GREAT NORTHERN STEEPLECHASE COURSE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 986, 31 May 1930, Page 12

GREAT NORTHERN STEEPLECHASE COURSE

picture of the famous Great Northern Steeplechase course at Ellerslie will convey some idea of the big task confronting the competitors in next Thursday’s big jumping contest. A description of the course, indicating the size of the various fences, is given here: Ist Fence (at seven-furlong post).— Hurdle 3ft 6in. 2nd (past six-furlong post).—Brush hurdle 3ft 10in. Then climb the hill to the 3rd (on top of hill).* —Post-and - rail fence 3ft Bin, with hedge at back, 4ft 6in. 4th (still on hill).—Post-and-rail fence, 3ft Bin, with live hedge at back 4ft 4in. All down hill for about a furlong and a-half, and then to the sth.—Stone wall, topped with turf, 3ft

Bin. Cut sharply across course proper and training tracks to the flat, to the 6th.—Sod bank, 3ft 7in, with live hedge on take-off side. 7th.—Water jump, 10ft wide, with 4ft live hedge in front. 3th.—Sod wall, 3ft Bin, with turf on top and faced with palings. Then cutting across the training tracks and c'ourse proper to the alley for the 9th.— Brush wattle fence, 3ft 10in (known as the old water-jump), and landing on course proper again, to pass just in front of the starting point at the new mile barrier. 10th.— Hurdle, same as that at: number one. , 11th.—Brush hurdle, same as number two.

! 12th (on the hill, second time). —Same ‘ as number three. 13th (on hill, second time).—Same as ' number four. 14th.—Stone wall, same as number - five. 15th.—Sod bank, same as number six. 1 Instead of going to the water 1 jump, as in the first round, run ; straight ahead to -- 16th (first of double). —Brush fence, 3ft 10in. 1 17th (second of double).—Post-and- ' rail, 3ft 7in, with hedge on take- ’ off side. • 18th.—Stone wall, same as number eight. ’ 19th.—Brush fence, same as number nine.—This completes the second circuit.

20th.—Hurdle, same as numbers one and 10. 21st.—Brush hurdle, same as numbers tv/o and 11. 22nd (on the hill, third time).—Same as numbers three and 12, 23rd (on the hill, third time). —Same as numbers four and 13. 24th.—Stone wall, same as numbers five and 14. On to course proper again, landing practically on to the course at the bottom of the straight, with nearly three furlongs to go. Thence to the last jump, the 25th.—Brush hurdle in straight, 3ft Bin, leaving a run to the winning po=t of one furlong and about 100yds. The official distance is given as about 31 miles, but probably the horses cover nearly four miles.