DECISION POPULAR

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 104, 29 October 1931, Page 10

DECISION POPULAR

NGINGONGINGOS CASE' The disqualification for twelve months of Ngingongingo and his driver, A. Bryce, following the horse's win in the Labour Day Handicap at the Auckland Trotting Club's Meeting on Monday, was popularly received by a latge section of the public in attendance at the meeting, states the "Star," and there was loud cheering when the verdict was made known by the hoisting of the brown, flag. The hoots began immediately Ngingongingo passed the post a winner, and there were1 cries of "Put him out," As Bryce drove the horde back to the enclosure the crowd subjected him to further hooting, which was quickly changed to cheering when the green ilag was hoisted to do--1 note that the stewards would hold an iu'qiiiry into the horse's performance. I Thq Judicial Committee held an exhaustive iuquiiy, which la&ted till after the following race, and the decision 'was announced as soon as it was reached, Bryce immediately lodged an appeal. The disqualification naturally was not palatable to the supporters of Ngingongingo, who considered that an injustice had been done them, contending that if the horse was under suspicion 'and was not going to be allowed the race in the event of his' winning then he should not have! been permitted to start, or the public should have been notified that there would be an inquiry and the possibility of disqualification. Mr. C. J. Schnauer, chairman of the Judicial Committee, when the matter, was mentioned to him, said (states the "Star' ): "Such a course would have been impracticable. The position it that the stipendiary steward, Mr.-Commons, asked Bryce on Saturday why the horse had run sd badly, and Bryce repliedl that he could not understand the performance. Having pbtained thut reply, there was nothing more the? stewards could do. It takes two laces to prove inconsistency, aud the only thing to be done was to observe the horse's performance , on. the second day. To have made public;,the stipendiary steward's suspicion, at tKat time would have been to lay t the club open to a grave complaint on the part of the owner. Further, you 'caunof stop a mm from competing in a 1 race on the assumption of what might happen afterwards." Ngingongingo, who is a five-year-old pacer by Matchlight from the Prince Imperial mare Tracey Princess, is owned by the Canterbury sportsman, Mr. R. M.. Morten, and trained by J. Bryce, fathe* of A. Bryce, who drove the horse. As a three-year-old he won the Gracefield Handicap at Wellington, and he was just beaten by Great Parrish in the Great Northern Derby at Auckland. Last'season he scored only one win, that being rei gistered in the' Adams Memorial Cup at the Auckland Winter Meeting. At that meeting he had raced aud finished out of a place on the opening day, and when he won the Adams Memorial the,.crowd took exception to the performance, compared with his first day's effort, but the ' stewards,' after a long inquiry, decided not to disturb the judge's placings.