HUNT AND NATIONAL

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 32, 7 August 1934, Page 6

HUNT AND NATIONAL

FORM AT CURTAIN-RAISER

HOW IT HAS PANNED OUT

Tho form revealed at the ■Chrislehurch Hunt Club's Annual Meeting has generally been a fairly serviceable guide for the Grand National Meeting ten days later, and even though the Hunt Winners have only twice repeated the performance at the big fixture .they have usually gone good solid races, and on quite a number of occasions they have just failed. - It may therefore be anticipated that Arcade, winner of Saturday's Longbeach Hurdles, and Vcntrac, winner of the Brabazon Handi-1 cap, will again run good races at the National Meeting next week, and they look at least candidates who should go near earning some of the stake-money on offer in the principal events. The Christchurcb Hunt Meeting established itself in its present form with an open hurdle 3 and the Brabazon Handicap for the National fixture candidates in 1923. There was no meeting of the club the previous year, and prior to that the meeting was more or less an outing for the hacks and hunters. FIRST TRUE PRELUDE. In 1923 the Open Hurdles winner was Cheer Up, who was unplaced in the Grand National, Hurdles (and judged on the betting was not expected to do better). The National winner Oakleigh' did not run .-it the Hunt Meeting. ; The Brabazon victor was Boadicea, who ran second in ■the Winter Cup, beaten a length by Sunny Loch, Avho had missed a place ten days previously. The next year Lochsbn wont on from winning the Open Hurdles at the Hunt Meeting to score also in the Grand National Hurdles,, with Santiago second to him in both races. The Brabazon form was ateo a fair line, as the winner Broadwood, made favourite for the Winter Cup, was beaten only a neck by the outsider Soliforra, who had not started at the Hunt iixture. The Winter Cup the following year had a similar result, for the Brabazon winner Sun Up, also favourite, failed only by half a head to down the little-fancied Kuhio, who had not started at the earlier fixture. The Open Hurdles victor, the non-staying Te Kawa, was ■ unplaced in the National, which was won by Penury Rose, who had failed to make a showing at the Hunt Meeting. In. 1026 the Brabazon winner Centrepiece rap no better than the bettingl indicated he might in the Winter Cup, and victory went to the favourite Le Choucas, who had filled second place in the .Brabazon. The Open Hurdles winner Listening Post did not parade for the National, whose winner, Comical, had also not bfeen seen in action at the Hunt fixture. LONGBEACH INTRODUCED.. The prelude the next year found the Winter Cup winner-to-be, the outsider Solferite, finishing a handy third in the Brabazon to Slagna Charta and Royal Game. Magna Charta was the Cup favourite but ran a very disappointing race, closing tip completely under pressure. The open hurdles' at the Hunt was for the first time known as the Longbeach Hurdles, and its winner'Bonena was not produced in the National, which was won by Wharncliffe, who had not started at tho earlier. meeting. The following year the three Winter Cup place-fillers, Bisox, Kaiti, and Rotor, respectively, had not run at the Hunt Meeting, the Brabazon winner Royal Saxon finishing sixth in ■ the Cup after a bad'passage. Peneus, the Longbeach winner, was favourite for the Grand National Hurdles but fell, success going to Nuknmai from Gaze and Red Fuchsia, all three of whom had not started at the Hunt ■ ■ - In 1929 Prickles won the Brabazou' but was unplaced in the Winter Cup. ivhich went to Historic, who had not inlulged in the prelude. Laucei followed p his Longbeaub win with a thud m the .ationa). beaten by Mangaui and Aberisldy. the National victor also not tiav ug raceu dt. the liuul uxiuie iliiii yeui The iiext yeai was. the only occasion on which a Brabazou wiunei has gone on to succeed in the Winter (Jup, the double victor being Toxeuma, who holds the weight-carrying record of 11.5 in tho Cup, a record that must continue to prevail till the .winter minimum is raised again to ,9.0. ' Mangani won the Lougbcach this year but fell.in the National, and the later-victor was the fresh horse Curinthia. . ■'■ Then follows, a lapse of two years.- In 1931- the Cliristchiivf.li H-unt Meeting was not held, andjn 1932.it. was. substituted with a combined. Hunt/Club, Hororata and Amberley .Meeting, at which all the' events, were, for hacks or' hunters.' The prelude was resumed last year in i its old form, and the Hunt victors both -went close to succeeding at the National .Meeting. Polydora scored with a sensational final burst in the Brabazon and was as a consequence a hot favourite for the Cup, but; she was. just beaten home by the rank outsider Mount Boa, who had not been seen out at the Hunt. Then in the Grand National, the Longbeach winner Puncheetown also finished second, beaten (though quite decisively by ten lengths) only by Hounelow, who had been somewhat of a disappointment in the Longbeach, for which he had been favourite, but in which he managed to reach no nearer the front at the finish than fifth. In all this record therefore only one Brabazon winner (Toxcuma) has gone on to' capture the Winter Cup, and only one open hurdle winner at the Hunt fixture (Lochson) has also scored in the same year in the Grand National Hurdles. The.precedent is nevertheless established, and it now remains to be seen whether Ventrac and Arcade can further consolidate it next w.eek.