A NOVEL HORSE RACE

Evening Star, Issue 15480, 30 April 1914, Page 3

A NOVEL HORSE RACE

[Special to the Star.] AUCKLAND, April 30. A rase which, presented soma peculiar fealires was heard at Whangarei MagistrateH, Court, when the police proceeded aeainsi five settlers on the grourds that on .March? they illegally authorised and con3iicte<ja horse Tace, kno%vn as the Whana- . naki nip. In pening the case for the p-oserution. Sergent Moore said that on the day in qnestin a carnival of sports events was held it Whananaki. On the programme was p event of an unusual character, bnt wh'fj nevertheless he regarded as a race withji the meaning of the Act. In this evenj the horses were to walk half a mile, trot jalf a mile, and complete the Temaininc (.alt mile of the course at any pace the*] riders thought fit. The prize was £7. |nd had been won by a lady. He a snap photograph of the Tace to pror that the race was an " all out " one.

Mr '. A. Brooker said that he was the secretly of the sports meeting. The object vs to discover the best general purpose Trrse in the district. To settle the auestii his committee had organised a race i which all these conditions should be repsented, and naturally, as the ladies did qite as much Tiding as the men they were onsidered just as eligible to compete. The prize was awarded on points, and did not follow that the fastest horseor the first horse in would have ■won.

M'H. D. Harrison, for the defence. said-hat the prosecution was an absurd one. The circumstances were unique in pvei respect. Such a case had never beeibrousht to court before, and probably nev would asain. He desired His Worshi; to note that the winner of the race wa a lady, who had ridden a rat of a por. he Magistrate has decided to reserve jicment.