THE TURF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19551, 6 August 1925, Page 5

THE TURF.

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TOE GRAND NATIONAL MEETING. A time-honoured and great sporting attraction in the shape of the Grand National meeting will commence on Tuesday of next week, and be continued on the following Thursday arid Saturday. This deservedly popular fixture has always held a magnetic attraction to sportsmen, who in consequence gather at Riocarton, and come from every point of the compass. _ The Canterbury Jockey Club again is in the fortunate position of being able to put out a very attractive card, and fields promise to be good right through the piece. There is still a payment to be made for the principal events, and an acceptance is due for the minor events on the first day’s card. It is, however, unlikely that any serious shrinkage will take place in any of the fields engaged on the opening day. When scanning the weights for the Grand National Steeples Passin’ Through was selected as likely to be the popular pick amongst the top weights. He and Eerie had a good battle in the Homeby Steeples on Saturday, and the extra mile and a-half may prove in favour of the gelding, although the Nassau mare is stoutly enough bred to stay any journey. Charlatan ran a really. good race at Timaru, where Tigerland had no show wtih him at the finish. Tigerland was, however, greatly improved by his race, as there was nothing between at Riocarton on Saturday. This quartet, with Fireblight, Sir Rosebery, and old First line, to say nothing of others in the field, should furnish a most interesting race. Sir Rosebery gave a disappointing display when schooled at Riccarton last year, but he has over a week to improve his fencing. Still Passin’ Through reads as likely to bo the popular pick, and next to him Eerie, Charlatan, and Tigerland may bo the order of selection. There may be reason to fine down that opinion during the next few days. Some of the candidates for honours in the Grand National Hurdles will have an opportunity to race in the Trial Hurdles. If Santiago ran to last form, he would hold a great chance of winning this year; but nothing appeared capable of getting near To Kawa on Saturday last. Possibly some of those behind Te Kawa were not quite tuned up for business, and there will be over an extra mile to cover in the Grand National Hurdles. The Open Hurdles, run last week, would suit a speedy horse, but Te Kawa has already given an indication of being able to stay by filling third place in the Century Hurdles. Many Colours, who fallowed To Kawa home, has been a quiet tip for the Grand National Hurdles. Frisco Mail, En Route, and Captain Sarto will all have plenty of support, but on paper Santiago reads as well as anything in the race. The Jumpers’ Flat may supply a good line to the race, as it did when General Advance scored two years ago. The Winter Cup presents a problem, and it is regarded as a very open race. At the present time it looks as if Sunny Loch may be a strong order, as he is coming back to form, Sartist, Killochra, and Irish may be selected as others with a good chance. Birkenella, Kaikahu, Uncle Bob, Bonomel, and Last Dart may be found starting as popular selections in the minor events on the first card. “THE SOFTER SEX.” Opinions frequently expressed may by mere reiteration become accepted as facts, but if subjected to analysis would be repudiated absolutely because they were lacking in basic value. It has been going the rounds that mares cannot win the Grand National Steeplechase, and the inference is that the sex are physically unfit to win over a fairly severe steeplechase course. That is tantamount to saying that a good mare is not as good as a good horse. We all know, however, that if there is a Gloaming there is also a Desert Gold, Cariita, Cruciform, Gladsome, War step La Carabine, or Wakeful, and if comparatively few of the softer sex have earned distinction over country it seems simply because mares are generally being sent to the stud by the time it takes to develop the average gelding into a seasoned steeplechaser. The opinion that very few mares win the Grand Steeplechase, and carrying the suggestion that mares do not make lugb-class steeplechasers, is apt to be very misleading. It may bo said by way of refutation of that idea that if mares can win the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase they can win over any country in the world. Steeplecliasing is, comparatively speaking, not such a groat test of physical fitness and stamina as being subjected *,o training and racing in a Melbourne Cup or New Zealand Cup. Steeplechasers “ box on ” for years in such races as the Liverpool Grand National Steeples, V.R.C. Grand National Steeples, and New Zealand Grand National Steeples. The principal reason why that is so stands due to the fact that a flat racer cannot hold a show in a high-class flat race over two miles unless he can nowadays gallop the journey in about 4.25 to 4.27. The same_ journey over easy country seldom occupies less than four minutes. In other words, the flat racer is travelling two furlongs faster per two miles than the steeplechaser, and as speed is the greatest tost of endurance and soundness that can be found it stands to reason that the former is the greatest and most trying test of the two tasks to which racehorses are subjected. Emblem and Emblematic won the Liverpool Stakes in two consecutive years, and, later. Empress, Zoedone, and Shannon Lass also won, showing that mares can be top-class ’chasers. Ruby was one of the best crosscountry performers of her time. She was only a pony, but won the V.R.C. Grand --National' Steeples with 12.7. Other mares have won over the same country, but it is the Riccarton Grand National course which chiefly occupies consideration at the present time. It may be said as a positive fact that very few mares have won the New Zealand Grand National Steeples simply , because very few of them have started in the race, and hence the contention that they do not win is really based on the same idea that black sheep eat less grass than white wool producers. Since 1890 about a dozen of the big cross-country races at Riocarton were decided without any of the “softer sex” being included in the field. Many of those that did start were only moderates, and none of them, except Nadador, earned any distinction as performers between the flags. In about half the number of races decided since 1890 the field only included one mare, and it is obvious that they would have required to be extraordinarily good performers to have won what might be termed a fair percentage of races during the period mentioned. One mare, in Dromedary, met with remarkably bad luck, as she had the race won after landing over the last fence when she bumped into and was brought down by a policeman who went out on the course to chase a boy off the scene. It might be said that stallions are not likely goods for a Grand National Steeplechase, because they have so seldom won in the past. One would not. however, hare to cudgel his brains to find how many stallions rank as winners of the Grand National Steeplechase since Ahua won in 1892, because it is doubtful if a stallion has ever started m the race since then; and that, of course, is the real reason why so few of them win over country at Riccarton. The same thing applies to the Grand National Hurdles. Stallions—Social Pest (1898) and Kulnine (1892)—are amongst the winners, and in all probability Woolloomooloo is the only stallion that has been started in the race since the first-named horse’s year. A totally different aspect of the question arises in connection with racing in Franco, where geldings are the exception rather than the rule, and so it is in England, where quite a large number of stallions have won the Liverpool Steeples. It may be said that a false impression exists as to the value of mares as steeplechasers, and whilst everyone is entitled to hold and expound their ideas on the point the above is a brief analysis of the facts of the position presented for consideration when the subject may again come under notice. The Seremond gelding Serene is the wiseacres’ tip for the Winter v^up. Sporting Girl is being raced under lease with the option of puichase at £SO R. O’Donnell is temporarily transferring his team from Trentham to Wanganui. The Gore Racing Club will hold its annual meeting of members on August 19. Great Hope and the Australian-bred pacer will reach Christchurch this week. The Otago Hunt Club’s programme carries lOOOsovs and a cup valued ut 25sovs on the prize list. Two Australian trotters in Rock Bum and Roisterer recently joined 11. Henderson’s stable in Auckland. Sun Up’s win at Riccarton will bring him into favour for engagements at the Grand National meeting. The Solferino gelding Count Cavour tops the list of winners for the past season with £5755 to his credit. Horses bred south of the Waitaki River won five out of the first seven Winter Cups figuring in the Turf Register. There is a race for trotters and pacers on the Otago Hunt programme, for which nominations are due on August 7. Nominations for the New Zealand Cup are due on August 21. The meeting is for November 7,9, 11, and 14.