Wonderful Jumping By Beau Cavalier

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 122, 13 August 1927, Page 6

Wonderful Jumping By Beau Cavalier

Grand National Steeplechase Contest

AN interesting commentary on the wonderful jumping exhibition given by Beau Cavalier in the Grand National Steeplechase, in addition to a review of that stirring contest, is to hand from our Wellington correspondent

(Special to THE SUN .) WELLINGTON. Friday. There is little doubt that Beau Cavalier is one of the best horses that has ever won over the Riccarton country. Comparison of horses of different periods is a difficult and unsatisfactory thing, and perhaps it will be best just to leave it at that —that he is one of the best who have won the Grand National Steeplechase, the hardest steeplechase in New Zealand. He is a good-looking horse and his appearance of quality is not deceiving; he is a quality horse. By the Soult horse, Chesterfield, from a Finland mare, he has breeding to recommend him and he lives up to his breeding. To say he is a dashing jumper is mild; he is as bold as Ned Kelly and as fearless. Some of his tremendous leaps made the people gasp, and no wonder. THE TAKE-OFF He was taking off immense distances from his obstacles and clearing them like a bird, when the public could be forgiven for expecting him to land in the middle of the fences. Some of these huge leaps were made in front of the stands, and the cry that went up clearly indicated how he had struck the popular imagination. His dash and gameness made him the idol of the crowd, and he came back to the enclosure after his victory to the accompaniment of a scene of great enthusiasm. VIM AND DASH It is history now that Beau Cavalier won that steeplechase from end to end, but it is an act that will bear repeating. He strode to the ffont with big, easy strides at the release of the field, and took the first fence in advance of anything else. After that no horse headed him, though Charlatan was close to him for some portion of the last round and looked as If he would make a very interesting race of it for a while. However, the pace told and Charlatan had had enough some distance from home. Opinions differ as to whether Beau Cavalier made some serious mistakes on the journey, but it is quite safe to say that he did not make any mistake that was at all likely to bring him down. NEARLY RAN OFF? It is said, however, that he nearly ran off at one stage. All things considered, his was a .wonderful exhibition of jumping, and few better have ever been witnessed. Many present on Tuesday would be prepared to say they have never seen anything so good. The big Auckland gelding’s'speed on the flat also was too much for his opponents, and, gathering steam rapidly after landing over every jump, he set the rest of the field a most unpleasant task to try to keep within close touch of him, leave alone overtake him. NEVER HEADED Nothing ever looked like heading him, not even Charlatan, when he was running close up to the leader in the final round. It is a remarkable fact that Beau Cavalier has won the three big New Zealand steeplechases this year all in the same way; he has gone to the front at the beginning and remained there till the end. Not on any occasion has he had anything to make the pace for him. He finished with a lot of dash on Tuesday, and had he been pressed he might have gone faster. However, he did not loaf on the way, as may be gathered from the fact that the time for the race, 7min lsec, has been beaten on only one occasion in the history of the event, and that was oy Peter Maxwell, last year’s winner and this year’s runner-up, who ran the three and a-half miles in the record time of 6min 55 3-ssec. Peter Maxwell carried only 9st lib on that occasion, whereas on Tuesday Beau Cavalier had list 71b on his back. MOST REMARKABLE Of course, the most remarkable thing of all is that in winning the Grand National Steeples this week, Beau Cavalier performed the hat trick of having won in the same year the Great Northern Steeplechase, the Wellington Steeplechase, and the Grand National Steeplechase. Only one other horse has ever done that, and that horse is Coalition, a good one in his time, but not as good a one as Beau Cavalier, perhaps, though it is in Coalition’s favour that he won the race twice, and each time carried a bigger weight than that under which Beau Cavalier won. However, why worry about resurrecting the great horses of the past. Here’s to the new champion! LAST YEAR’S WINNER BEATEN It was more than interesting to see Peter Maxwell finish in second place this year because of his victory twelve months ago. On the occasion on which he led the Grand National field home he had only lib above the minimum to carry, and this time he carried a stone more. It can safely be said that lie ran quite as good a race this time as he did last time, but that he met a better horse than any that was in the field a year ago. A. E. Ellis rode Peter Maxwell a good race, and saved a lot of ground on him at the corners, but, though a few called his name as he gained on Beau Cavalier at the last fence, there were very few who really had visions of his beating the favourite home from that point. As a matter of fact he had no chance and actually he had only about a-half length to spare from Charlatan when he crossed the line. Probably he could have made that margin a little greater, but his rider was content to am second without knocking him about. Peter Maxwell jumped well throughout, and is just a little bit better than a good many fairly sound judges considered. THE WHOLE FIELD One point about the field was that it was a rather small one. There were only nine competitors coloured on the card, and one of these, Sa.nforte, did not go to the post. However, of the eight who started, six looked to have chances, and that is a very fair proportion. Whether it is argued that the field was weak or that it was strong, it must be admitted .hat

it contained pretty well the best of the steeplechasers in commission this season. Several promising - steeplechasers, such as Scamp and Cartoon, who might do well in later years, were unable to take part, and Crown Coin had to be destroyed on the eve of the meeting; but those who had done well in the big events in the North Island steeplechases which precede the Grand National were present to take their places. FIELD OF WINNERS In fact, most of the competitors were winners and some of them had won big races over the country this

winter. Beau Cavalier had both 'he Great Northern Steeplechase and the Wellington Steeplechase to his credit, Maunga had won the Wanganui Steeplechase, Tuki had led the fields home in the June steeplechase at Ellerslie and in the July Steeplechase at Trentham; Peter Maxwell had won the Grandstand Steeplechase at Wanganui; Charlatan had scored at the South Canterbury Hunt meeting; Ivawini had run second to Beau Cavalier in the Wellington Steeplechase; a.nd Zircon had won a steeplechase at Ellerslie and had run second to Tuki in . the July Steeplechase at the Wellington meeting. So, all things considered, it was a well-performed and well-tried field. TUKI FAILS BADLY The great disappointment of the field was Tuki, who of those who completed the course finished last. Always si )w to get going, he semed slower than usual on this occasion, and passing the stand the last time he was a long way in the rear. Still his friends had hopes that his staying ability would see him through, but, instead, he got further to the rear, and finished not only last but a surprising and very bad last. He jumped more slowly than lie usually does, and seemed to lose ground at a lot of his fences. For one who won a Grand National two years ago and ran a great race in the Wellington Steeplechase, as well as winning at Ellerslie and Trentham, he

was a sad disappointment, and it is difficult to understand the poverty of the showing he made. HAD MAUNGA A CHANCE? Maunga was going a great race at the time he came to grief at. the stand double. He was last in the very early stages of the race, but going along the back the first time his rider sprinted him up to within reasonable distance of the leaders, and coming up the straight the second time he was lying second and evidently his rider was keeping Beau Cavalier in view and was determined not to allow the free-going Aucklander to get too far away if he could help it. Maunga took the first fence of the double all right, though he seemed just a little doubtful about it; but he did not measure the second fence at all well, and hiting it hard he had no hope of recovery and his chance was gone. There will be many and differing views as to how Maunga would have fared with Beau Cavalier had he stood up. He was going fairly well at the time and it is certain he would have run a great race, but nearly as certain that Beau Cavalier would have beaten him. Of course, staying is Maunga’s forte, and that would have been all in his favour over the round that was just being entered upon when the mishap occurred. CHARALATAN COMING ON One of the most pleasing features of the race was the good showing of Charlatan. The connections of the Winkie gelding have had a lot of ups and downs with him, and they have stuck to him like Britons. It now seems as if they will yet win a big steeplechase with him—perhaps a Grand National. He was not as well seasoned as some of his opponents when he was asked to win the big race on Tuesday, and his condition did not see . him through to the end, but up to half a mile or so from home he was almost alongside Beau Cavalier, and there seemed to be every reason to expect him to at least finish second and even to win if anything happened to the favourite. However, when Henderson called on Beau Cavalier he went right away from Charlatan and it was soon realised that the favourite had been having a breather during the time that Charlatan had been making the showing which looked so bold. For all that, it was a showing to be proud of considering that the horse had

not had as much racing as his opponents and had had to miss portion of tho steeplechasing season through minor injury. Charlatan, eventually, was beaten out of second place by Peter Maxwell, but here again he went under to a more seasoned performer. Charlatan should come good next reason if all goes well with him. DISTANCE BEATS ZIRCON The distance beat Zircon, but he ran a great race for nearly three miles, and might be* a good steeplechaser later on. He has not been long at this branch of the game, but has shown himself to be a proficient jumper and a speedy traveller over steeplechase country. Though he had been running oft during his schooling essays at Riccarton he did not run off in his race, but completed the course and finished fifth. Neither Vice Grand nor Kiplirg completed the course, and in any case their chances were not seriously considered. it being recognised that the company was well beyond them. Backers of Kipling had some hope that they would draw a dividend as he was coupled on the machine with Tuk-. but Vice Grand was the outsider of the field, carrying so little money that he had scarcely a tenth of the money on his chance that was invested on the favourite. Kawini was disappointing. and in view of subsequent developments lie could not have been right.