First Quinnat Of Season

Lake County Mail, Issue 43, 31 March 1948, Page 5

First Quinnat Of Season

Dearlh cf First Class Jumpers Remedy Lies in Owners’ Own Hands The Dunedin Jockey Clnh is to he congratulated on its decision to increase the stakes for its Winter meeting, especially in regard to the increase for the Otago Steeplechase, the stake for which is to he not' less than floOO. During the past few years there has been a dearth of good jumpers in New Zealand and the cross-country races during the last four or five years have lacked both strength ami-quality. This lack cannot altogether he attributed to small stakes, hut to the fact that owners and trainers as a rule keep their horses running on the flat until they are about eight or nine years old or even older and then expect to turn them into jumpers when their racing days are nearly over. This is a calamitous state of affairs and the sooner owners and trainers realise that the younger a horse is when it is put to the jumping game the better it is likely to he if it has any

The first quinnat of the season was mu gift on March 21, when Bryan Umbers landed a 171b one in perfect condition. A few days later . Shepherd landed another one the same size. Whitebait are running well now, and a catch of 11 pounds was the reward of a party of whitebaiters last Friday.

aptitude for this branch of the sport — then the cross-country horse should come into his own again. Wingatui affords spectators a clear and unobstructed view <;f the whole steeplechase course and what better sight is there than to witness a field of nine or 'ten quality ’chasers measuring strides over the brush fences, post and rails, sod walls and water jumps? When a horse lags superfluous on the turf as a flat racer there is only one place for it and that is most assuredly not as a jumper. Some of the champions of the past, Astral Flame, Anglo-French and Master Meruit, to name but three notable jumpers, all had hardly any performances of note on the flat and were put to jumping early in their careers with successful results. It is to he hoped that in the future trainers will try to induce owners of horses whose chances of making a name for themselves on the flat seem very remote to put them over the jumps instead of wasting their substance in trying to catch the shadow.