TURF ROMANCE
HUNTER'S RISE TO FAME WINS £2240 IN A YEAR VALPEEN'S GRAND NATIONAL OTHER NOTABLE VICTORIES The hunting field has produced tha winners of many important jumping races in New Zealand, but few have made such rapid progress as Yalpeen, who scored a narrow victory in the Grand National Steeplechase at Riccar* ton yesterday. He has been racing for only 18 months. During the first six months he earned only £ls, but the succeeding 12 months have yielded £2240 in prize-money. Valpeen's rise to fame is particularly notable because he is of lowly origin. The breeding of his dam is not even known, although she is believed to be a daughter of the successful jumping sire Spalpeen. Mr. G. Campbell, a young farmer at Okoroire-. bought the mare in the hope of breeding a useful hack. A few runs with the Waikato Hounds led him to believe that he had secured something more than that and he decided to train his horse seriously. Twelve months ago Valpeen opened his winning-list with successes in both the Greenmount Steeplechase and the Pakuranga Hunt Cup at Ellerslie. His next win was in a steeplechase at Paeroa in October. He did not race between the middle of November and March, but soon returned to form and on May 21 won the open steeplechase at To Rapa after being defeated by Tudor in the hack steeplechase earlier in the day. A fortnight later he won the Great Northern Steeplechase £.t Ellerslie.
Yalpeen's Grand National victory is the 10th that has been gained by Auckland horses in the last 20 contests. Xho Pakuranga Hunt Cup has supplied a notable guide. Waimai won the cup in 1915 and the Grand National in 1916; Oakleigh was third in the cup in 1919 and won the Grand National in. 1922 and 1923; Beau Cavalier won the cup ill 1926 and the Grand National ill 1927; Billy Boy was second in the cup in 1931 and won the Grand National in 1932; and now Valpeen has won both in successive years.
A partnership between G. Campbell and A. Watkins as owners of Valpeen was registered on July 2 last, the term being for five years.
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New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21879, 15 August 1934, Page 13
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366TURF ROMANCE New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21879, 15 August 1934, Page 13
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