WELLINGTON STEEPLES

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 9, 10 July 1935, Page 8

WELLINGTON STEEPLES

KEEN FIGHT FOR HONOURS

Although only five of the ten starters completed the arduous- 3i miles of this year's Wellington Steeplechase, it was a spectacular contest capped by a splendid finish among the three placed horses, Valpeen, Ruby Meteor, and Dunmure, For the last mile the trio were together, each being in the lead at various points, and although Dunmure may have been the unlucky horse , Valpeen's final success was a notable triumph, and it was thoroughly deserved on general • performance; h Valpeen has never looked better than he does at present, and it was his fitness ithat enabled him, to clinch victory on the'flat' below the last fence, for, .though he was very tired, he stayed on just too well for the other pair. t With his success yesterday .Valpeen has now joined the select list of horses whb have won all.threebig steeples, the Great Northern, Grand National, and Wellington. The first to accomplish this feat was Haydn, who won the National in 1902, the Northern the next year* and the Wellington in 1907. Coalition, who was owned by the present president of the Wellington Racing Club, Mr. E. Riddiford, captured the , treble in 1921, and added the National again the following year; and Beau Cavalier won all three races in 1927. A failure in the Trentham event last year checked Valpeen from doing quite what Coalition and Beau Cavalier had done, but he is only^the fourth horse to have won all three steeples during their career. VALPEEN WELL CONTROLLED. Valpeen, in contrast to his recent races at Ellerslie, was kept in good ' control throughout yesterday's steeples by the veteran horseman W. J, Bowden, who had not previously been on him, and who also was registering his first Wellington Steeplechase win.i, For the first round and a half Valpeen was running fifth and jumping well, but Bowden began.tq move him up to the leaders in company with Ruby Meteor at the commencement of the last round. Dunmure had taken charge about nine furlongs from home, but the southerner misjumped badly at the sod wall near 'the seven furlongs, almost dropping his rider, and by the time he had recovered Ruby Meteor and. Valpeen had passed him.: Thereafter it was a great fight among these three horses. Dunmure just could not get quite back to the other pair, and while Valpeen was outjumping Ruby Meteor the mare was slipping ahead again between the fences. Going to the. last fence Ruby Meteor carried Valpeen out, forcing him to jump hear the wing, and Dunmure, sticking to the rail, was nearly up with them for this leap, but once'they were over- Ruby Meteor failed to hold on to her slender advantage, and Valpeen came on best of three very tired horses to score a highly popular win by a length, with Dunmure only a short half a length , further back third.' It was an exciting finale in which all were being hailed as winners half-way down the straight, but from that point it was fairly obvious who was going to collect the spoils of victory. It was a grand exhibition of jumping that Valpeeji gave, and it was to this that his success was undbubtedly due, though his stamina was finally called up to complete the task. His general record has so often been written that it seems unnecessary to recapitulate it. He is owned by Mr. Gordon Campbell, a young farmer of Okoroire, near Matamata, who bred him from a mare he bought for £ 1 in the course of some dealing, and who has prepared him for all his racing. Now seven years. old, he had his first race just over three years ago; but since then he has won nine times .out of 43 starts, and has earned stakes to the value of £3330, of which £.1900 has been won during the.present season. • ' "''■_, . MINOR PLACE-FILLERS. Ruby Meteor, also seven years old, , and a daughter of Day Comet, notable 'sire of jumpers, ran a great race throughout, and it was only touch and go "between her and Valpeen over the closing section as to who would be the winner. lier jumping was generally good, but she was outshone in this ' department by Valpeen, though till pure stamina became the sale test she was doing a shade better than the topweight on the flat. She fully confirmed the good opinion northern critics formed about her when she beat all ■except Haakon in the Winter Steeples at Ellerslie last month. By coincidence her breeder-owner, Mr. A. Totman, is ' also a farmer of Okoroire, though she herself is trained at Te Rapa by J. F. Tutchen. Dunmure, though he could not win, did not in the least belie the high praise. that had preceded him from the far south. Indeed, had he not hit that sod wall so hard he would almost undoubtedly have had his name ' enscrolled as winner of this year's Wellington Steeples. After recovering from that setback he was soon up again just in behind 'Ruby Me.teor and Valpeen, but that was as far as he could get. The sting had been knocked out of him, and although he was able to keep his place, his Jumping was- slovenly and he lost ground at the five remaining obstacles. He kept fighting on courageously, and wo,s nearly on terms with the other pair for the last fence, but again he screwed in jumping, and so his last chance went. He was almost at a'walk at the post, but the other two were just as tired. TOLL OF THE BEATEN. The only others to complete were Pahu and London, but they were' the best part of a furlong back. Pahu was always one of the last horses, and though as far as was noticed he jumped well enough, he lacked all dash. London was one of the leaders for more than half the trip, but his display of fencing was mixed, and he finally tired badly in the last round. Tudor and Riotous, who gave a fine display of jumping out in front while they lasted, both were out of the contest before the real fight began. Riotous was running with Tudor when he hit the second boards just after-going a round and dropped his rider, J. Mcßae, who suffered slight head injuries, including a cut above the eye. Tudor was palpably tiring going over the stands double the second time, where, nevertheless, he jumped back past Dunmure and London, who had just headed him, but half a furlong further on he slipped and fell on the fiat, his rider, P. Burgess, luckily escaping with a shaking. Haakon was going in great style for a round, and was moving up fast to the leaders at the big brush near the

half-mile, but on landing over, that he broke-down badly and was immediately pulled up. Royal Limond, who was never doing it too well, made a bad jump going out of the straight the final time, arid he was also, pulled up. A little further on Dozie, outclassed and hopelessly in the rear, ceased as well to participate in the contest. The non-starters were Billy Boy, Transact, and Spalpiko.

After the race the judicial committee inquired irito the incident at the last fence, and, finding that A. Gilmer, the .rider of Ruby Meteor, had deliberate-; ly attempted to run Valpeen off, they suspended him from riding for three months.