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Sports correspondent & historian with |
Wind back the clock to the 1960s; jumps races took centre stage in winter thoroughbred racing and jumps jockeys were the kings of the sport.
There was a series of big steeplechase the length and breadth of New Zealand, with Tauranga slap bang in the middle of the action, with the Bay of Plenty Steeplechase at the June winter meeting at the Gate Pa course.
The first reported steeplechase run over the Gate Pa fences was in 1893, over three miles for a stake of 25 sovereigns.
The Bay of Plenty Racing Club ran steeplechases until 1946, when they lost their winter meeting date. The return of the winter permit resulted in the re-introduction of the Bay of Plenty Steeplechase in 1959.
The 1950s and 1960s were a golden age of prosperity after the misery of the great depression and World War II. Every sheep and cattle farm had a horse or two with good numbers of rural horsemen taking part in the local hunt.
The bountiful stakes of jumps racing encouraged plenty of owner/trainers from the rural communities around the country.
Sitting just behind the Great Northern and Waikato Steeplechases in stature, the Bay of Plenty chase was a popular prize for owners, trainers and jockeys and attracted a who’s who of the jumping fraternity in the 1960s and 1970s.
The most documented running of the Bay of Plenty Steeplechase took place in 1963. Tapestry of the Turf, written by Pat Finnegan and John Costello, described the drama that unfolded in the Bay of Plenty chase.
“The runners set out to run two-and-three-quarter miles, as County led them towards the straight for what should have been the second and last time, they were waved into the centre of the course again and the jockeys, some of them waking up but they were too late, found themselves doing another round.
“Victory went to Triple Count, something of a dour plodder who might not otherwise been in the money. The others, having covered nearly four miles instead of the planned two-and-three-quarters, were a weary lot indeed.”
The last Bay of Plenty Steeplechase was run in 1972, then downgraded to restricted class and further down to just maiden chasers.
Tru Allen, who won the big steeple prize in 1972, was trained by Rotorua-based Jim Pender senior, the father of current Tauranga trainer Jim Pender.
Paul Hely, who was one of the kings of jumps jockeys at time, rode Tru Allen, who was four lengths better than Hades, with Rangitane five lengths further back of the 14 starters.
Hely, who was contacted for this piece, said that he well remembers the race.
“Tru Allen was back [in the field], he said, ”but picked up the bit at the 1400m then sat outside the leader until the last fence. Had I let him go he could have won by much more.
“A couple of weeks later he was in the Steeplechase at the big jackpot meeting at Te Awamutu. I rang Jim Pender for the ride but he told me his son was going to ride him. Jim jnr stood aside and let me ride him and he won easily by 10 lengths. Tru Allen was one of the best horses I rode in New Zealand.”
The last steeplechase at Gate Pa was run in 1998.
A general demise of the rural owner/trainer has resulted in jumps racing becoming an endangered species on the New Zealand Thoroughbred racing calendar.
This year, the steeplechase and hurdle races have been reduced to just 18 jumps days, with many jumps supporters fearing that their passion won’t last much further into the future.