How Beau Cavalier Cracked Them Up

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 371, 4 June 1928, Page 10

How Beau Cavalier Cracked Them Up

After lie won the Great Northern Hurdles on Saturday one enthusiast declared that Beau Cavalier was the greatest jumper he had ever seen, and he had not missed a meeting at Ellerslie for many years. And a good number of sportsmen will support him in this contention. It was really an extraordinary race, that Great Northern Hurdles last Saturday, for it was a strung out field almost from the start. Perhaps the writer can explain why it was so. It took a good horse like Glendowie, ridden out, 3.58 to run the two miles of the Hunt Club Hurdles, while Beau Cavalier, with another half-mile to go, cut out the first two miles of the big race in five and three-fifths quicker time. Is it any wonder that his opponents cracked up. There, in a nutshell, lies the secret of Beau Cavalier’s success. That he could set such a rare pace and maintain it to the finish shows what a brilliant horse he is. Mister Gamp Unlucky The comparatively inexperienced Mister Gamp put up a good performance, but from first to last it was his jumping. that cost him the race, and half a mile from home he had a chance of beating Beau Cavalier. At no less than five out of the ten hurdles did he make an error, and it was indeed remarkable to see the clever manner in which he recovered in landing, and without losing much ground. One can easily become enthusiastic over Beau Cavalier’s brilliant jumping. He took them all in his stride, standing well off and clearing them in dashing style, without rising too high. Any other horse going with him and endeavouring to emulate him would have paid the penalty. At one stage Mister Gamp took on the Beau, but retired before the next fence hove in sight. McDonald’s Feeler With a little over a mile to go Mister Gamp ran up to the leader and went with him for over a couple of furlongs. No doubt his rider wanted to see if he was going on with it. He must have been well satisfied, for he let the representative get away from him. Beau Cavalier had the race in his keeping -when Mister Gamp, looking cheeky again, fell at the penultimate fence. Over the last hurdle Beau Cavalier made his only mistake, from which he quickly recovered. It was not unexpected, for the pace was so hot that the pacemaker had every right to feel tired. Nevertheless he finished very well, and then the crowd gave horse and rider a well-deserved ovation, and thoroughly earned it was. That success will be the cause of Beau Cavalier carrying a lot of money again in to-day’s big race. Will Win Shortly Alan McDonald began to get uneasy —not for the first time—when Mia Bella ranged alongside of him half a mile from home, and then he set out after Beau Cavalier. The result of this good burst, in which he was beginning to reduce the four lengths’ margin, proved fatal to Mister Gamp’s chances, for he failed to clear the hurdle near the three furlongs. He should win a good race before very long if he suffers no ill-effects from his mishap and a hard race. He was racing genuinely on Saturday.

Mia Bella was at good odds, and as it is stated that she was fancied by

Uio stable they would set a an , c-he was handy over the last 1 wi » to sianc up to the pace shows’tx 5 ’ is back to her best. it _ lllit she grace to be beaten bv Bean V* 13 digbowling along in a fairlv hLv UlEi tion, ample evidence of huTT? P°stfor the big Steeplechase o-da;^ Anally hnished third, and did H * well Twelve months "w-o b , rpaJl >' fourth in this race, and this ti Was went one better. Last year a*® he second in the Great Northern 4 * as chase; will he still go ow dWtlfday? Should he do so ' to ' little occasion for a surprise Vlli be It was not expected that x»L , would be very much in the rii» Cnn or he was hardly ready for tiring race. r su ch a Beaten by the Wei Bht 8 ht tor u good favourite the Wedding March was distinedv w S of pointing. He was a dl * lpthe fast pace, and when tS *' *»’ for home he was the best part furlong behind the leader w° ( a horses have won with 11 X ,„ ot m *®y it would appear that Wedding it? I s no , champion, he failed few horses would have rm n, ?*** succeed. managed t 0 There was keen interest in the ner in which Aberfeldy would r™' but he only went a fur] one, fare fell at the first hurdle, his rider’» h " pearing to have the horse , ..V at V.! e , flrst take-off. Pmbabf.y j* wouid have cracked up early fo V r 5® IS a free goer and might h»v« . . fered through endeavouring to £ Beau Cavalier. s ,0 hea <* Heavy Casualty List HaJf the field fell, and the .k, . (•) of the backers of at of them have to be extended Beau. "Vexatious blundered -it thp ond hurdle and. stumbling on Imparted with Mcßrearty Ai fence Pouri was nearly 'nu®S among the fallen, but he rS l brilliantly, and afterwards ran a ,?J! race until tne fence five furlongs fSm home, when he fell. lrom Karamu was soundly beaten heinr* he came down six furlongs from tht finish, and the other casualty M .te* G “ p '. ha ? already been described The best horse won, no one will d e „v that. Beau Cavalier now ha, t!! chance of following in Sir Roseberrv! footsteps. The latter won the firL Northern Steeplechase and the follow tng year won the double. What the Watch showed There was no denying the fast pace set by the winner, for the time for the two and a-half miles was orlv * second below Bon Reve’s record of 4.51 ten years ago, and five seconds faster than Wedding March took twelve months back. _ °, n Saturday Beau Ca valier rar. the first half-mile (over two hurdles) in 57 1-5, the first mile (five hurdles) in 1.55, mile and a-quarter (six hurdles) in 2.25 (it took the handicap horses 2.13 to run the Cornwall), mile and ahalf in 2.54 1-5; two miles (eight hurdles) in 3.52 2-5, and the last halfmile (two hurdles) in 59 3-5. From which it will be gathered that there was some merit in Beau Cavalier’s per formance, despite the fact that he had only a cou P le of pounds above the minimum. It will be a long time before we see another like it.