HISTORY OF A STEEPLECHASER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 14 March 1914, Page 11

HISTORY OF A STEEPLECHASER.

Here is a, story about Hautere, the ■truth of which I can vouch for (says Bedivere"). He was bred by Mr George Curne, and sold in Jackson's .yards at Wan^anui for £12 10s to Mr <Jurne's manager, who thought he would do him for a buggy horse. Hau>tere, who was then three years old, was handed over to a horse-breaker, out he had no inclination for a lowly job between a pair of shafts, and emphasised this by kicking everything to smithereens. Thereupon he was Gent back to Koatanui. The'late J. B. Williamson then purchased him for £30, and on Mr Williamson's death the gelding became the property of his present owner-trainer, J. Williamson. Very little was thought of him, and lie was offered to Mr A. G. Dingle, of 1 the Waikato, for £21 to square &| grazing account. Mr Dingle w*ould not j take him at this figure, so he was brought back to Ellerslie, and placed under offer to an acquaintance of Williamson's for £25. This for a week. His intending purchaser took him home, put him in a box, and before retiring for the night took him some feed in a sieve. Then things happened. Hautere let fly. The sieve flew through the doorway first, and its owner followed. Likewise Hautere. J. Williamson was astonished to find the gelding back ~in one of his paddocks in the morning. He was not so astonished, however, to meet an irate person a little later on, who -asked- him what lie meant by sending him such a dangerous brute for trial. Anyway the deal was off, and the one thing to do was to put the despised gelding into work. This was done, and when A. J. McFlinn had taught him to. jump, he was offered to Sir Robert Lockheart for £45. Sir Robert would not take him, so Williamson was forced to keep him going, and within nine months be won stakes to the value of £1300. Such is the luck of racing. Included in Hau> tere's victories is the 1912 Wanganui Steeplechase.