SUPERIOR STAMINA

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 9, 11 July 1938, Page 17

SUPERIOR STAMINA

CQ^RIIk^RD IN HURDLES

A,line to tlie Winter. Hurdles, the pr^tljjal.race over the smaller fences at : i#elij;ngtbn during the season, was oiixie; dgitih >giyen by the Trentham Hurdles, decided on the first day of the meeting; but on this occasion the Trentham result was reversed, with Court Yard completely outstaying his first day's victor from the last fence home.

This was strangely the first occasion on which a horse who has run second in the Trentham Hurdles has won the' Winter Hurdles, but it was due time the precedent was set. Five times in the last decade the Trentham winner has gone. on< to. succeed on the final day as well.

Court Yard had more assistance on Saturday in breaking down the brilliance of Full of Scotch. Instead of having to take on the northerner in ' «a : lone battle, he had Charade, Middle, , Southern Blood, and Aurora's Love all Mm. turn: usurping that doubtful privilege, and the result -was that he was able to run his own race. He was third practically throughout the contest, and ■-he was led- to the last fence by Full of Scotch and Aurora's Love; but once •jover that obstacle he drew up to the leaders and quickly settled the issue, ■going on to score by half a dozen lengths. . -r A METEORIC RISE. v.'Court.."icard in many ways has had ,a.mope meteoric rise as a hurdler than even Full of Scotch. He was unknown hi the role till Easter. On Easter Saturday he ran unplaced on the flat at Greymouth, then he was" hurried back to Riccarton over i!^ weekend, but he surprised in the ±i_ _i. day's brush hurdles at the C.J.C. Autumn Meeting on the Monday and scored asfrn on ,the Tuesday. A second at Ashburton followed, and then a double at South "Canterbury. He had a race on the flat at Ashburton again prior to his trip north last week. Here is- also another instance of a bargain that lay in wait for some lucky .owner. He was first raced for a few 'wins in the North Island by his breeder T. H. Lowry), and was sold as a four-year-old to Mr. D. Buchanan, of Christchurch. He continued to win occasionally, including a surprise success Ut the New Zealand Cup-Meeting, -but was ■ not an outstanding success. Just before: last Easter he was sold by Mr. Buchanan to his present owner, Mr. D. Neill, of Christchurch, for what as understood to have been a gift price. With.the one preliminary outing en the flat at Greymouth he burst brilliantly into the jumping firmament, and for Mr.- Neill he has already won five races and earned.£l24s in stakes. His full record 'comprises fourteen wins in 108 starts for £2273 in prize-money, so that more than half his winnings have .been for, his present owner. . There is good breeding behind Court Yard, for he is no other than an eight-year-old full-brother to Second Wind, a high-class performer who won the Ring's Cup and Williamstown CUp (twice), and ran second to Phar Lap in the Melbourne Cup, and he is a .-half-brother to other good horses in Gascony (now a successful sire) and -the..defunct- Senior. By Grandcourt, is a grandson of War Talk, whose Warscare, is grandson of "•■ ;'Bluff eiV":als6 successful oh Saturday.

s*ta Much .of the credit for Court Yard's :■?• new lease Of life in his new role is due to his trainer, R. McMullari. of Riccarton. McMullan was formerly a "capable horseman over fences himself.

and he was very confident before last

week's meeting that Court Yard would Aold.'. his own among the best of the ►-/jumpers. Court Yard will have his !# next opportunity at the Grand National ~ Meeting.

£j 'another fine race. ..' .- *$ Though he failed to complete the double. Full of Scotch covered with, further glory, for it i^would have required something right wput of the ordinary to have succeeded pian the kind of race he was forced to gjjrun. He assumed charge after the first />fl.ence, but came back to his field when £!he flattened-the second fence. After «that he - was never free trom. the attentions of other horses, and this finally s|w.as his Undoing: Beyond the last vjence he had no chance with his victor, fZput he was still able to outstay *jAurora's Love. Wi.t Full of Scotch must now be conceded Kjfco be definitely one of the best hurdlers feat present racing. He seemed unfortunate in being rehandicapped to the i-extent he was on Saturday, but he went ijjnear justifying the handicapper's estimate of his ability. He will probably 1?e allpwedthe dhance of avenging himself on Court Yard in the Grand National Hurdles next month.

Aurora's Love made an improved showing as compared with her Trent;'y£ba.m ■ Hurdles effort. ■ She did Court .iv»Yard an excellent turn in taking on l-.the favourite from the five furlongs. ;£«<At the~last fence she was just in front, jv,|>ut she" then" tired into third place, il^liike* her famous dam, this mare ap~ ijwbears-to be endowed with stamina, and P#he may race to the top grade next r^eason, 1t.*.;1 Erihation was outstayed by the three i/ff'Wh.o.'beat him, but, as he had top '•i.'weightihe was by no means disgraced. 1 handled for a mile and a fcivhalf, he improved fast near the five Usrlurlongs, in with the three leaders at the half-mile, but his weight had hjm doing" his" best before the last fence. After falling back a little, however, he came again; and just failed to cut down Aurora's Love. Once -again the Steeples winner was unable to complete the big double at the meeting, so the feat still remains to be ac-

complished. •-^'Southern Blood, who ran patchily, was Agoing again in good style right .-^atthe death, and he was a close fifth, finishing better than Aurora's Love and rj^Eritiation. Generally his jumping seemed good, though he could not hold ■-—>aoii. to :his position at critical stages. '-■~x -The rest were well beaten. Middle, ci'^Chaste, and ■ Donegal completed the course at intervals. Middle lost any chance he had by his jumping. Chaste was required to tackle both hurdling events oh Saturday, a most unusual ■~ order.

""-Charade was going a much-improved race till she started to bungle fences. She made a bad jump in front of the ,-v, stands, when alongside the leader; and %% still worse jump near the seven fur- £ Jongs Saw her dropping right out of "'the contest.as a possibility. In the .end slie was pulled up without comlf ipleting the course. Spender was the ■-° only horse to come to grief, falling at the third fence and interfering with Chaste. It was tooearly to judge how he might have fared.