RACING

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10616, 15 June 1920, Page 8

RACING

FIXTURES. June IS and 19—Napier Park R.C. Win- I tur. Juno 23, 24, and 26—Hawke's Bay J.C. j and Hawke's Bay Hunt Winter. MOTES AMD COMMENTS (By "Carbine.") The Napier Park winter meeting is to be held on Friday iwd bnturauy. Notability and Walton have been handed to J. McCraqken, of Hasting*, to prepare for engagements ahead. Good riders must bo as scarce in England as in New Zealand if the following from an English- paper is correct: — "Ehrly as the season is wo have seen some lamentable displays of jockeyship. A'he observations of at least two prominent trainers whom we have come in contact with were a bit 'lurid,' to say the • least of 'it. The standard of horsemanship was never lower than it is now." This year the ©reat Northern Steeplechase was rnn in Sarin 2S?ec. The record is Master .Lupin's "rain 63 l-ssec, established a year ago.

George Clarke, formerly a prominent 'light-weight in New Zealand, who has not been riding for some time, was in the saddle again at EUerslie, where he rode several of the Alison teams. It is jaid that his license was granted at a special meeting on the first day of the Auckland fixture.

The president of one of \the New Zealand clubs remarked recently:— "In my address last year, I referred to the highly unsatisfactory state of the riding, 6ml very grave doubts in the mind of ihe public regarding the conduct of many jockeys. I regret to say that this season has shown no improvement, _ and chere appears very little chance ins matters under present conditions. Without questioning "whether the observation is justified, one cannot help thinking that the speaker wojild have strengthened his position by saying a word on owners.

J. Lane, an English jockey, who was riding in Germany before the war, lecently returned to the latter country under engagement to Baron Bischoff. In mentioning this a London paper, says Lane was at Hoppegarten on Sunday, April 11th, when five 1 races were run m the morning, and eight in the afternoon. From this it will bo gathered that German racegoers would not find the length of a programme at a Sydney unregistered meeting at all wearisome. The introduction of the starting Rate on racecourses is referred to as follows in the London "Morning Post":—"lt Tas with tho Tathwell Stakes at Lincoln just 20 years ago that the starting gate was compulsorily introduced on English courses. Few connected with' the turf would care now to revert to the* old flag system of s'arting. The gate, which had been an institution on Australian courses for come years before its adoption in this country in 1903, would seem to have bad its origin among the Arabs. In Hordes of the Sahara, General Daumas gives <the account of a race as described to him by the famous Emir Abd-el Kadir: 'Tho horses are'grouped together by tens, tut before allowing them to start, and to prevent false starts, the following precaution is taken: A rope, is stretched across touching the animals chests, the two ends of which are hold by two men."

The first mention of a cross-country race in Ireland -was in 1752, and took place in County Cork. The course *>as from the steeple of the church at Buttevant to the steeple of the church at Doneraile, a distance of four miles or more; hence the origin of the word •'steeplechase." The "Horning Post" says the town of Doneraile mves his title to the head of the St. Leger family, and it was four years after the historic contest alluded "to above that Colonel St. Leger, a scion of the house of Doneraile, founded the classic racing event which bears hi 3 name. The paper quoted added that the foundation of organised steeple, chasing- in England was laid in 1830, when some officers of the Ist Life Guards asked the well-known trainer, "Tommy" Coleman, of St. Albans, to arrange the matter. The toourse chosen wns from Harlington Church to the Obelisk in Wrest Park, near Silsoe. The St. Albans onlv lasted until IH3B, the farmers over whose land the sport took place rebelling at the unmanageable crowds and the destruction they caused. The next year Liverpool was the venue, and the Grand National began in earnest.