Racing: Local steeplechase jolts back

The time-honoured Wanganui Steeplechase returns next month after missing from the racing calendar for the past 18 years. Photo/File

The Wanganui Jockey Club will be taking a leap back in time when it hosts its industry day on May 8.

The club has decided to resurrect the time-honoured Wanganui Steeplechase after an 18-year hiatus.

The Wanganui Steeplechase was first run in 1875 and long-time New Zealand jumps statistician, Chris McQuaid, said depending on the date that year it would make it either the oldest or second-oldest of the country's major jumping races.

"The Grand National Steeplechase [Riccarton] was also first run in that year, although, of course, that race has been run continuously since then," McQuaid said.

Records reveal the Wanganui Steeplechase was last run in 1996 when Waverley jumper Hadfield won for trainer Craig Lupton and rider Eddie Lamb.

The race was traditionally run in June, but it 1997 insufficient entries forced the club to axe the race. However, in the spring of 1997 the club introduced another open steeplechase and named it the DB Draught Steeples which was won by another local, Our Jonty, in the hands of a young amateur jockey Raymond Connors. Connors owned the classy jumper with his father, Mark, and at that stage it was trained by Kevin Myers. That combination also won the Great Northern Steeplechase at Ellerslie.

The Wanganui Steeplechase has been run over various distances throughout the ages, but next month's event will be staged over 4100 metres.

The event, like all jumping races, is a wonderful spectacle and talk of resurrecting the race came about after a group of fans, including former Wanganui Jockey Club committeemen, took a trip down memory lane.

Club operations manager Bret Field said talk soon turned from nostalgia to the nuts and bolts of how it could be returned to the racing calendar.

"The upshot is that a local cafe in Victoria Ave, that has sponsored other jumping events, has come onboard and we can now include the race on the programme. It will now be known as the Jolt Coffee House Wanganui Steeplechase and will be run for a stake yet to be confirmed," Field said.

Trainers from the Wanganui region have had success in the race over the years with Myers winning the actual Wanganui Steeplechase with Heavenly Fun in 1992 with Kim Treweek in the saddle, while Eddie Symes claimed the major spoils with Thorley in 1990 when training out of his Bulls barn. The late Ken Cropp, of Bulginbaah fame, won the race as a rider on Brown Jester in 1954.

And like many jumping events, the race has thrown up numerous hard luck stories, including a day in 1900 when Black Dust, Tataramoa and Claymore crossed the line in order only to be disqualified for taking the wrong course. The event was finally awarded to Scallywag.

In 1944 Opaltown fell and was remounted and eventually won by two minutes after all other runners either fell or baulked and missed jumping all fences.

Next month the resurrected Wanganui Steeplechase will be an open class event and will be complimented by an open hurdles race on the day. At this stage the meeting will feature a seven race card with the first race set to start at noon.