TURF ON THE WEST COAST.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9325, 28 January 1896, Page 2

TURF ON THE WEST COAST.

[Br Hotspur.] NoTi. To any who can afford the time I know of no holiday tour that can be made more enjoyable about Christmas time than a trip acroß3 the Southern Alps from Canterbury to Westland. To lovers of nature the wonderful scenery is a perpetual delight, for it must not be imagined that the pleasing visions aro exhausted when the overland stage is completed with the world famous Otira gorgo left behind. Ours is a beatcous country, and the West Coast is certainly one of the specially favoured portions of it. The train ride from Jackson's to Stillwator, skirting the Arnold, should bring gladness to the heart of an artist, for the glimpses of river densely bushed on either side make a series of delightful pictures, and amply compensates, I should say, for the forest avenue drive from Jackson's when Cobb and Co's terminus was Kumara. If it does not do so, let anyone hire a vehicle and take a run from Greymouth to Maori Creek. The greater part of the distance is through big bush country, and a more glorious drive could not be imagined, particularly at this time of year, when the giant rata is in full bloom. Then there is that enchanting lake Kanieri to bo visited when Hokitika is head-quarters, to say nothing of Mahinapua, which is reached by boat, and which I unfortunately failed to see. But all who read know of these things, about whioh I am ill-qualified to write, and which is hardly a preface to sport in Westland. It is permissible, however, to remark on the splendid equipment Cobb and Co have for the conveyance of passengers. Exhilarating it most certainly is to sit behind one of Mr Hugh Cassidy s highly-turned-out teams as they dash down the steep passes which form the striking feature of the journey; the more especially as the iron-nerved drivers very quickly inspire the utmost confidence even in the minds of the timid. The whole community from Hokitika to Recfton—in fact tho whole Coast population —give themselves up to enjoyment for a fortnight at Christmas time. The mines are shut down, and business is almost at a standstill, always except at the licensed premises, whose harvest it is. It is this universal holiday-keeping that is responsible for tho large racecourse attendances, and as the West Coasters are by no means surfeited with racing, they take all the keener interest in the game when it is on hand. I could have- wished that the sport had been better at Reefton, but the poor fields took all excitement out of the events. Epilogue was the only serious opposition to the Canterbury horses, who carried off all the best prizes. It was remarked that the visiting forces should have engaged each other; had they done so Fm much afraid we would have heard of " rowing in," seeing that' the best class horses were all virtually trained from the one stable. Under the circumstances, it was better as it was, though nexttimo the bell rings on the Reefton racecourse, I trust there will be lots of opposition. A highly-improved little property is that possessed by the Reefton Club. The stand is a most commodious one and quite up to date. The club have a loan of £1200 on the buildings, which indicates that they are of a substantial order. Mr Secretary Clark had hopes that the gathering would turn out such a financial success that a goodly portion of the loan money would be wiped off. The gathering did not " pan out" quite as well as expected, still it yielded a fair profit. In Mr Clark the Reefton Club haa a most valuable officer. I'm sure the stewards will not take it amiss of mc to remark that he doe 3 not receive that assistance which he should have, and is altogether overworked— that is a fact patent to all who have business with the dub. The management, too, v.ill have to see that those t«dioti3 delays "waitingfor the totalisator," become a thing of the past. With a club like the Reefton institution such a featuro should not ba permitted.

As was said, the only i-oal opposition to the Riccarton contingent caaio lYom Epilogue, the light of the chief Reeftoo

stable going out when Gcraint bro.;c down badly in tho socond cvcr.t or. tho card, lhe little son of Lochicl had a "leg" for EOins j time ; he has now, I should say, bid adieu i to the turf. With the los 3of | Griffon has a poor lot tosuparintend. He nae for the ex-owner of Liberator Regalia, but the jumper is losing the sight of an eye and has made more than one mistake lately; Ix 3 has had his best day. Gloaming is another of. Mr Walker's, bat she is very 7>oor class, iudred by what was seen of her on the racc'trnck. "An inmate of the stable that did vrln was Gloire dc Dijon, who on breeding line 3 should hs smarter than sho is. The death of Langley the Devil was a big loss to young Scott, who had reasonable expectations that the horse would pay liis way well. There are a number of good sportsmen at Reefton, and, seeing that the training facilities, owing to the proximity of the course to the town a:ul the good track, are really better than at other places on the Coast, ft is surprising they do no:, go in for a fair horse or two between them. Gonial T. O'Neill tells mc that the weather w.ts so boisterous «r»nd wet for soma weeks before the holidays that it was next to impossible to get v horse ready. Notwithstanding, however, he had his Slly in very fair order, and her running proved she was not far from well. Several of thoss connected with the management of affairs at Pwccfton were somewhat sore, and pardonably so, that the Westport Club should have selected the same days on which to race as the Reefton dates, and that the selection was approved by the Metropolitan Clvb —thaii of Nelson. One gets, of course, a better idea of the topography of the country by going over tho ground, and, while it has to be admitted that the means of conveyance at present existing batwecn the coal township at the month of the Buller and Reefton would be a barrier to a bulky contingent undertaking the fifty miles journey for the races from one place to the other, the fact that there are —at the Christmas season at all events—an insufficiency of horses in commission to make interesting sport at gatherings so close together, should have made the Metropolitan body pause before approving two programmes for the same dates. As I have said, the West Coast folk make general holiday for a fortnight at Christmas timo, and as Boxing Day is hardly more closely observed for holding high festival than any other in the term, the meetings might, I take it, have been so arranged that the dates would not have clashed. Further, it must be said that the claim of the Reefton Club for the daye taken was undeniable. This leads mc to observe that it is hard to understand how it is that Reefton, and Westport also for that matter, come to hold allegiance to the Nelson Metropolitan body. Let it not for a moment bo supposed I wish to disparage the Nelson Club, but it cannot claim to be in touch with the clubs placed under its control. Without question, there should be but one Metropolitan for the whole of the Coast, and the Grcymouth Club being the constituted head, the sooner the two clubs get enrolled in its district the better. If in the past there has been some little friction between the authorities at Greymouth and Reefton, it is surely insufficient to stand in the way of tho management of the sport being carried on as it should be, and of this I am sure, tho clubs mentioned would have their interests well studied by the natural head.