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Famous Steeplechase Poems by Famous Poets

These are examples of famous Steeplechase poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous steeplechase poems. These examples illustrate what a famous steeplechase poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).

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Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry
...r! And the lavin's of the grub! 
Oh, poor Andy went to rest in proper style. 

Then the races came to Kiley's -- with a steeplechase and all, 
For the folk were mostly Irish round about, 
And it takes an Irish rider to be fearless of a fall, 
They were training morning in and morning out. 
But they never started training till the sun was on the course 
For a superstitious story kept 'em back, 
That the ghost of Andy Regan on a slashing chestnut horse, 
Had been training by th...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton



...“ARE you ready for your steeplechase, Lorraine, Lorraine, Lorree? 
Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Baree. 
You’re booked to ride your capping race to-day at Coulterlee, 
You’re booked to ride Vindictive, for all the world to see, 
To keep him straight, and keep him first, and win the run for me.” 
Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Baree. 

She clasp’d her newborn ...Read more of this...
by Kingsley, Charles
...alled "the take-you-down brigade". 
They said their horse could jump like fun, and asked an amateur 
To ride him in the steeplechase, and told him they were sure 
The last time round he'd sail away with such a swallow's flight 
The rest would never see him go -- he's finish out of sight. 

So out he went; and, when folk saw the amateur was up, 
Some local genius called the race "the Dude-in-Danger Cup". 
The horse was known as "Who's Afraid", by "Panic" from "The Fright" -- 
...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...nd my way out to Randwick yet; 
For I'm shtandin' a pound -- and it's no disgrace -- 
On Paddy Nolan's horse -- for the Steeplechase!" 
Mush-a-ring-tiy-ah, 
Fol-de-diddle-doh!...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...all. 
Amateur! don't he just look it -- it's twenty to one on a fall. 
Boss must be gone off his head to be sending out steeplechase crack 
Out over fences like these with an object like that on his back. 
Ride! Don't tell me he can ride. With his pants just as loose as balloons, 
How can he sit on a horse? and his spurs like a pair of harpoons; 
Ought to be under the Dog Act, he ought, and be kept off the course. 
Fall! why, he'd fall off a cart, let alone off a steeplechase...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton



...he'd lose in any case, 
And they said a city racer by the name of Holy Terror 
Was regarded as the winner of the coming steeplechase; 
But he said he had the knowledge to come in when it was raining, 
And irrevelantly mentioned that he knew the time of day, 
So he rose in their opinion. It was noticed that the training 
Of the Screamer was conducted in a dark, mysterious way. 

Well, the day arrived in glory; 'twas a day of jubilation 
With careless-hearted bushmen for a hund...Read more of this...
by Lawson, Henry
...I wooed her with a steeplechase, I won her with a fall, 
I made her heartstrings quiver on the flat 
When the pony missed his take-off, and we crached into the wall; 
Well, she simply had to have me after that! 
It awoke a thrill of int'rest when they pulled me out for dead 
From beneath the shattered ruins of a horse; 
And althought she looked indifferent when I landed -- on ...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...The sheep were shorn and the wool went down 
At the time of our local racing; 
And I'd earned a spell -- I was burnt and brown -- 
So I rolled my swag for a trip to town 
And a look at the steeplechasing. 
Twas rough and ready--an uncleared course 
As rough as the blacks had found it; 
With barbed-wire fences, topped with gorse, 
And a water-jump that woul...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...k!"
"This ain't right for August."
 "This light damn strange,
this season, sky should be clear as a field."

A stingray steeplechase across the sea,
tail whipping water, the high man-o'-wars
start reeling inland, quick, quick an archery
of flying fish miss us! Vince say: "You notice?"
and a black-mane squall pounce on the sail
like a dog on a pigeon, and it snap the neck
of the Flight and shake it from head to tail.
"Be Jesus, I never see sea get so rough
so fast! That wind c...Read more of this...
by Walcott, Derek
...not," said one more wise, 
"He is a blessing in disguise! 

"You see, he wants to buy a horse, 
To ride, and hunt, and steeplechase, 
And carry ladies, too, of course, 
And pull a cart, and win a race. 
Good gracious! he must be a flat 
To think he'll get a horse like that! 

"But, since he has so little sense 
And such a lot of cash to burn, 
We'll sell him some experience 
By which alone a fool can learn. 
Suppose we let him have The Trap 
To win Wargeilah Handicap!" 

And...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...You talk of riders on the flat, of nerve and pluck and pace -- 
Not one in fifty has the nerve to ride a steeplechase. 
It's right enough, while horses pull and take their faces strong, 
To rush a flier to the front and bring the field along; 
Bur what about the last half-mile, with horses blown and beat -- 
When every jump means all you know to keep him on his feet. 
When any slip means sudden death -- with wife and child to keep -- 
It needs some nerve to dra...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton

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Book: Reflection on the Important Things