FLLERSLIE FORM

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 158, 6 July 1934, Page 8

FLLERSLIE FORM

GUIDE TO TRENTHAM WELLIN G TON STE EPL ECU ABE (Special to “Chronicle). AUCKLAND, July 4. It is probable that the Wellington Steeplechase will see a valuable guide exposed in the form during recent weeks in Auckland, for seven out of the nine acceptors have raced in the Jar north, at Te Rapa. Ellerslie ami Te Awamutu. The real testing ground, of course, was Ellerslie, and it is interesting to find the first, third and fourth horses of the Great Northern Steeplechase again in opposition. It was Hauwai, Callamart’s stablemate, who split Valpeen and Copey in the Great Northern, and he is an absentee, his poor display on the final day of the Auckland meeting pointing to him being off the scene for some time. Hauwai was produced by trainer Knapp as the surprise of the meeting, and it was, perhaps, only the want of a race that beat him. Now this same trainer held a strong hand in the Wei lington Steeplechase with Tudor, Calla mart and Riotous, and it may be significant that Riotous is now the only one of the trio standing his ground, this young ’chaser being nicely placed. Billy Boy, now the topweight, has yet to reproduce that fine form ot two vears ago, when he was a particularly brilliant steeplechaser, winning the Winter Steeplechase at Ellerslie, the Wellington Steeplechase ami the Grand National Steeplechase in a row. a very useful hat trick. Billy Boy s showings at Ellerslie last month indicated that he was liable to improve, and with a drop in the weight to 11.■> he may be capable of a good effort once more. He raced well here without actually being dangerous. Number two on the list is Riotous, in receipt of 81b. from Billy Boy. Only a young horse, Riotous has been given an easy time of it since racing at fe Rapa two months ago, the stable rely ing on Tudor, Callamart ami Hauwai in the meantime, so that the other jumper should come up nice ami fresh for Tuesday’s big race. After winning at Ellerslie at Easter, he went on tc a«ore convincingly a< Jlawera ami Wanganui, ami then at his next appearance. at Te Rapa, it took the subsequent Great Northern winner, Valpeen, all hi time to beat him when in receipt ot 231 b. So in going under by a neck to Valpeen, Riotous indicated that he wat good and his owner was a bit unlucky in running into an improving chaser. It might have been the irony of fate that faced the Awapuni stable at the Te Kuiti meeting. In the minor steeple chase even on the second day this stable produced Tudor for the first time as ’chaser, and he mereh toyed with hifield, winning very easily from \ alpeeii Tudor was a. hot favourite, ami in tin. open steeplechase. Valpeen, pro'luc»’< again, was at very liberal odds, wherea? Riotous was a warm fi’ t fam;. It wa> a stirring finish. \a I peen b« a tin; Riotous in a hectic finish. As Riotom carried 11.7 that day it was no ineai performance on his part. All of whid •roes to indicate that Riotous holds ; royal chance in the Wellington Steeple chase. Thurina and Alembo, the. only Soul I Island horses engaged, were not seei out at .Ellerslie, so they will have t< he dismissed with the thought tha either, in form, could beat this lit hl especially Thurina, only up 81b. on hi: last Grand National weight, when hi won after giving a dashing display. Valpeen has already been referred to Sufficient to say that his Great North ern Steeplechase victory was a parti cularly smooth performance, and in be sug beaten into second place by Patu tahi in the Winter Steeplechase he wa far from disgraced. Other gom -jumpers were behind him. and at th weights it would have taken a real I; good jumper to have headed off I atu tahi that day. It was just his day on Valpeen appears very suited by th obstacles, the hill and the going at Id lerslie. Will he manage the flat Tree tham country and the stiffer fences ii the same facile and confident manno with which he breasted the Ellersli country? There is no reason why h shouldn’t. Precedent indicates that h ought to be equal to the task. Patutahi has always been r»\ ogiim. ■ as a horse of possibilities when it cam te negotiating obstacles, hurdles or big ger fences, ami therefore it was not but prising to find him leading home th Winter Steeplechase field. Uoming dow, the hill the last time he simply cleare< out from the field for a most convincing victory. Excuses were not in order fo the beaten lot, for at the weights Patu tahi was merely too good. If he coub be kept sound the ex Gisborne geldin would take high honours as a ’chasei but he ha® to be taken carefully. H is now at his top and lie is a great propec t. for next Tuesday’s contest. On the same mark with him i Simeon. He has been a consistent pei former over both hurdles and countr in the Auckland province. He was on of Ihe pacemakers for most of the tri in the Great Northern Steeplechase an it was only from the second to las fence home that he weakened to finall. finish fourth, separated respective! from the first, second and third horse by three lengths, three lengths and the two lengths, so that in getting wit hi

eight lengths of the winner his effort was good, for nothing was challenging him at the end for the barren fourth place honour. Simeon was next produced at Te Awamutu, being very sore before the race, and he ran off halfway through the contest when up with the field. The rider rather than th** horse could be held blameworthy for this, for he tried to cut the corner too fine, the fence at this spot being on ihe outside of the course proper. Simeon is a prospect at Trentham. Copey ran a great race in the Great Northern Steeplechase. When the Maders, Snow Prince and Simeon, weak suddenly at the penultimate fence Copey was left iu front, and he could not stay on from here, being beaten into third place. It was a fine showing, which he did not act up to on the second day when he finished fourth. His turn may come in the races at Trentham. Wiltshire was the winner of the Grand National Steeplechases of J 928 and 1929. That he is still on deck he has shown this season, winning at Paeroa in the spring and again at Te A wain utu last month. In each case it was his jumping ability that brought about victory. With such a safe jumper it is never safe to rule him out of any race and therefore Wiltshire will be ex--s>ected to make a showing next week. ■fe prefers Hat country such as Trent ham and Biecarton, while Ellerslie, with

its hill, is no good to him whatsoever, which his connections realise and therefore do not ask him to race over country there. That is a brief run through the Wellington Steeplechase field viewed in the light of the form disclosed at recent meetings in the north, and on that, and at the same time making due allowance for any improvement, the best of the Wellington Steeplechase field may be Billy Boy, Valpeen, .Riotous and Patutahi, who could be fancied in that order. Ju passing, it is mentioned that Auckland horses have won five out of the last seven Wellington Steeplechase contests, in addition to several placings. Therefore, might not northern horses add to their record next Tuesday, seeing that five out of the nine acceptors hail from Auckland stables?