SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1921, Page 11

SPORTING.

MAN WHO RACED A HORSE. YARNS OF A RECORD-BREAKING RUNNER. One of the most novel races of recent times was that between Alfred Shrubby the famous runner, and a horse specially trained for the purpose. This race took place near Winnipeg. The runner had found it hard to get competitors, so when someone suggested be might race a horse he took up the idea immediately. The original intention was that one horse should compete. But, as the race was a tenmiler, it was thought the animal could not last the distance. So the race was conducted in relays, a second animal taking up rhe task at the end of five miles. Although both animals were drawing buggies, they gave the runner a hard race. Shrubb succeeded in winning just on the nost. INSPIRED BY THE BAGPIPES. It was Shrubb who was -successful in lowering the ten-mile record in 1904. The affair was staged at Glasgow. The runner had read of the valiant deeds done by Scots inspired by the music of the bagpipes. So he arranged to get a piper to play at intervals. From the start Shrubb ran well. He reeled off mile after mile, each one being punctuated by roars of delight from the crowd. But at the seventh mile he had fallen behind schedule to the extent of about fifteen seconds. In answer to frantic appeals, he managed to puil hi-inself together, making up the leeway. Then, as he entered upon the iast mile, he cgught up and passed the limithandicap man. On the last lap he put in a gigantic spurt, and breasted the tape in the record time of 50 min 40 3-ssec. But Shrubb wasn’t finished. Encouraged by the spectators’ calls to "go for the hour record,” he continued for the /ew minutes th it remained to complete the hour. He was sneering freen reaction, however. The strain was beginning to tell. But just at the right moment he heard the skirl of the Spurred on to greater efforts, he completed the task, and laid low the world’s amateur record for The hour. He completed eleven miles 1,137 yards. Although Shrubb does not believe in Marathon races, he once competed with Tom Longboat, the Indian, at Madison Square Gardens, New York. Straight away Shrubb made the pace, steadily increasing his lead until at the end of twenty miles he was nine laps ahead. THE INDIAN WINS. But Longboat was a most imperturbable runner, and, as he said after the race, he was certain his opponent could not last It out. He was right. At the twenty-third mile Shrubb became sick and collapsed. The Indian finished the distance and won. In the course of his career Shrubb trained many amateurs by mail. This once resulted in a rather humorous situation. On a visit to Harvard University, Boston, he volunteered to pace a young man on the track/ Some words of advice were given to the young man, who turned and smiled rather sardonically. "You seem to know something about the game. Have you ever taken lessons from Shrubb of England? I have. Shrubb laughed outright, and the youth was obviously annoyed. "Don’t you think this man Shrubb is any good?” he asked. ''Well,” Shrubb replied, "I have heard a good deal of t im. But before we go any farther, may I ask what your name is?” "My name,” he answered, "Is .1. W. Johnson, of Rochester, New York.” "And mine,” Shrubb added, "is Alfred Shrubb of England, the man wto has been giving you written tuiton.” ' Eurythmic is undeniably a great horse, but I cannot say I ani in accord with those of his admirers who bold that he was sure to have won the Melbourne Cup if he had escaped mishap. Weight tells at the end of a long race, and while it would have been surprising if Eurythmic had not done well—barring accident—right into the straight with his 10.<5, there was still the probability of his impost pulling him up inside the last furlong. It approaches nonsense for anyone to say a horse with 10.5 was sure to have won a two miles handicap, because it was doing well after going nearly a mile and a half, and in so writing i aan not reflecting in the least on the greatness of Eurythmic.—Sydney Referee.