SPORTING ITEMS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9127, 11 June 1895, Page 2

SPORTING ITEMS.

Weekly Press and Referee." SHE first Tuesday in June has long been looked upon as one of much importance to Australasian sportsmen, as on tint date Dominations are invariably taken for tho greatest handicap races run for in the colonies, the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups. Though stakes have had to be cut Sown very considerably of late, owing to the great depression, the nomination fees have likewise been made light, and to judge from the jumper entries for both spring events named, one cannot cay that their appearance indicates that" racing in our sister colony is ac all on the decline. Indeed the nominations are highly encouraging, and while New Zealand is not so largely in evidence as on many previous occasions, there is a fairly representative entry from the different colonies. The nomination list Is the best the Victorian Racing Club have had since 1831, and that tor the Caulfleld Cup, though nine less than last year, has enly once been equalled. In contradistinction, the nominations for the chief handicap race of the year in New Zealand, the prize for which has been increased in value, has drawn a smaller nomination cban for some years previously. A significant fact this.

The disqualification of the jockey Brown for twelve months, for aliened euspicious riding of Barmby in the Tradesmen's Handicap at the Duuedin Jockey Club's recent meeting, after that colt with another jockey up next day had won a minor event, has been the subject of much newspaper comment. There is not only a strong feeling against the Dunedin Jockey Club's decision, but against the way in which the enquiry into Barmby'3 running was conducted, Brown bavins been ordered to stand down without having been given an opportunity of saying a word in self-defence. This is not the customary way of dealing with accused jockeys, and Brown, like any other suspected man, should have been granted a fair trial. It is more because he did not get this that strong sympathy has been ebown for him by many who were present, and others who were not, than for any other reason. Without expressing an opinion one way or another as to whether the punishment was or was nob deserved, we hope that the course followed by the Dunedin Jockey Club will not be taken as a precedent by other clubs, nor the way in which Mr Sherwin was treated either. Iα the first place, by disqualifying Brown for bus piciom iiding in the race in question, and not the horse and his owner, the club admit that they were satisfied that there was no collusion between the owner and the jockey, but Mr Sherwin is deprived of the stake won by Barmby later on when carrying another rider, and is thus punished for the alleged misconduct of Brown.

Everyone who witnessed the race for the Tradesmen's Handicap saw that Barmby did not run up to his beat form, and was practically pulled up af terrunning between five and six furlongs. The handieapper must have been quite satisfied on thiapoint, and the fact that Barmby was not paid up for in the leading handicap on che second da? when weighted within 91b of Skirmisher—being only a little better treated through that horse than he had been previously by Uγ Dowse—and was reserved lor a minor event seems to indicate that his chance was not much fancied by those immediately connected with him. But the handicapping of the colt for that event and his treatment in the race he won goes to show that little, If any, concession was made to Barmby by Mr Dowse for his previous failure, and that official does not appear to have been questioned ab the enquiry as to whether the colt's indifferent running influenced him in treating hi m to leas weight than he would otherwise have apportioned him. It appears to us that there are ab least some grounds for assuming that Brown was innocent of the charge of wilfully pulling Barmby, that he in fact stopped irdlng when he caw he had no reasonable chance of winning, which, under the Rules of Racing, is permissible, and that Mr Sherwin, in being deprived of the fruits of victory in the Consolation, was not treated with the consideration that he deserved at the hands of the stewards.