STEEPLECHASE WINNERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19962, 2 June 1928, Page 12

STEEPLECHASE WINNERS.

# THE RISKS OF RACING. MANY DISAPPOINTMENTS. TROUBLES OF THE OWNERS. SUCCESS COMES RARELY. The question of the moment is how to win the steeplechase ? Some ambitious people go further and set themselves the task of winning the "double event"— hurdles and steeplechase. We are not concerned, however, with the man whose interest centres in the betting market, but with the owners of horses, though some of thern also dream of a double victory. The owner is the man who pays the piper, so to speak, but having provided the public with the horse, does not loom very large in the racing scale in this country. Naturally, when he, or rather, his horse wins, he has his little hour and receives his share of plaudits, but it is a question whether, in the mind of the betting people, ho figures as largely as the trainer, the jockey and that mythical person, the bookmaker.

Yet there is no dearth of owners who continue to follow the game, in which luck hands out golu and ashes in the most casual manner. They keep on hoping to win a big race, and for many a major steeplechaso is even a greater lure than a big cup. The fascination of a win "over country" may trace back to the old hunting spirit, and to the days when the fortunes of bold men on foray depended to a great extent upon the staunchness, endurance and leaping ability of their steeds. Back to Our Ancestors. Those of us who take a little secret pride in the thought that some of our ancestors sometimes did a little highway robbery, of a very gentlemanly kind, of course, naturally inherit a profound respect for the sort of horses which can contest a steeplechase with honour. PerhapSj when we thrill at the sight of our chosen flying the water jump and resolutely taking the stonewall in the fourth mile, we are partly under the spell of a distant past when someone of our blood, rode hard on a desperate affair, though, of course, it may have been a romantic episode in which one of our jolly grandfathers carried off our most charming grandmother, with her highly indignant father in hot pursuit. Some influence of that kind must be working upon us, for none of us can possibly trace back to the simple shepherd lads and lassies who were merely spectators of such events. The Risk a Fascination. The element of risk in steeplechasing probably adds to its fascination and makes the prize more attractive. Certainly no owner can afford to bank upon winning. For such a race as the Great Northern a horse must have a preparation of at least six months and every time it is raced over hurdles or is schooled there is the danger of mishap, which may necessitate a long holiday. Sometimes, almost on the eve of the race, a horse that has been brought up to concert pitch may fall or strike a jump and become a casualty. So do prospects change from day to day. Although the inheritance of staying blood may indicate steeplechasing possibilities in young horses, steeplechasers are discovered rather than deliberately bred for that department of. racing. Many graduate from flat racing through hurdling. Some come from the hunting field. The winning of a great steeplechase is sometimes the culmination of a long and arduous career, and occasionally the triumph of a season. Last year s winner had a meteoric rise. Bought in a show ring ho wets hunted, snd showGd such promise that he was put into training, had a tumble or two, but ran a few good minor races, and then within three months won the three big steeplechases of New Zealand. Luck a Strong Element. Another type of horse begins on the flat, takes kindly to hurdle racing, and eventually, perhaps when quite elderly, has an Indian summer over country, where at his Own natural pace he displays a staying power which was not so apparent when he was forced to the faster pace of the hurdles. To possess the versatile horse which can capture both the hurdles and the steeplechase is the dream of every owner, and the El Gallos who can repeat the double performance live in racing history. Sometimes a horse is successful as a steeplechaser on one course only. There is the case of one little chap who performed wonderfully well at Ellerslie, where the height of the hedges favoured him. Elsewhere ho was disappointing, the reason perhaps being that there he faced hedges over which he could not see, and therefore he could not be blamed for lack of confidence. But luck remains a strong element. Owners have brought to Auckland horses which have won hard hurdle races with great, distinction, but in schooling they have come to grief, straining themselves so badly that they have had to be turned out for 12 months. Unsoundness may develop from a knock within a few days of the race, and high hopes are shattered in a day. Heavy Costs Involved. No race is won until the numbers go up, and the most uncertain "certainties" are found in steeplechases because the best horse and the surest jumper may be involved in the fall of another horse, and there have been cases where an animal with a long enough lead from everything to enable him to canter home has had his attention distracted at the last wall by a dog, and lias misjudged the obstacle and come down. These are the kind of hazards which confront the owners of steeplechasers, each of which has expended a considerable sum of money to put his horse in the race with any hope of success. Training costs £3 10s to £4 a week as a rule, and for the steeplechase a horse must be in constant training for at least six months. In addition there are farrier's charges every few weeks and incidentals of many kinds. To properly season a. horse he must be raced, and attendance at meetings during the period may cost £3O to £4O each time. Some win these minor races, but the owner must be prepared to pay his own way. Nomination, acceptance and final payment for the Great Northern Steeplechase cost £B, and the jockey's fee. for a losing ride is £5. The winner does not receive £2OOO, but £I4OO, out of which he must pay the jockey 9 per cont., or £126, an amusement tax of 5 per cent., or £7O, and a percentage of 10 per cent, to the trainer, amounting to £l4O. Thus the prize shrinks very speedily, but the many have nothing to shrink, and unless their transactions upon the totalisator provide a silver lining, to their regrets the balance-sheet is substantially adverse. One is therefore inclined to think that it is unfortunate when a steeplechasing ambition starts working in the mind of a man who is not wealthy.