Looking Back

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 181, 18 August 1937, Page 15

Looking Back

"Hermit.")

H0RSES 0F N0TE Performances Which Linger in the Memory CHEMIST, A JUMPER

(By

No old-timp Hawke's Bay racegoer will over forget one ot' the gamest horses and finest jumpcrs that over looked through a bridlo in this, or any other country — Cbemist. He was by no mcans a brilliant horse; there were lew that could ilot outpace him at the finisli of a slow-run race, but there were none that could outlast him. at the end of a loug race run at a solid pace all the way. And Chemist's owner-trainer-rider Alf. Ellingham generally «aw to it Ihat the pace was on all the way. Cheinist was by The Painter, a Vic-torian-bred son of Marquis— Art Union. iie got some iron-lcggcd horses, and ul least oue rcally good. racehorse, D\idu, three tiiues winner of the Wanganui Gup. A son of The Painter (Boulanger) Avon the Napier Cup. He had not many opportunities with reaily good mares, or I am sure ho would have got niaii.Y moro good flat-racers. However, if h wero only through tho doings of his progeny over hurdles and big fences ,10 would deaerve a place amcng the best sires of jumpers this Dominxon has had, Cheinist, after a fairly successful caroer over hurdles, proVed his worth as u stceplechaser by winning the Hawko'a Bay Steoplechase of . 1S88% with 12st. Glb. in the saddle, and running the three and a-half miles in 7mins, 37 2-5eec6., time which was not equalled until A. Ellingham 's Ruby, a daughter of Turquoiso and Tho Painter maro Denbigli, reduced it to 7mins. 33 l-5secs in 1899, which remained the time record for the race up to the dato 1903, that the distance was reduced to three miles. In the same year, 1888, Cheinist won the Napier Steepleehase, threo miles, with 11st. 61b. on his back, in Ginins. 48 2-5secs., which remained the best time for the three miles until Jack o' Lantern clocked 6mins. 40 3-5 secs. in 1903. In the following year 1889, Cheinist 's ownor achieved tho height of his ambition, and won the Grand National Steepleehase with his old favourite^ carrying the heavy burden of 12st. 7lb. ovor four miles of the gtilfest steepleehase country in New Zealand. Biddeu in all his races by his owncr, Chemist was undoubtedly the best 'chaser of his period, but he was a sluggard who required the gentle persuasion of the whip -almost from the start of a race. It needed only a gentle reminder but without it Chemist was inclined to loaf, and to forget that serious business was required of him. Perhaps it was another instance of^a Chemist. being disinclined to take medicine. Only on one occasion do I remember Chemist failing to mako n^good showing in a race. That wa'3~~at Eaikora North (now Otane) on a Ncw Year's Day. A day or two proviously Chemist had fallon in a hurdlo race at Takapau through a horse failing iu front of him, Whon ho was in the saddling paddock at Kaikora North I could soe he waa soro and a triflo nervous. The hurdles at Kaikora North. in those days took somo jumping. The top bar was a fourinch square piece of Hobarttown hardivoOd bound at the end with iron. There was no breaking it, and if it splintered, as it isometimes did, -it could infli,et a nasty gash. Chemist happened to hit tho iirst hurdlo and he did not like tho impact, and from that point jumped vory carofully. I sensed tho probabil.ities of the tuco before he went out, and cbangcd my intended investmcnt on Chemist to one on Jack Eollo'a Eclio, which won. I think it was tho only occasion on which I let Chemist go out without a small investment on him, and I happened to strike tho xight race to misa.

Otbor (steepleehase winnors b,y Tho Painter were Oeo, winner of the Napier Steepleehase .and dead-heatcr with Whalobono for tho Wellington Steoplechaso, Oddfellow, winner of tho Wanganui Steepleehase and Hawke's Bay Steepleehase, Ohua, winner of the Now Zealand i Grand National Steepleehase, hnd Denbigli, winner of the Hawke's Bay Steoplechaee, and was in turn dam of two winners of that race, viz, : Kuby, by Turquoise, which won in 1899, and Moifaa, by Natator, which won in 1901, with no lcss than 13st. in the saddle, Moifaa had previously won the Wanganui Steepleehase and Great Northern Steoplechasoi and after being sold to Mr S. H. Gollan, was takou to England, and there won tho world 'a rnost important steepleehase, the Grand National, at Liverpool, afterwards passing into the posseesion. of tho late King Edward. Another daughter of The Painter to win fame as the daughter of jumpers was Germaine, the crack haek of hor day, and dam of Gobo, winner of tho Wellington Steepleehase in 1901 and 1902, and of tho Now Zealand Grand National Steepleehase in 1901. Chemist, by The Painter, wcll deservcd to have his portrait hung on the lino in fhe equine "hall of fa'me," After the appearance of my articlo on "Agcnt," iu which I stated that lie was of uuknown breeding, Mr Henry Davis, one of Hawke's Bay's eatliest settlers and with a penchant for keeping a diary of old-time eventa wrote stating that Agent was by Oliver Cromwell. a horse that was at the service of breeders in the early days at a small fee. and was largely used for breeding good hacks and jumpers. I thank Mr Davis for his information. It is nice to have pedigree mysteries cleared up, or partly cleared up. Jf Agent were alive now ho would no doubt bc gltnl • his pulernity was known, and tllat if 0

liis m other was not of royal blood, his sive's namesalce was strong enough to upsot a royal house. At tho time of his military successes Oliver Cromwell was u national hero. Perhans it is fitftng that the euiiine Oliver Cromwell sliould have sired a thvico Grand , National hcro. - -- —