NATIONAL PRELUDE

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 27, 31 July 1936, Page 13

NATIONAL PRELUDE

HUNT CLUB RACES

VALUE OF THE FORM

As the final prelude to the Grand National, the Christchurch'Hunt Club's Annual Meeting at Riccarton tomorrow will attract a great deal of interest all over the Dominion. Six Grand National Steeplechase candidates will be seen in action over the country, and sevcii Grand National Hurdles candidates figure in the hurdling event. these horses, whose showings will be the. main centre o£ attention, there are ten Winter Cup aspirants numbered among the field lor tho Brabazon Handicap. Along with tho Poverty . Bay Hunt. Meeting, this fixture will have the honour of opening the new season's racing in the Dominion. • The Christchurch Hunt Meeting will be the fourth since it was reinstated aCtcr a lapse of two years in 1931 and 1932, and it affords a better prelude to the Grand National Meeting than during'the last three years, when two trotting events were included in the programme.- The trotting items have been deleted this year, and the Homeby Steeplechase (for tho National aspirants) and the Maiden Stakes take their place. CROSS-COUNTRY EVENTS. At first glance the acceptances for the three cross-country events might appear somewhat disappointing, but when the record of past years is inspected it is found that the minor steeplechases particularly have never drawn more than three or four ■■runners. Last year there were only three starters in the1 Hunt Cup Steeples and four in the Lawford Steeples, and the previous year there were only two runners in the first-mentioned event and four in the second. Three years ago the only race over country was the Lawford Steeples, in which the starters numbered four. The largest field the Lawford Steeples has ever drawn was seven, back in 1926, and the usual field has been only three or four. There have been many remarkable races for these minor steeplechases at the Hunt Meeting. 'When Seaboy won the Lawford. Steeples in 1929 there were oniy three starters and one did not get round. The next year all five runners fell, four at the second-last fence, and Seaboy,.who had been well tailed .off, was first remounted, to win for the second successive year. ■In 1934 there were four starters and ■Broadfield was the only one to complete without error, though Nine of Spades was remounted for second stake. Last year again two out of the four runners fell, Witui when holding an invincible lead at the last fence, and then there was further excitement when Dan Russell was caught napping and Parasang swept up from an apparently hopeless position to boat him. For tomorrow's Lawford Steeples Battleground, who has a quietly confident Wellington following for the Grand National, looks to be the1 likely winner. His two opponents, 'Nocturnus and Bandy Boa, have been in minor places this winter, but in company inferior to that in which Battleground has earned his minor placings. The three acceptors for the gentlemen riders' event, the Christchurch Hunt Cup Steeples,,haVjC'each been successful recently in hunters' events. WELCOME REAPPEARANCE. The Homeby Steeplechase makes its, reappearance on the-programme after haying-been missing since 1930. No Homeby winner, since the race was first run back in 1923, has gone on to win the Grand National. Erie, the 1925 winner, was third in the Grand National following, and this has been the best effort yet of a Homeby victor ?in the big event. The five horses in tomorrow's race ar^ all Grand National candidates, but some well-fancied National horses are :not .in the, field, ..including Diamond and Billy Boy. Particular interest will "centre in the performances of Punchestown and Thunna, who will be having their first race this wmtei. The Longbeach Hurdles will see seven Grand National Hurdles candidates in action, and the eighth acceptor, . Santoft, will be bracketed with Salt Spray if both stait. The Longbeach, called tho Open Hurdles up till 1926, has twice been won by horses who have, gone on to score in the Grand National—Lochson in 1924 and' Jolly Beggai last year Three years ago Punchestown, the Longbeach winner, was second in the Grand National to Hounslow, who' had been unplacedin the earlier race. The only other Hunt Club winner to be placed in the Grand National was Lancer, who finished thud in the big lace m 1930. Mahgani failed after whining the Longbeach Hurd es in 1930. The previous year, when he won the National, he did not start in'the Brabazon. Cheer Up, Te Kawa,: Listening Post, Peneus, and Arcade are other Hunt Club winners to have finished out of the money in the Grand National. The record of the Brabazon Handicap shows that,the only winner who has gone on to a Winter Cup victory was Toxeuma in 1930. In 1922, 1923, and 1924, Bdadicea, -Broadwood, and Sun Up respectively subsequently finished second iin the. Winter Cup after winning the Brabazon, and so did Polydora three years ago. In 1926 Le Choucas won the Winter Cup after being beaten by Centrepiece in the Brabazon/and the next year Solferite. improved from third in the Brabazon to score in the Cup. Brabazon winners who have been unplaced in the Winter Cup include Centrepiece, Magnii Charta (favourite), Royal Saxon, Ventrac, and Wino. Prickles, the 1930 winner, did not run in the Winter Cup. Bisox, Historic, Mount Boa, and Epris, other Winter Cup winners, did not race at the Hunt Meeting, but two years ago Princess Doreen failed in the Brabazon and then scored a sensational win in the more important race. In tomorrow's lield it looks like, one of the Winter Cup candidates succeeding, unless Greek" Gold or. Hororata should upset the issue. :...' ■..'.'. The three other events tomorrow have attracted' good fields in which betting should be well distributed; The form in the minor events last year did not give a very satisfactory guide for the Grand National. Meeting, but one of the winners, Glenavon, was unlucky in his "first race at the bigger fixture, and the other, McHeath, was in the minor money during National week. The Maiden Stakes did not figure on last year's'card, but in prej vious years it Was usually one of the Hunt Club items, and two years ago Top Rank went on from success in that event to. win the Cashmere Plate on the first day of the Grand National Meeting, a feat that Leader also performed in 1929.