A SENSATIONAL DISQUALIFICATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 276, 27 November 1897, Page 3

A SENSATIONAL DISQUALIFICATION.

The surprise in turf circles (says the H/inpv "Telegraph") was the aimcmnce&ytthat the V.R.C. Committee had conTdecl their investigation into the contrail tory running of Parthenopaeus at the He Flemington meeting, and disqualified T i:f e the horse and his joint owners, Itlel Allen and T. Arnfield. Readers ill recollect how, after his running second ? the Caulfield Cup to Amberite, Parti enopaeus was submitted at auction, and nld for 700 guineas to S. Allen, who was nderstood to have bid for himself and L racing partner, Arnfield The horse tt-as then transferred to A. Ferguson's ■table at Mordialloc, and a short rhile prior to the Melbourne Cup lie was backed to win upwards of £20,000 in that nee But he ran nowhere, and acted Liiarly under 9st in the Spring Handi- ; '-won hv Kallara, on the third day of S meeting. Mr Dakin, the V.R.C. handicapper, did not regard the running of Porthenopreus on the latter occasion as correct, and put him up several pounds in «ei«hts for the Final Handicap, with n-hich event the meeting concluded. But the increase in poundage did not prevent Parthenopceus from winning rather easily, after being heavily backed, and the V.R.C. committee 3, having investigated the surroundings, disqualified Ferguson _ and Guinane', the trainer and rider respectively, during their pleasure. The inquiry, however "did not, as was fully expected, end there and a special meeting of the committee was called to go further into the matter, the persons most concerned. Guinane, whom it was understood had forwarded a written statement, excepted, being present. Witnesses in plenty were heard, some of them going to the length of ttatinjr that it was their money chiefly ffhich r caused Parthenopasus to see such a short price for the Final Handicap, the owners having denied backing him in that (ace. An adjournment was ordered when i verdict disaualifying Allen and Arnfield, a; stated, for malpractice, was arrived at, the Committee having sat for several hours. This is, perhaps, considering the standing of the persons concerned, the heaviest and most important disqualification ever recorded in connection with the Australian turf. Allen and Arnfield have been for some time among the leading bookmakers in Australia, both are reputed to be wealthy, and, in addition to being horse owners, are stated to have had for some considerable time the control of the animals representing certain racing stables in Victoria. Allen has made several trips to England, and it was only a short while E'or to the last Melbourne Cup that Amdd returned to the colonies, after visiting the old country, where his mare Emmalea fc"as been racing. It has been stated that Arnfield brought with him several commissions to purchase horses for England, but in the altered state of his standing in the snorting community it is hardly likely that tax more will be heard of them. It may be' mentioned that disqualification by the A.J.C. or V.R.C. has pretty well a worldride significance. Persons placed under t'ae ban by either of those clubs are thereby in New Zealand, and owing to sj understanding which was arrived at me time ao-o between the English Jockey W) and the principal Australian turf Mies, the embargo Avill take effect also in Hand, and will probably be recognised "Alia and America.