AT THE RACES

Gisborne Times, Volume LIX, Issue 9575, 28 July 1923, Page 6

AT THE RACES

A BOXER’S IMPRESSIONS. JIM FLETT’S FIRST VISIT TO RACES IN NEW ZEALAND. Jim Flett, the massive Australian heavy-weight boxer, saw the first day’s racing at the Park, and he considers that the INew* Zealand people take their racing very seriously. It was different altogether from ;my ■ race course in Australia, up country or city. There is in Gisborne no ‘-roar of tho ring”. He quite missed the “bookmakers’ jargon at odds making bargain” and the rush of excited bettors going from one bookie to another to get the bestodds. There was just an orderly crowd o*olllo* through a shcep-inco l 0 n ticket" window, a whispered re(inest for a ticket on number say, 8, and a slower walk back to the front of the “tote.” The only noise on the course is the clatter of the “tote.” closing down. It is even louder than the thud of the horses’ hoofs on the grass. At one part of a race an excited voung girl was singing out “Come on,' Crisis” and her elder friend or. perhaps, her mother, said, “Don’t shout, dear, it’s not nice.” Oh, everything is all so fearfully different. He liked the horses and tho way the jockeys rode. There wus no “hooking horses out ol positions As the horses got away, so they ran. There v>as no jostling in tno race, evorv rider attending to his own horse only. The most puzdiim thing of the lot to Jim FloJ.l was tho long wait from the time the 1 tore closed fill the harrier Hew up. The crowd stood or sat around as it waiting for the Governor to arrive, or the big speaker at a convention to address Viiem. in Australia, a stranger soon discovers that The host horses lielong ; .o very rich men. Sir Anthony Hordern, Mark Foy. and men of their wealth. and you hack the uun-i-i* j-| <>r© every man seems to own a horse, at least that is how it seemed to him. Even at picnic meetings in Australia. which are private race meetings where the members of the club race their own horses with gentlemen jockeys, there is more excitement. Bookmakers are permitted iit these meetings—by invitation. Tliev must not wear hags, nor must they have a clerk—just a note hock and a pencil in which they write the amount of the hot. .No money changes hands, the settling is done by cheque next day or the following Monday.

The great thing in New Zealand is the great friendliness of everybody. Kveryono wants to help a stranger. Jim Flett had so many tips on every race that he would have had to hack tho winner, for lie was told almost every horse in every race! liu doubt in Jim Flott’s mind as to who will start favorite in the big light on Thursday Almost to a man people said: “Toil are going to fight Tom Keeney. .1 wish you good hick: hut I think lie is sure to l ent von. He has improved out of all knowledge.” Not once r.i the v, hole day did lie meet envoi o who did not tip ’Tom to win, and not once did anyone call Tom Heaney hut ••Torn.” There is no doubt as to T ul „ TJeoucy’s wonderiul popularity in Gisborne. - A .nd when you come to i fin!,- iff it, I might he able to heat Demos:*v h r ail they knew! Rut they have' in well stored away in their iieads that if will be a great light, aid *‘Trni is sure to heat you.” Talk about friends, why, tliev heat the- world!