CHESTER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 113, 29 May 1937, Page 15

CHESTER

To the keen racing man it is pleasant sqmetimee to let ope ig mpipor^ divell on some noteworthy races, or fine racqps qf the pas;t. UaqaUy mqjnqry lingers most qver some qf thqse fine perf pr^nerg can t?nl^ be ^ubbe'd e^ampions," and it is certpmiy plpasant |q recaU tiiesq, and tp *try f or ppr' ot^u satis.|actiop' to cpmparq wiem with 'thp cfiampio'ns of the prespnt. qfi* It happpns sQmptw% ' tfha^ sqmp 'ppr|ormer, very far xemqypd from champiop plass, has certain chai;actpristics whiph canse bim to be firmiy fixed in qne's memory. 0,ne of the.se n^oqeratp but useful pprforraers that I remember very clearly wps an Ql$ stption hpch. caHed Ghester, who lp.ter blossoqied out into a useful hurd|qr apd stiU more useful steeplechaser. Chester ivas a' stfongly-built, light-coloured chestnnt/hpt'showing much quality, but giving eyidehce of hal'dmpss and with a very sound set of legs. Chqster first shvsr "the light, I fancy, op Oringi gjtation, near 'D.annevirke, and was used a? a stock horse by Mr. A. IJuntley, on that station. A compactj haydy-sized gelding, Chester spon lparnt' all the trie|»' Qf a gpq'a stock hqrse in turntng cattle. It was fopnd that ne, had a bit' o| pace, sb in the disfricf' rape meetings, ' whijch' were a feature of racing ifi those days," fie was' generally to be found cohjpetirxg in races "for station " haclisj anfi h« won so many of these thht he soon camc tp be looked upoh as a champion in tfiis class. fle wps prqbably nine or ten years old when he passed, for a time, into the hands of Mr. Eobett (Etltie) Snnth, at that time managing' either Mhngntoro pr "Ojingi ^t^tions, I tfidnk, nnfi for him he alsp won iseve^al 'stfttiqn rnces, ^nving shown n penchant for jnmping he ' waa' latpr tfied in hapk hprd|e f^ces ydth a cert^in amonhf pf success. In thig clnss of eyent ne showefi himself a game anfi consistent hunter, withoht, hot^ever, any. pretensxons to beihg a really good one, bnt *hp dis.pl&y®d 'n ' fare ' xntplM1 gqnce as well. Always a Trier, Chester Whs aiwqys a, trier, £s far as phester wqs. cohcerned, that is, and ho always wanted to >yin," aoxl w&s nof .t^erse to trying a few pf his ol4-time stcc£-&iving triehs in orfier fo heijp him to. win." I r.pmemher; .on pnp pcca si'on at Napier. Pafk, Cheste.r was a cqmpefcitpr in a hack hnrdle raee in which was a hig hay getding named Oeiamer, by. Opawa, which wa^ owned, traihfd nnd ridden by A^f. $hngltfp.* Jjefanier was a ipngTStrifiing geidi'hg with a gOQd PfM5®; ahd Was qnite tlfe fpp-nptphor fn his' class ih flawke,'s. Bpy at that time. ianppd oyar the last" hurdle in the stra'ght, Chostey, pn thp rnilg was ieading fainer by about a lengih. Defamer socn drew aiongsifie bnt no sQo.ner had he, gpt np tp. Chester 's gifth than Chester gaye him a bnmp with his hindquarte.rs , as he might have dpne to a hyllock which he wanted to turn. Thie threw Defamer out pf his stri.de., and as Chester was still boring out it was somo dastance b.efore he' drey loyel again. When h\. did the same fching. happened again and he wag knoeked bafk a bit and i'orced furthei towards the raiis in front of the giandstand. Howeyer, hp made a lpst fine' effort and gof his head* ip front of the posf just pa Chester was making his third attempt tp. bntt him with h-s hindquarters. ■ When Chester came up second to salute the. judge, he seemed tp realise that he had been beaten, and was quite phagrined at his pquine iiuesse having been upsuccessfnl. Later Chester was put over big fences. He won a Hack and Huntera' Steeplechase ■ at Wellington, and was then taken to Auckland for the Auckland winter meeting. Here he won the Grqen Lane Steeplechase of twQ and a-half mdles on the first day of the meeting and on hia first race on the Ellerslie course. In this event the tace is qnee round the steeplechase eourse and once round the jouv.se proper. Staited In Great Northern. On the second day Pf the moeting L'hester staried* in the Great Nprthern bteepleeliase of three apd "a-half niiles. which 'J'ncfuded twp rounds pf " the deviation "on to * thq steef>Iechasp opurse.Chester ibst his rio'er " alinost' af "the first jump, jnt ecmtinued" oh wat'h the' other starters, jumping e'very fence, taldng in the twp lbunds of "the steeple-" chase course, ' thien two fences fvom home on the last round he went tp "the front, and finisiiing with a good spiint passed ihe post ti\c lcngths In front of the winner of the race. Thpn he trotted baek to the judge 's hox for the customary salntc. pnti e-i into the piid dock tc \veign"ia. "'ihis was, I' f^iicV. tfie last race meeiing at which Chester competed, but as t^e waa then somewhefe ab'ont sixteen years old 1 fliink he, had borne his yepTS well, For gameness, consistency and raceborae iuteliigence, I have seen very ±'e\v like galiant " old Chester.