CHRISTCHURCH STEEPLECHASE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5354, 25 May 1878, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH STEEPLECHASE.

(mb tress agency.) Christchurch, Friday. At the Grand National Steeplechase meeting to-day the weather was dull and cold. The attendance was good. The events and results were as follows : . MAIDEN PLATE Ot 160 sovs. Weight for age. Distance, two miles. Mr. KeitU.a Stockman (Shennan) ..' .. .. 1 Mr. Nelson's Sir Tatton (O'Brien) 2 Mr. Fisher's Mickey Free (Hankins)... .. .. 3 Turk and Cannon-ball also ran. Betting : 6 to i agst; Sir Tatton, 3 to 1 agst the others. Sir Tatton took the lead over the first fence. Cannon-ball, Stockman, and Mickey Free being close astern, but Turk refusing, was out of the race. Sir Tatton increased his lead, and opposite the stand Cannon-ball fell, Lunn sustaining a fracture of his collarbone. At the jump on entering the straight Sir Tatton hung a little, enabling the others to close up. Sir Tatton led over the last fence, but feli. O’Brien (his rider) was not much hurt, and quickly remounted. In the meantime Stockman and Mipkej Free, went to the front, and Stockman won easily. Sir Tatton raced Mickey Free for the second place, and beat by a length. Time, 6min. 27sed. HUNT CLUB CUP Of 150 B ivs. Weight for age. Distance, about 3 miles. Mr. Neilson’s Te Whetu (O'Brien) -.. .. .1 Mr. Doleman's Shark (Sheenan) ~ .. .. 2 Mr. Marker’s Mousetrap (McCoy) 3 Mr. Fraser's Shillelagh (Stevenson) ~ .. ~ 0 Betting : Even on Mousetrap, 6 to 1 agst Te Whetu, ito 1 agst the others. Mousetrap and Shark cut out the running, Shillellagh third, Te Whetu fourth. All the horses jumped well throughout. Mousetrap and Shark kept well together till entering : the third mile, when Mousetrap went to the front, Te Whetu closing up at , the bottom of the course. Te Whetu and Shark overhauled Mousetrap, and a fine race took place up the straight, which resulted in Te Whetu winning by half a-length from Shark, who beat Mousetrap by several lengths. Shillelagh was a good fourth, and The Don was beaten off. GRAND NATIONAL HANDICAP Of 209 sovs. Distance about four miies. Markup, list 41b (McCoy) .. .. .. .. 1 Mr. Wilson’s Moose, lost 121 b (Mathews) .. . 2 Mr. Seabright’s Zetland, lOst 31b (Lyford) .. .. 3 Eversley, Te Whetu, Shark, Fakir, Lunatic, and Don also ran. Shillelagh and Agent were scratched. Moose made the running, Mousetrap being second, Eversley third, and Fakir fourth. Mousetrap took the lead at the second fence. All cleared the stonewall in capital style, Eversley astonishing everyone by the steady way he took his jumps. At the fourth fence he .secured the second place, Mousetrap maintaining a good lead till commencing the third mile, when Eversley closed up, Moose and Fakir. alternately running third, and the others tailing off. After passing the stand the second time Te Whetu, being fourth, began to go up, but fell at the fence next to the stonewall, and was out of the race. Mousetrap and Eversley raced along the back of the course at a tremendous pace. When opposite the "stand Eversley showed in front,- but at the double Mousetrap resumed the lead. Moose and Fakir cannoned here, both coming down, but were soon at work again. Mousetrap subsequently increased the lead, and entered the straight ten lengths in front of Eversley. . The latter baulked at,'the. last jump, and persistently refused to go over, giving Moose and Fakir time to come up. Mousetrap won as he liked. Moose beat Zetland by a head for second place. Time, 10 mio. 18J sec.