HOME MADE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 999, 16 June 1930, Page 12

HOME MADE

DOMINION JUMPER WINS A.J.C. STEEPLES CROWN AREA SCORES United P.A. — Bn Telegraph—Copyright SYDNEY, June 15. The Australian Jockey Club’s winter meeting was concluded at Randwick yesterday in fine weather. The New Zealand-bred Home Made won the Steeplechase and Crown Area the Exeter Handicap. Eden Hall ran second, but Bells of Shandon won the Nursery Handicap (according to private information received in Auckland). Results were: —r SECOND HURDLES Of £600; about 2 miles SONGIFT, 11.6, Giles 1 ROSSGOLE, 9.4, Harris 2 OSTENTATION, 9.0 Baker 3 Eight started. Won by five lengths, a length between second and third. Grace was fourth. Time, 5.38&. FLYING HANDICAP Of £500; 6 furlongs FUJISAN, 9.9, Pike 1 VERTOV, 7.3, Pratt 2 CASQUE D’OR, 8.6, Cook 3 Ten started. Won by a length and a-half, a head between second and third. Time, I.IIJ. A.J.C. STEEPLECHASE Of £2,000’; about 3 miles HOME MADE (ex-N.Z.), (A. B. Cowell), b g, aged, by Thurnham —Housewife, 10.0, Harris 1 EGO (H. S. Thompson), b g, 6yrs, by Cooltrim —Appoline, 9.0 2 PRINCE ARIM (J. Phoenix), b g, aged, by Arim —Epitnax 10.5 .... 3 Also started: Grosvenor, Tressady, Rock, Burraform, Kinross, Rearguard.

The early running was made by Kinross, with Home Made, Ego, Prince Arim, and Burraform the nearest attendants. Grosvenor came down and the jockey, Carter, was injured. Kinross fell back after going two miles. Ego led over the last jump from Home Made, but the latter lasted longest, and in a desperate finish gained a verdict by a neck, while Prince Arim, six lengths back, was third. Then followed Kinross, Rearguard and Burraform. Time, 6.25? i. Home Made, who was bred in Auckland, was raced with success in New Zealand by Mr. W. H. Gaisford. Since being sold to Mr. A. B. Cowell, of Sydney, he has proved a good winner, among j other victories being the Summer Hurdle Race at Randwick last December. WINTER STAKES Of £600; 1 mile 5 furlongs FRANCES CYLLENE, 7.11, Denham 1 EDEN HALL (ex-N.Z.I, 7.7, Pratt .. 2 INDUCEMENT, 7.12, Bartle 3 Fourten started. Won by a length, a length between second and third. Time, 2.46. EXETER HANDICAP Of £500; 1 mile CROWN AREA (ex-N.Z.), 9.12. Bartle 1 A ORANGI, 9.9, Maher 2 POITIERS, 9.2, Davidson 3 Seventeen started. Won by a head, a length between second and third. Time, 1.3-Bs. An interesting article about the A.J.C. Steeplechase appeared in a Sydney paper a lew days before Saturday’s contest, although the conclusions arrived at by the writer will not be agreed with by the majority of sportsmen. Is the A.J.C. wasting its money by giving £4,000 for jumping races. in the winter? A lot of people are beginning to think so. So far as can be seen, only one Victorian horse will be over for the A.J.C. Hurdles, and one for the steeples—a poor return for such a big outlay. When the Victorians decided to put a penalty on the winner of the A.J.C. Steeplechase if it started in the Grand National, they dealt the Randwick event a severe blow. From Melbourne to Randwick is a long way to come for one big race, so the Victorian cracks have made it pretty well unanimous to stop at home. The A.J.C. Steeplechase provides a fine spectacle,* but the question is whether it is worth £2,000 in these hard times. An equally good field would be got for a thousand—that is, judging by the entries and probable starters for this year’s event. There is one thing to be said in favour of steeplechasing—that it is a great test of staying power and common sense in our horses. The French put really first-class horses to steeplechasing and the great German authority, Baron Von Oetingen, says that steeplechasing is the greatest factor in improving the racehorse for utility purposes. His only regret is that so few steeplechase horses in Germany are stallions, as he thinks that some great ‘cavalry and infantry remounts could be bred from horses that had stood the steeplechasing test. In Australia we do not breed racehorses with a view of improving the breed—we race them to bet on—and from this point of view; the steeplechases are a washout. Very few , wealthy owners will take on steeplechasing and while the sport is confined to battlers it would be just as well to give them a thousand to run for, and let them make what they can out of it.