EARLY DAYS OF RACING

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26869, 23 October 1952, Page 4

EARLY DAYS OF RACING

Many Sensational Incidents

INDEFINITE RULES MADE COMPLICATIONS

[Specially written for “The Press’* by J.C.M.I . In the preface of the “New Zealand Turf Record,” published at Dunedin in 1885, appears the following:—“We had hoped to. have included in this volume the revised rules of racing, arranged by the Dunedin and Canterbury Jockey Clubs, but as they have not yet been finally settled, we cannot longer delay the publication of this volume. The rules will, however. be inserted next year; and as they will doubtless be adopted over the whole Colony, they will be found an Interesting and useful feature of the work." It will be gathered that, whatever rules governed racing in those days, they were far from complete, and a glance through early turf records shows mere were some strange happenings in racing and trotting events. In 1885 the. first fixture of the season was the Ashburton Hunt Club steeplechase meeting, which comprised six races, one over six furlongs, and no other less than a mile and a half. The galloping events were run without untoward incident, but a trotting match between Kate and wanaka for 50 sovereigns over three miles was hardly satisfactory. The following details are given:—“Betting: Any odds bn Kate, which broke repeatedly, enabling Wanaka to assume the lead. Kate managed to pass him, however, in the last half mile, but she broke again, and it was only owing to Wanaka being pulled up that she was enabled to win. After the race, the stewards met and disoualified Wanaka and the owner, declared the race null and void, ordered all bets off, and the- totalisator to refund investors their money." A second incident of the season happened at the Epsom (Auckland) Trotting Club’s meeting, which included in the programme a Schooling Hurdle Handicap. Agin won easily, but "being proved to be a horse known as Pacific, he was disqualified.” In the Maiden Trotting Race at the same meeting Maggie came first, but was disqualified for having previously won public money, and the stake was awarded to General, which later won the Consolation Handicap. As General had been declared the winner of the maiden race, he became ineligible to start in the Consolation Handicap, and he, too, was disqualified. After Garabin had won the principal event at the Kurow meeting, a protest was entered against the winner on the ground that he had previously raced under the name of Prophet. The protest was not upheld, "as the owner of • the horse had purchased him in a saleyard and was not aware of the fact that he had raced under another name.”

At the Wanaka (Otago) meeting the totalisator was open, but evidently matters were not taken too seriously, for in the Publican’s Purse, with only two starters. "Darkie was only started in the interests of Mataura, which had practically a walk-over”; and in a later event:

"Knockerbocker Sam merely went to the post, and Johnny cantered round.” Some races were run in heats, and to win the Hack Selling Race it was the best two out of three. Knickerbocker Sam, which won the first and was second in the other two, was beaten by Blue. Peter, which won the second and the third.

Instances of running inside a post or missing a hurdle might have been expected when courses were not fenced as they are today, and it served as a very easy way of losing a race. The cases reported were so frequent that it would be idle repetition to give even a percentage of them. Crossing and jostling often had riders in trouble.

“Ring-in” at Riccarton Riccarton seems hardly the popular place on which to produce a “ringer, but the Scratch Selling Race, of 20 sovereigns, was won by Ploughboy, which, it was proved, had previously raced under the name of Chandos. Ploughboy was disqualified for the race, but apparently no further action was taken, for Ploughboy (late Chandos) won at the Timaru meeting a week later. In the Two-year-old Stakes at Timaru there were only two starters, and the only £2 invested on the totalisator was on the winner, a filly by Satirist from Little Nell. The Investors each lost 2s for backing a winner.

The Methven district had a long struggle to keep racing in existence, and eventually surrendered its permit to what has become one of the most successful trotting clubs. Early experiences were not encouraging, for at one meeting at which eight races were run, only £2O was put through the totalisator. In the opening race there were five starters and no investments. Only £3 was invested on the two starters. Captain and Marmion, in the second event. Captain won, but “in the opinion of the stewards, Marmion was held from start to finish.” Horse and rider were disqualified for two years, and all bets were declared off.

Atrthe Rangitata meeting there were six starters in the Arundel Cup, but only Cabbage Tree returned to weigh iq, and the restwere disqualified. There was a sensation at the Auckland summer meeting in the running of the Steeplechase Handicap on the third day. The race was run twice. The first time Clarence, 12st 101 b, won from King and Julia Ann. The owner of another horse, Sunray, entered a protest on the ground that all the horses except his took the wrong course. The stewards declared it no race, and ordered it to be run the following day. Clarence and King did not start, Linwood winning by a neck from Sunray, with Julia Ann third. The owners of Clarence and Sunray each claimed the stake of 350 sovereigns. The stewards awarded them £lOO each.

Horses were sometimes barred on the totalisator, and at the Woodthorpe (Hawke’s Bay) meeting, the dividend was paid on Yankee, which finished second. Cribbage was a good winner at the Wellington Tattersall’s, Club meeting, but he was disqualified, on the ground of informal entry, he having previously run under another name, and the same treatment was accorded Jack and his connexions after winning the Malden Plate at the Lake County meeting, and at a Hawke’s Bay meeting Blueskin was disqualified for not clearing a hurdle properly.

Pony Races Pony races do not figure on present-day racing programmes, but at one time they were a feature of some meetings, and measuring the competitors yvas an important business. "Lazy came in first, but was disqualified for being over the standard,” is the short explanation given after the Pony Race at the Foxton meeting. Glaicks won the first c6ntest for the St. Patrick’s Handicap at the MastertbnOpaki meeting, but the stewards ruled no start as the flag had not fallen. The second time Glaicks was beaten a neck by Cribbage. In the Hack Race at Egmont, Germaine, which was barred on the totalisator, won from Vesper, but was disqualified for running inside a post, and Vesper was disqualified for jostling Eurelius, which was awarded the race.

Crossing in a race was apparently not regarded as a very serious offence, for at the Onehunga meeting, won the Racing Club Handicap, but was disqualified for crossing. However, the dividend —a handsome one—was paid out on Rewi which, two races later, won the Railway Handicap.

Evidently racegoers in the 1880’s were very tolerant, for a report of the running of the Heretaunga Handicap at the Wellington autumn meeting says: "Speculation won by a neck from Sou-Wester, with Pasha third, but the judge erroneously placed Pasha second, and he took second money.” The Publican’s Purse at the New Brighton meeting was contested by Suplejack and Marshland, and though the dividend was paid out on the former, the stewards decided that “owing to the unsatisfactory manner in which the horses were ridden, both horses and riders be disqualified for two years.”

A rule to “pay first past the post” caused the Dunedin Jockey Club difficulty after a trotting race. Randall broke several times, but won by 50 yards. Randall was disqualified for the race, but the dividend was paid out on him. At the same meeting punctuality was evidently not observed, for the Consolation Handicap, the last race on the card, had to be run twice. On the first occasion the judge could not distinguish the horses in the darkness, and the stewards ordered the race to be run over again the next day, when Messrs M. and G. Hobbs’s horses, Jack and Borderman, finished .first and second.

In a later period, the following incident happened at a New Brighton meeting, when races were held on the beach:— After the placed horses for one race had been declared, an irate owner approached the judge with "How the dickens could you tell what won? You were up at the ‘pub’ when the race finished." “I have it on very good authority," was the calm reply.