BRIGADIER BILL

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 965, 7 May 1930, Page 12

BRIGADIER BILL

SUCCESSES AT HAWERA IN THE PAST WILL HE BE READY? Three years ago Brigadier Bill, then an accomplished jumper over the battens. won the Tangohoe Hurdles at Haw era. Twelve months later the Brigadier went one better and captured the Egmont Steeplechase. Last May Brigadier Bill took on the Egmont Steeplechase again, but on this occasion he struck a tartar in Roman Abbey, who beat him rather easily. The latter a few weeks later filled" the role of runner-up in both the Great Northern Hurdles and Great Xorthern Steeplechase, which made the form of the Rangitikei jumper pretty good. It was after Brigadier Bill won the Egmont Steeplechase, and. a week later, the Wanganui Steeplechase, that it was decided to take on the Great Xorthern Steeplechase. How he failed so signally will be well remembered by Ellerslie racegoers. The fact of the matter was that the Brigadier simply disliked the hill here and would not, or could not, give of his best over the Ellerslie country. And that is why the name of the All Red gelding is missing from next month’s Great Northerns. Another Instance It is a peculiarity of some horses that they have a decided fancy for some courses and a marked aversion to others. Dick was a case in point. He would always baulk at Cutts’s fence on the Grand Xational course at Riccarton, but he was quite at home at Ellerslie. Omahu ran several fine races at Ellerslie over the hill, although very unlucky on several occasions, and yet he was not partial to the Riccarton course. lake Brigadier Bill. Omahu carried the well-known green jacket and gold cap of the popular Rangitikei sportsman, Mr. James Bull, who of recent years scored so many successes through the agency of those two good horses, Xgata and Master Lupin, two names that come readily to mind.

Third Attempt Tomorrow Brigadier Bill will be

making his third attempt to win the Egmont Steeplechase, and trainer J. T. Morris never sends any of his charges to the post unless they are properly conditioned to stand a severe test. The field in tomorrow’s contest is not an overstrong' one, but racing condition will favour Airtight and Aurora Borealis more than any of the others.

Brigadier Bill (who was named, after a well-known Rangitikei fighting man of the Great War, Brigadier-General

“Bill” Meldrum) has a first and a second to his credit in the Egmont Steeplechase, and it may be that he will again be in the picture in tomorrow’s contest, or in the shorter crosscountry event on the second day, Saturday.