AUSTRALIA'S CRACK HURDLER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 40

AUSTRALIA'S CRACK HURDLER.

This is the Lcchiel gelding Argyle, who won at Can" field with 12.12 up. '"Umpire" says : W. Keko elected not to be represented by Welfare, and lan Argyle. ivilh the big weight, iiutca'l, a course which might be accounted for possibly owing to the fact that the Lochiel gelding bad been sold before the race for 300 guinea 3 . Argyle's performance is a remarkably good one, but his record os a hurdle racer is exhaordinaiy. Getting possession of a consistent winner like Argyle is one of tho^e windfalls that come the way of owners now and then. Kelso, jun., has been very successful in bis' training of hurdle-race horses, and has won a good many racca since he took up training on tiie retirement o: his father, without counting the succ3--=c:> vi Argyle. When the bay \va.s in J. Burton's stable his reputation was that of a speedy fquib, and as hk breeding on the dam's side was not traceable, and there was every probability of it dLiim,*? at short range into ihe half-bred cla^s, "Burton had no fancy for keeping him. He was accordingly sold, and ELelao picked him up at 17 guineas, with tho idea of making a hurdle racer of him, which he has done to some purpose. Strangely enough, the public always fancied Argyle, because he had the remitntion of beinc a natural iurnner.

and very short prices were available whenever he started. So pronounced was this feature that I hear Kelso always refused to take the prices himself, and was satisfied with winning the stakes. In his only six starts over hurdles Argyls has won each time, his crowning performance being when he carried 12.12, and settled with the Caulfield field very easily. His last previous performance was winning at Rosehill with 12.8, and now he is at the top of the tree among Australian hurdle racers, and entitled to such complimentary imposts as the best horses known in the records have been called upon to carry.