CROOKED RUNNING.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7382, 4 June 1895, Page 3

CROOKED RUNNING.

|TO THB EDITOB.]

Sib,—l am told that there waa a strong feeling in the minds of the stewards when 'considering the running of Aphony at Taradale on the 24th May that the innooent baokers of the horse should not be made to suffer.and that this, ooupled with the evidenco of the totalisator proprietor, deoided the question. With regard to the former point, I would suggest in suoh caaea that it would be a very proper thing to return the money on a disqualified horse to his backers, dividiog tho rest in the usual way ou the seoond horse. Referring to the evidenc* ao willingly given as to the seventeen tickets on Aphony in the first raoe, and the assertion that the owner had nothing on him in the seoond, other_factß since the meeting having come to'light, do you not think it his beooma the duty of the Metropolitan Club to re-open the matter, and hold a searching enquiry ? Thtf suooess of some profei»ional owners has induced others to take to the " sport,"_ ami it ia quite noticeable that some Maori owners are proving themselves quite aa Bmart at tho game as their more experienced white brethien. It is the usual thing now to ask with regard to some owneis' horses " Are they on the job ?" instead of, " What is their oondition," '* What weight do they oarrj f" But this sort of thing is bound to continue unless the ruling body takes a firm stand. Writing with regard to tho Barmby case, mentioned by your sporting writer on Saturday, the Cantnbury Times states it is quite time that the authorities considered the advisability of making a oloan Bweepof men who cannot ridis honestly. In this particular case tho Times may be right, but had the writer lived in Hawke'a Bay he would have added to his list Oianer and Trainer, with some emphasis. The ouUpoken remarks, Sir, of your sporting writer on Saturday evening deserve the thanks of the whole community, and I trust will earn some recognition from the powers that be-tho Hawke's Bay Jockey Ulub.—l am, etc., St. Hippo.