THE TAHUNA TROTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2362, 1 June 1899, Page 36

THE TAHUNA TROTS.

Blessed with fine weather, the Tahuna ' Club's meeting last week was a pronounced success in most respects. There was some ' capital' racing on the second day, the handicapping being for the 'most part thoughtful, and the totalisator takings were well ahead of ; last year's. Trotting is distinctly on the up ' t grade in Otago, and it will go ahead faster i than ever when we so arrange matters as to i subsidise speed and Temit the slow horses to roadwork. The Trial Handicap on past performances seemed to be a good thing for Cottage Boy, but he could not go on the heavy | track, and Governor won easily. This horse | is by General Tracy. So is Lady Nell who ', finished second. The Marram Pony Race \ found both Punch and Aquinas tiring badly | in the last lap, but the former, who won, J is the makings of a really good pacing pony. Lexington, starting off the limit, made the ' Birthday Handicap quite a one-horse show, but all the others showed considerable speed in patches, and if the handicaps had come - out after the Canterbury, meeting Mr Dowse ■ would have found the material for a good > race. The Novel race was the best contest • of the day, the three placed horse 3 coming J home together. Gipsy's "Warning, breaking on the post, got there first, Kelt and Flower i Girl a neck away. Nothing else was near, j It was obvious that Gypsy's Warning must i lose on the result of the protest, but I think '■ this would have been sufficient punishment without fining Grant £2 for wilfully galloping the mare. That he did wilfully gallop j her could npt be denied, but what else was he j to do? His explanation was that he tried to i gallop Gipsy's Warning into her stride, as | his only chance, and it eeems to me that, j seeing his action took place quite openly, the stewards might have rested content with up- i holding the protest. As it is, Grant was < punished twice for the one offence. There j was an inquiry then as to the bona fides of i Kelt. Several persons on the ground ima- j gined that they recognised this horse, and i some went so far as to say that he was identi- | cal with Soutar Johnny, a Southland trotter ; ' but the difficulty was met by getting the ; owner to make an affidavit. Carrick, winner of the President's Handicap, is a pacer bred , at Bannockburn, .got by Dexter. He pro- ,' mises to be fast when at his best. On this ' occasion he did not round the cornet's very 1 well, but showed pace in the straights. Booby j tired very much in the last half-mile. Little - Jane, a sturdy prey daughter of Spot, beat i Sandy badly in the Musselburgh Pony Handi- ; cap. The Trophy Handicap was a really ! good race between the placed horses. Most • persons present thought that Flower Girl if j veil ridden would have won. Gossoon, win- i nei» of the Ocean Beach Handicap, was making ! his first appearance in public, and, starting | from the limit, he gave nothing else a show. As a matter of fact he" showed as much pace as the scratch horses. This shows the risk j of treating the non-performers too lightly. ' Go3Eoon is a three-year-old by Del Paso from Fancy, so that he is very nearly standard-bred, j I understand that ho was bred by Mr Laidlaw, i of Matakanui Station. With time he should ■ ripen into one of our best trotting hore>es. . Highland Lad, who hails from Winton, shaped very much better in the Advanca Handicap ou the second day than in his Tace the fiist day, and after Lorna Smith had broken tip lie went on and won with something to spare. ' The Ranfurly Pony Race was a good go be- I tween Aquinas and Punch for a mile and three-quarters. They both tired noticeably as they went on, but Aquinas lasted the longer and won by a couple of lengths. In the Queen's Handicap several horses ivere pretty evenly backed, Alice May having slightly tho preference. This mare, starting from the ' limit, kept her position for a mile and a- \ quarter, but Lexington gradually tverhauled her and won by a few lengths. The winner j was capitally ridden by Jack Taggart, an eld Dunedin boy, and he paid the good price of £6. The explanation of this is that backers did not reckon that Lexington would be having a go ; and of Pringle's pair they preferred Pringle's own mount ; but, as the result j proved, both the horses in thi? stable were j going on their merits. As to the Selling Race, the public picked Flower Girl as a fairly good thing, but Patience with Jimmy i Allan up shaped well and won with »omething to spare. Flower Girl was then claimed by Mr J. R. Mackenzie, and being put up to auction, was bought back by the I owner for £35. It thus cost him £10 to keep hit rrare. This was hard luck : lie lost the raeo and lost the money too. Some of the public seemed to think that Flower Girl was not :i trierj but I have it on good authority that the owner backed her. Plan started a red-hot favourite for the Winter Oats Handicap, but at no time was he dangerous, the finish being entirely between Booby and St. George, the former driven right out by George Grant, who used the whip on him during the whole of the last mile, lasting lonz enounrh to win. 'This

result was wholly due to Grant's handling. Equally driven, the race would have been St. George's. General Tracy and Honest Wilkes never showed to such disadvantage. Had the former trotted 5.22 and the latter 5.27 they would have been alongside the winner. It is not often that the scratch horses get such a chance as this. I don't know what was tip with them, and suspect that the owners and drivers are equally mystified. In a oreseing go between Little Jane and Sandy id the Final Pony Race the former proved V c more reliable. Southern Queen, by Ge.ieial Tracy, ran away with the Dash Handicap, and of the others Bradlaugh showed m- ft pace. Old Wizard was the only one to seriously challenge Highland Lad in the Farewell Trophy Handicap.