GREYMOUTH RACES.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9989, 19 March 1898, Page 8

GREYMOUTH RACES.

(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) GREYMOUTH, March 18. The Greymouth Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting was opened to-day. The ground was sloppy after yesterday's rain, and slight showers fell all day. About 1000 persons were present. There was fair racing, but no very close finishes,, except in the last race. The sum put through the totalisator (£1 tickets) was £2849. Results :— TRIAL STAKES, of 40 soys; six furlongs—Mr Olaughesy's National, 4 yrs, 6st bib, 1; Silver Rose, B*t 4lb, 2; Slaidtn, 7st 21b, 3. The Miser, Seabree.e, and Bloomsbnry also un. (Won by three lengths, "lime, lmin 22g»ea Dividend, £14 3s. FIRST HACK RACE HANDICAP; one mile—Mr Walker's Shylock, 5 yrs, Bst 41b, 1; Geraint, Bst, 2. Duggan's Caatus, Bst 61b, 3. Tonganui also ran. Rustic was left at tiie post. Won by a length and a half. Time, lmin ol£sec. Dividend, £2 6s. •' GUEYMuUTH METROPOLITAN -TAKES, of 120 soys; one mile and a quarter.—Mr Morse's Surrey, a*ed, 7st 9lb, 1; Speculator, &*t 7ib, 2; llarta, 6 yrs, lOst alb, 3. Reaiity also ran. Won easily. Time, 2min 20&ec. Dividend, £118s. HUR-Lli HANDICAP, of 45 soys; one mile and a half-Mr Sheedy'sCyrus, aged, 9st 101b, 1; Cheque, 10st9lb, 2; Couranto, 10,t otb, 3. iVon by a length. Time, 3niin Bisec. Dividend, £3 6s. WEST COAST PRODUCE HANDICAP, of 40 soys; six furlongs—Mr Kennedy's Ahaura, 7st 41b, 1; B-n----more, Bst 71b, 2; Silver Rose, 9st 41b, 3. Ritchie and National also ran. vVon by four lengths. Time, lmin 23Jsec. Dividend, £3 16s. SECOND HACK RACK, of 25 soys; six furlonjrs —Mr Blackmore's Geraint, aged,7stlolb, 1; Rustic, 7st 41b, 2 ; Bloouißbury, Bst 81b, 3. Tonganui and Shylock a_o ran. Won easily by three lengths. Time, lmin 24sec. Dividend, £19 lbs. ST. PATRICK'S HANDICAP, of 50 soys; seven furlongs—Mr Stewart's The Spinner, 4 yrs, Bsfc 12lb, 1; Speculator. Bst 61b, 2; Reality, 7st, 3. Won on the post by a nose. Time, lmin 36Jsec. Dividend, £117s.

The weather looks bad for to-morrow's racing.

Our own correspondent wires :—For the Greymouth Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting to-day, the weather was very dull, with passing showers of rain. The attendance showed a falling off as compared with that of the previous meeting, there being only about 1000 people present. The racing was very interesting, but the starting was not up to that of previous meetings. The sum of £2567 was passed through the machine for the afternoon. National had a somewhat easy win in the opening event, returning his" baokers the handsome dividend of £14 3s. Shylock, the public fancy in _ the First Hack Race, had no difficulty in landing the stake. In the big event Surrey, the favourite, who looked beaten a quarter of a mile from home, came out with a magnificent run in the-traight, thus gaining the judge's verdict by a length. Cyrus had no difficulty in defeating the opposition opposed to him in the Hurdle Race. National, the favourite in the Produce Stakes, spoiled whatever chance he had by whipping round on the barrier being released. Ahaura, the ancient son of Bundoora, who came with a ( fast run halfway up the straight, got home by a length. In the Second Hack Race Geraint returned his backers the best dividend of the day, viz., £19 16s. Five went to the post for the St. Patrick's Handicap. The Spinner was elected favourite, and he managed to win by a small margin. On the judge giving his decision it was largely commented on by the public, they going so far as to hoot him loudly while he remained on the course, and the police had to be called in to stop some of che public from going too far. There is no doubt ie was a close finish, and I think it was a difficult question for anyone to decide excepting the man in the box.