurer. Don Erma is the right '■■ type for '.chasing, while if he is put back to hurdling he is capable of winning in that class,, for'he still ranks -as a maiden on the flat and over the sticks, although he has won two steeplechase contests. His future career on the Turf should be very interesting and perhaps profitable to follow, fbr even over country, he1 is still in a .hand^ position in the weights.