'CHASERS ARE MISSING

NZ Truth, Issue 1228, 13 June 1929, Page 13

'CHASERS ARE MISSING

Will Be A Poor Look-out by The Time The Grand National Arrives TALK OF MELBOURNE TRIPS In past years so consistently has been raised the cry about a shortage of steeplechasers that to reiterate on the present occasion ■ would appear like, love's labor ..lost.'-'-

T IKE the boy, and his cry of wolf, JL which the yokels failed to heed one ■ day, after, being , trapped so often, so it'may be with the shout about the paucity of cross-country horses. . But it has actually arrived this time, and nothing short of a miracle will save the winter— the tail end , of it at least. Ellerslie was a good meeting m many i ways, but the steeplechasers seen out did not work one into ecstasies of delight. . The Great Northern Steeplechase was won and run, but for the most part of the way there was absolute silence. • Even when the race was over there was • that absence of enthusiasm which Ellei'slie alone can exhibit. For what reason? The public could 1 see two or three good horses, not ready, ' and m one case no rig-lit m theJfield, and the remainder a lot of scrubbers. 1 Under the circumstances; it iwas ridiculous; to look for thrills and sensations and of either there was none. [' And as a natural sentience there yras' ho milling crowd when the race had been completed; ■ : . How different from last year, and the 1 year before, when Sam. Henderson came down the hill— as no • rider can come down the hill — -and went on to soore successive victories. ■ From what could be gathered it is

the intention of a couple of northerr owners to take on the trip to Melbourhe, the £ 5000 ' Steeplechase a1 Flemington next month being the lure Glendowie and Roman Abbey are two engaged m the V.R.C. Grand National that we can ill afford to spare these days. "Wellington is the next big steeplechase meeting and having the greai advantage of geographical position it is quite possible a good-sized field will gc to the post. • Numbers, however, do not count f oi everything and six good horses are better to watch than sixty poor ones. Riccarton m August will feel the pinch pretty severely this year. It is the end of the season and it is a thousand pities that the Grand National, with . its so many romantic associations of the past, should be left to bear the brunt. For bear the brunt it will. A mai-k---ed absence of real horses to start the Winter; coupled with the ; Inevitable accidents can only thin , flown New Zealand's cross-country blue riband to puny dimensions. ■ '■ • ■ One' shudders to imagine what would be the position Were the various hunt clubs to go out of operation. Automatically steeplechasing would go with them.