FAMOUS HORSES OF NEW ZEALAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19206, 21 October 1930, Page 7

FAMOUS HORSES OF NEW ZEALAND.

“CALIFORNIA WAS THE GAMEST I EVER SAW.” (By “ONE WHO KNOWS.”) The passing of Gloaming’s winning total does not discount the wonderful performances of The Welkin gelding, though I doubt whether he is the best horse that New Zealand has produced. Much of the credit for Gloaming’s success is due to Mr R. Mason, who restricted him to weight-for-age events; many of Gloaming’s victories were only exercise gallops. It is reasonable to assume that he would never have won so many races had he been started in handicap events carrying his full burden of weight. Poundage may have found Gloaming; wanting, as it has done many galloping machines. Personally, I do not think the gelding could have equalled the handicap performances of Advance, Elysian and many others, and he would be a wonder horse to outshine the performances of Sasanof. Sasanof started off by winning the Melbourne Cup, in which he defeated the champion Wakeful. Sasanof followed this success up with victories in most of the principal races in New Zealand, including the New Zealand Cup. All Red was another champion handicap horse under big weights. He won many important events, including two Auckland Cups. The Black Champion.

Then we had the black champion, Bobrikoff, one of the most remarkable horses ever seen in Australia and New Zealand. He could not raise a gallop until half the journey had been covered, an dalways tailed lengths behind his field, but he used to unwind a phenomenal burst of speed half a mile from home, and this he sustained to defeat real good horses pointlessly. California was another who moved like a cart-horse for most of the journey, but if Gloaming had him on his girths up the straight, methinks Gloaming would have been second. California was the gamest horse I have ever seen on a racecourse. In all his victories he received a thorough thrashing all the way up the straight, but he was never known to flinch. Many of the older sportsmen will remember that gallant little mare Bee. She was only a pony, but she won numerous big handicaps under heavy imposts, including the Dunedin Cup, when she was carrying top weight, nine stone. Much To Be Proud Of. New Zealand can well be proud of many high-class horses produced, such as Achilles, Counterfeit, Countersign, Arrowsrnith, Antagonist, and many others too numerous to mention, though I must not forget Danube and Golden Lily. I would not be surprised to hear Dick Mason say that'Machine Gun was the greatest sprinter he ever handled. He was certainly the most consistent and the greatest weight carrier. Machine Gun did five furlongs in lmin lsec at Riccarton with eleven stone on his back. He was first and. Daylight was second. ITe was about seventeen hands high, in fact the tallest horse I have ever seen. MachineGun finished his racing career in New South Wales. Bought by a New Zealand syndicate, he migrated to Sydney, where he won one or more races. Skilful Jockeys. New Zealand produced more skilful jockeys twenty years ago than it does to-dav. In my opinion, Charlie Jenkins ranks as the best rider ever seen in this country. He was a wonderful judge of a race and unequalled in riding a finish. Charlie could give his mount the whip and the spurs without swaying an inch in the saddle. o<.frequently he never interfered with the stride of his horse.

Hector Gray comes next in my estimation. He is a finished horseman, but not the equal of C.J. I place the late Jack M’Combe as the next best. He won many a race where any other man would have failed, and he was the gamest rider I have ever seen in any part of the world. Another New - us, and, of course, everybody will want to be on Nightmare punter. No horse ev

cessful in the Cup with nine stone on its back, and I do not tniiiK march can do it (although he is a favourite horse of mine). I backed him to win the New Zealand Derby two years ago, when most sportsmen thought him only a commoner, but I will not lose any of it back on him in the Cup. No. The Riccarton course is not in favour of a horse burdened .with nine stone (or over) in a two-mile race. It is dead flat galloping all the way, and I will be the most surprised person on the course should Nightmarch win.