BIG FENCES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1297, 24 July 1886, Page 3

BIG FENCES.

The SptTtsman gives the following description of the V, R C Grand Na*h nal course: - «,On the English Grand Na‘io al course there sre thirty obstacles of varying hoicht, width, »nd a ifiaesa to be jot ove’ - , while at Flemln. ton the trip is about th ee miles, and the number of 1 iepps ’ twenty. At Flemington the start for the great steeplechase event is at the mile and a half post, opposite the eastern end of the grand stand, and thecontes'ants have

i e Hoar run of over a quarter of a mile btfOEe they reach the initial obstacle, a post and rail fence 4ft high A little further on there is a double, both of post and rails, the first being the same height as the preceding one and the other an inch lower. Travelling on, and alrao«t opposite the grand stand o t the far side of the course, is a stone wall built of solid masonry, but capped with a wooden beam and rounded off This jump is 4ft 4in high, and within a short distance of it is another post and railer 4ft Safely over that the horses run down by the side of the training ground, where a fence, built of the same material as the la?t, and 4ft 3J ! n io height, as to be cleared, and a little farther on another of like build, but half an inch leas, Is met with. Clear of the o two obstacles No 8. another post and rail fence, intercepts the way, and in the succeeding round it will be the last jumped, as after crossing It the horses race into the course proper and finish up the straight. It is a!»o a four-railer, 4ft high, bow follow five obstacles which test the abilities of a horse, and he must indeed be an artist at the game to successfully surmount them ; nor must his rider be devoid of pluck and nerve to steer his mount to victory The first fence of the quintette is 4ft s>n, the second 4ft Sin, both of post and rails ; the next is the same height as the latter, but | It is boarded up ; then c >mes another stone wall, built exactly like its predecessor on the far aide of the course. I but this one is 4ft 3jin high ; and then there is the log fence, 3ft llin, to be got I over ; after which the same programme Is carried No. 8 in the first round is jumped, and then the horses 1 have to fijht it out on the flat. Formerly there was a hurdle to be negotiated about half-way up the straight, but this has been done away with for some considerable 1 time. Throughout the conteat a turf track is always tun upon, and to that fact, no doubt, is attributable the wonder- I fu ly fast time registered by our cracks, j who race over the big jumps ss if they I were mere hurdles.”