Hawke's Bay Cup

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 91, 4 May 1937, Page 10

Hawke's Bay Cup

'The Barb.")

GOLDEN JUBILEE Some Historical Notes of Interest THE FIRST CUP RACE

(By 4

Widespread interest throughout the Hawke's Bay district is being talien in the fiftieth Hawke's Bay Cup, which will be run for next Saturday on the Hastings racecourse at the autumn meeting of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Cfluh. To mark the occasion Mr and Mrs •T. H. Lowry and 3\fr J. S. McLeod have donated a fifty-guinea gold cup to accompamy the stake, and the wmning of this valuable trophy Bhould stimulate interest not only among owners but also among the whole body of Hawke's Bay sportsmen. The prineipal handicap event in Hawke's Bay was first known as fche Napier' Handicap and" c'ontihued so until 1888 when the then committee decided to change the designation to the Hawke's Bay Cup. It was dn 1875 that Mr R. Maney'won with Marquis, 9.8 (Kelly), and then came the double win of Maori Weed, raced in the ownei ship ' iirst of Mr Tangatake and then oi Mr Waters. On the first occasion tfcis winner was ridden by W. Edwards, afterwards private tfainer to Sir W. R. Russell, and on the second by R. ("Bob") Gooseman. It was in' 1878 that Mr Owen McGee came down from Auckland with Luna who, ridden by his brother, J". McGee, won the first Napier Handicap run on the Hastings Tacecourse. Thus the prineipal handicap event of tho distiic/t will have its Diamond Jubilee as far as Hastings is Concerned coincidentally . with the Hawke's, Bay Cup's Golden Jubilee. Then followed wins by Mr R. Vallance's Pinfire (Nolan), trained by the late R. J. Mason, A. Keith's Soukar (T. Taylor), R. Yallance's Randwick (Ruddings), Alan McLean's Louie (Brown), P.-Martin's Misehief (Wattie), E. Cutt's Sou'Wester (Brown), P. Martin 's Pearl (A. Woods), P. Martin's Pearl (Clifford), and then, on the last occasion the event was known as the Napier Handicap, Mr W. Bobbett's Lady Norah (Kidd). Mr Bobbett was a well-known Thames master butcher, while the jockey, son of an Auckland teacher of the classical languages, was later a well-known commercial traveller. This bring3 us to the first Hawke's Bay Cup, which was won by Mr G. H. (later Sir George) Clifford's Cruchfield. Changes in Distance. From 1875 to 1887 the Napier Handicap was lf maje, and the Hawke's Bay Cup was run over the \same distanee until 1896, when it was reduced to 1J mile. lYom 1903, when Mr Patterson's Ringman was successful, till 1908 it was further reduced to 1£ mile, but from 1909 (Tangimoana 's year) until 1930 '(High Court's year) 1J mile was reverted to. The following year, just after the earthquake, when the H.B.J.C. raced at Trentham, the distance was 11 furlongs. • Since then dt has beon 1J mile. A Sensational Victory. The inost sensational Hawke's Bay Cup was that of 1882, won by Mr Allen McLean's Louie, who on one machine paid k divided of something like £300 and had a wager of £100 to a cigar laid against her. She had earlier in the day easily won a 12-furlong maiden plate, but dt was thought too much to aek.her to come out a couple of races later and win over 1| mile in ,the best of handicap company. Many fair weighte have been carried to victory in this race, but Rap'nn easily holds the record with 10.7. The Survivors. How many who saw the first race for the Hawke's Bay Cup will be on the Hastings racecourse next Saturday to

see the 50th? The H.B.J.C. have been endeavouring to get into touch with all the surviving sportsmen who were prasent that year and already many invitatdons to eueh have been issued. Going through the records, however, there is but one ownei«who raced then and will be in attendance this weekend. That is Mr A. J. ("Alf") Ellingham, of Hastings, who at the '88 Cup meeting owned, trained and xode Chemist, one of . the greatest jumpers that has ever graced a New Zealand racecourse. Mr .Robert Gooseman, now retired from active servdce, is perhaps ijie only other' trainer now alive who weighed out a candidate that da^. Trainers and Owners. The first Hawke's Bay Cup saw practically all New Zealand 's muin racing centres represented, there being korses from Auckland and from as far south as Dunedin. There were not, however, then as many horses as now trained on the local track, as is indijated by the following extract from tho training-fee book of that year: — F. Martin, Silence, Soudan, The Arrow, Tamahine; Geo. Ellis ' (afterwards a Mayor of Hastings), Lady Florin; E. D. Tanner, Meta, Dauphine; C. Nairn, Sandpiper; "W. Proffit, Pouawa and a black fillyj Stoek and Conroy, Salisbury, Ki.tty Totara and a bay gelding by Gladiator — -Abbess; G. P. Donnelly, Pearl, Awhaoke, Kotuku, Awaroa; Jas. Munn, Eivulet, Waterfall, Bonny Blink, Partner, Waitiri; R. Gooseman, Kingrose; Geo. Hunter, Whisper, Musket — Fairy colt, Anteros — Yatterina filly; E. M. Broughton, Musket — Atalanta filly; W. Y, Dennett (also later Hastings Mayor), The Laird, Marlin — Toi gelding, Clyde, Crossbow, Warama, Musket — Hannah filly and Sylph; W. S. Tatham, Urania, Psyeho and a bay gelding; H. O. Cauiton, Expelled; D. Macnamara, Pretender; D. Pilmer, a bay gelding; Captain W. R. Russell, Falconet, Puketapu; S. Wright, Crummy (the district 's record dircidend payer), Reihana, Titikei; E." iGilpin, Shufile the Brogue. Officials and Members. Not one of the following gentiemen. who held offiee then can be numbered among the living to-day: — President, Capt. W. R.- Russell; treasurer, A. C. Lang; etewards, J. H. Coleman, W. Shrimpton, Alah McLean, G. P. Donnelly, W. Douglas, E. Conroy, Thos. Bishop (father of the present clerk of the scales), Geo, Hunter and R. D. D. McLean; handicapper, J.- O. Evett; clerk of course, Jas. Lopdell; clerk of sCales, E. Conroy; clerk of totalisator, G, T, Cross; starter, Jas. Lyon; timekeeper, C. Whittington; secretary, F. D. Luckie. Out of a then total of 141 members the following few are still with us: — Messrs John Chambers, N. Kettle, E. D. Tanner, W. Kinross White and H. G. Warren. The Fields. ' The handicapper 's list of 32 entrants for the first Hawke's Bay Cup included horses that have helped to make Hawke's Bay's turf history. It read as follows: — Nelson 10.6, Lochiel " 9.6, Maxim 9.0, Gipsy King 8.9, Tetford 8.8, Silence 8.5, Pearl 8.5, Sextant 8.3, Beresford 8.2, Lady Norah 8.2, Strenuous 8.0, Tongariro 7.7, Rivulet 7.5, Salisbury 7.4, Warama 7.2, Forerunner 7.1, Lady Florin 7.0, Cruchfield 7.0, St. Clair 7.0, .Lorraine 6.13, General, Thornton 6.12, Whisper G.ll, St. Ives 6.10, Hiko 6.9, Mokoia 6.7, Balista 6.7, Orator 6.7, Falconet 6.6, Audacity 6.5, Dauphine 6.4, Meta 6.0 and Her Ladyship 6.0, The Result. Ae xeported at the time the result was as follows: — HAWKE'S BAY CUP. Of £500; ,lf mile. G. H.' Clifford's Cruchfield, b.g., 3yrs., by Cadogan — Puriki, 7.0 (A. McMorran) 1 G. G. Stead's Sextant, br.h., 5yrs., by Robinson Crusoe — Sunshine, 8.2 . (Huxtable) 2 Stock and Conroy 's Salisbury, br.g., 4yrs., by Foul Play — Aconite, 7.4 (F. Stowe) 3 G. P. Donnelly 's Pearl, 8.5 (Wood) 0 Jas. Munn's Rivulet, 7.5 (Vaile) .. 0 Hon. Geo. McLean's St, Clair, 7.0 (Buddicombe) 0 Capt. W. R. Russell 's Falconet, 6.6 (Myers) 0 Of the chief sprint event the result was as follows: — EAIDWAY STAKES Of £125; 6 furlongs." G. H, Clifford's Golden Crest, ch.f., 3yrs., by Apremont-— Aurifera, 8.12 (A. McMorran) 1 J. P. Beleher's Tongariro, 8.6 (Belcher) 2 Stock and Conroy 'e Miss Dargon, 8.5 (A Woods) 3 Also ran: Oinderella (Hope), Whisper (W. Clifford), Hiko (S. Lindsay), Audacity (Moore) and Kupe (Myers).