NEW ZEALAND INVASION

Evening Star, Issue 18394, 1 October 1923, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND INVASION

HORSES IN AUSTRALIA.

STORIES OP THE PAST.

There was a time when New Zealand horses were frequent visitors to Melbourne lor the Cup meetings (says the sporting writer of the Melbourne ‘ Leader ). Now we seldom see them, as most of the horses that come to Australia from the dominion compete at the Spring Meeting at Kandwick, and then return home for the New Zealand Cup Meeting, which clashes with the V.R.C. Spring Meeting, as both are held during the first week in November. In the days when Mr Spencer Gollan was one of the leading New Zealand owners, he frequently sent across a team of horses to compote at Caulfield and Elemington, both in the spring and( autumn. In 1891 his team which visited Melbourne comprised Tirailleur, Sternchaser (who ran unplaced in the Victoria Derby won by Strathmore), Tiraillcrie, and the hurdler Kimberley. On Melbourne Cup day that year Kimberley won the hurdle race. The following year Mr Gollau sent over Culloden, Tirailleur, and Stcruchaser, but again luck did not favor him. In the spring Culloden was unplaced in the Caulfield Guineas, and Tirailleur fell in the Melbourne Cup. In the following autumn Culloden, who stayed on well, finished second to Camoola in the Champion Stakes. In 1893 Now Zealand horses figured prominently both at Raudwick and Elemington. Mr Gollau was again represented. His filly Bessie M'Carthy finished second to The Dauphine in the Oaks, after winning the A.J.C. Oaks at Randwick. Sternchaser, The Possible, and i’ounamu were the other members of the team, and Pounamu, after finishing third in both the Caulfield Guineas and Victoria Derby, picked up one small race at EJemingtou. Dan O’Brien, who was associated with the Eishers and Maribyrnong stud in the sixties, was a frequent visitor to Australia after he settled in New Zealand. Ho brought Trenton across to Melbourne for the Cup in 1885, when he finished third to Sheet Anchor and Grace Darling. Three years later ho brought over Carbine for the Victoria Derby, and had the mortification of seeing him unluckily beaten by Ensign. In 1892 O’Brien travelled from New Zealand to Sydney with Loyalty, and Mr G. G. Stead also took a team of horses over that year. One of them was Stepniak, of blessed memory. Stepniak was a good horse, but ho had to plav second fiddle to Loyalty in the weignt-tor-ago races at Raudwick. Dan O’Prieu was in Melbourne again in 1908, when he won the Caulfield Gup with* Maranui, but he was then a resident of Sydney, where he died a few years ago. Mr G. G. Stead was by fax the most successful of the New Zealanders who raced in Australia. Ill's associations will; racing in Australia dates bark a long time. He had Lc Loup in training here with Air Dakin, and backed him to win the Melbourne Cup of 1879 for something between £70,000 and £BO,OOO. Ho bet heavily in those days. Lo Loup failed but Ins stable companion Darriwell, who was also trained by Messrs Dakin, was equal to winning. In 1885 Mr \V. Robinson sent across several horses for the Melbourne Cup Meeting, among them being Liverpool, Thunderbolt, and Winchester. Thunderbolt did not return to New Zealand. He was sold to Mr William Blackler, of Adelaide, who installed him at the Eulhain Park Stud, where he became a pronounced stud .success. Mr Stead was here again in 1889 with Lochiel, who, after finishing second to Sedition in the Newmarket Handicap, Carbine being tho other place-getter, went on and won the Australian Cup a few days later, Mr Stead was still a heavy bettor at that time, but shortly afterwards he ceased to bet, and became a staunch advocate of tho totalisator. At one time Mr Stead owned the hairy-legged Mata, who came across to Melbourne for the Cup Meeting in 1880. lie failed in the Melbourne Cup, and won the V.R.C. Handicap on the final day of tho meeting, and tho reversal of form brought about his disqualification. In the autumn Mate, was taken across to Adelaide for the Birthday Cup, At tho time relations between tho S.A.J.C. and the .Adelaide Racing Club were very strained. The S.A.J.C. adopted tho V.R.C. di.sf|iialification of Mata, but the A.R.C. did not, allowing .Mata to start in the Birthday Cup, which he won. Mr Stead, however, was not concerned with Mata at that time, as lie sold him before he left New Zealand.

Many years ago the late Tom Payton was asked which was t!lo hardest race Abercorn ever had, and, after reflection, Payton declared: 11 'lho lace where he heat Maxim as a two-ycnr-old.” Maxim was one of the many great horses Mr Stead owned, and he brought the g*rat son of Musket to Australia. Once when Mr Stead was asked which was the best horse ho ever owned, ho replied that he could not decide between Maxim and Multiform. Judged on their homo trials there was nothing between them. Probably tho strongest team of New Zealand horses ever seen in Australia was that which visited Randwick in tho spring of 1905. On Met ■ropolitau Day New Zea-land-bred horses won every race on tho programme, but tho steeplechase winner was owned in this State. Mr Stead had a wonderful team over that year, as it included Noctuiform, Sun God, Iso It, and Nightfall. Sun God was the pacemaker in the Derby for Noctuiform, and they finished first and second, Noctuiform winning i r smashing style. Maniapoto won the Metropolitan (hat year, after failing in tho Epsom Handicap, and Machine Gun was another New Zealand winner at the meeting. Solution was a New Zealand winner of tho Metropolitan, and hardly a year has passed since without New Zealand horses winning some of tho host races. Cruciform will always be remembered at Randwick because of her great race with Wakeful in the Spring Stakes, and for her great effort to overtake Ibex in the Craven Plato, which lie won by the narrowest of margins. She was another of the many good horses Mr Stead brought to Austral a. Gladsome is another groat mare to come from tho dominion, Mr J, B, Iteid sending her across to race in Svdney. She was then purchased by Mr S. Green, who did wonderfully well with her.

In 1916 Kow Zealand horses had a- groat, innings in Australia. Kilboy won the A.J.C. Derby, and .Sasanof canto on to Melbourne and won the Melbourne Cup. The following year Biplane carno from New Zealand and won both the A.d.C. and Victoria Derby,s, as well as other woight-for-ago races. Gloaming won the A.J.C. Derby the following year, butj Mason did not como to Melbourne with ! him. Gloaming r, will probably never be : scon again in Ins native .State, As far as numbers are concernod, i\e\y Zealand has never been so formidably represented as she will l>o this spring at Randwick. Already over a score of horses from tiro dominion are in Sydney, and, with the exception of Winning- Jilt, they include the best-known performers from i New Zealand, as Gloaming (since, returned ' home), Rapine, and The Hawk are among, thorn. Gloaming is an old friend, and if j ho should happen to catch Bcauford (since | gone amiss) below his best it is more I ban ; likely ho will win the best of the weight-' for-ftgo races and eclipse the stake win- 1 nings of Eu-rythmic, The Hawk has proved himself a very brilliant horse up to a mile (lie beat Bcauford this month), but Winning Hit beat him in both the New Zealand Dcrbys. He, however, turned the tables over a mile in the Islington Plate. Rapine, won the Trentham Gold Cup as well as the New Zealand St. i Leger, and he is a fine stayer who will shine in long races (Rapine beat 'David this month). Lascelles and Ballymena are two Derby candidates who have been impressing Sydney -track men, so' that it is not likely that Australian horses will have matters all their own way in the A.J.C. , Derby. Lascelles has boon sold by Mr Greenwood to Mr J. J. Leahy, the owner j of Speciality, so, if lie should win the Derby, the stake will be retained in Sydney ; but Now Zealand will have the credit'of breedinp- the winner. Muribaupo is a member of P. 1). Jones's team, and that his homes are in form was demonstrated by Hires of them winning at the recent Rosehill meeting. It is safe to

sav that a largo portion of the A.J.O. itok-0 money next month will find iis way to Now Zealand. The high stakes have been .a groat temptation to Now Zealand owners to bring their horses to Ans- 1 tralia for the A..LC. meeting. They can' r.K'o at Randwiek, nod in time for their own enp meetings. The tremendously heavy taxation of racing in New Zealand is another factor in inducing New, Zealand horses to travel to Australia, as racing is modi cheaper in this part of the world, despite the fact that stakes, are bigger. Tho New Zoabndeis are cor-j dially welcomed at Randwiek, and it is generally regie tied that wo do not see more of them at Caulfirid and Flernmgton.