GISBORNE CHAMPION

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10392, 9 May 1927, Page 4 (Supplement)

GISBORNE CHAMPION

FROM STATION HACK TO NATIONAL WINNER. FAUGH-A-BALiLaGH’S METEORIC CAREER. Racing has always been a sport keenly followed in Poverty Bay, Out, ! back in the early 80’s. local enthusi- ' asts, without lecognising its rneiit, had a horse among them and one used merely as a station hack which finally turned out to win the N.Z. Grand National Steeplechase at Christchurch in 1887. This was a. horse called Faugh-a-Ballagh. Mr. Robert Price, of. Mangapapa, who resided at Patutahi in the early days, has strong recollections of this fine horse, for it was his favorite riding hack for several years. j EARLY STATION WORK. Speaking recently of Faugh-a-liai-lagh, Mr. Price said that, while it was in his possession, he used it continually for all classes of station work and for long distance trips. Afi tor some time spent in Poverty Bay, j Mr. Price went to Napier, riding ! Faugh-a-Ballagh all the way. From 1 Napier he made another long trip to , Cambridge, the National winner cari rying him as usual. Arriving at Cambridge, he was tempted by offers to buy, particularly from a ..Mrs. Puckland, who then lived at Cambridge but later came to Gisborne. Mr. Price i said ho would part with the horse for j £7O, but Mrs. Buckland would offer | only £4O, so no business was trams-- ' ! acted and Mr. Price rede Fan 'ii-a----j Ballagh back from Cambridge to Xa- ! pier again, i i competing at sports j MEETINGS, Returning to Gisborne, lie entorea hiss horse in various events at sports meetings here, usually with success. Later it competed with fuither distinction at sports meetings in Hawke’s Bay. By this time, -t was quite evident that Faugh-a-Bailagh was a horse of exceptional ability ana it attracted the attention of a Mr. Dennett, a Hastings trainer. PROPER TRAINING STARTS. Tills gentleman purchased Faugh-a-Ballagh and put it into proper limning. After a time it .scorc-d a win at a Hastings race meeting and later a double win at Wellington, by winch its connections won large sums. Then followed the Grand National meeting of 1887 at Christchurch when Feimh a-Ballagh soared his crowning stitet s. Bv this time lie had passed into foe hands of Mr. R. Rutherford. WON IX RECORD TIME. In his big success. the horse carried the heavy impost of list Idas and wen in the record time of 9mi a 7soc. It should be remembered that, up to this time and ur.tT 1891, the event was decided over a four-mile course instead of the present three and a-half. Faugh-a-Ballagh's time was never beaten in the event ever the longer distance. DIES AT AGE OF 28. When it had finished its racing career, the horse mas used in the hunting- field for five years and was finally pensioned off at the age of 2i. Seven years later, at the mature age Of. 2S,' Faugli-ti-Ba.ilaMi passed away after a widely-varleu ~ ranging from the rough work of a station hack to thundering past the post as the winner of the N.Z. Grand National. HORSE WAS WELL-NAMED. “She wins well-namecl,” remarked Mr. Price, “for faugh-a-ballagh in me tongue of Erin means ‘Clear tne roach’ ’■ ARTIFICIAL WATER. JUMPS BECOME REAL. Mr. Georg© Price, brother of Mr. Robert Price, also lias some interesting racing reminiscences. He was one of the prime movers in initiating the first race-meeting at Kaikoura (Otahe, Hawke’s Bay) about fifty years ago. On the day before ths initial meeting, working bees were busy preparing the course for the morrow. The water-jumps were the greatest difficulty, as there war. no water adjacent

to the course. However, trenches ware dug out alongside toe jur ays a«a water was laboriously brought from a considerable distance away to fdl those up. During the night a heavy rain-storm blew over and it teemed. The ©nrc'ully-filfed ditches overflowed and on the day of the meeting the course was practically flooded! Naturally, as Mr. Price naively remarked, “all those who had slogged hard the previous dav were quite annoyed:”

At this meeting, a horse belonging to Mr. Thomas Price won the pr.neipal event, the steep’eohpse. W.irrnngate wac this equine speedster’s name.

“All our family were very keen on racing,” concluded Mr. Price, “and no race meeting in New Zealand s early da vs was comnVte unless 1 there was a Uric? at it.”