AHAURA. CHRISTMAS RACES.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1686, 29 December 1873, Page 2

AHAURA. CHRISTMAS RACES.

This meeting took place on ihoAhaura^j' Race Course on Boxing Day/ underHhe c< direction of as many of the stewards as thought it worth while .attending. The "racing may be described as first-class for a/ pontest among so-called hacks, although! — f ( we would npt be surprised tp hear^' that some of thes^x;.locsl^rQck§ made a good show darin^.;ih[fc^ai|Bing racing season. T-he attendafice^o'f*visitors was not riutner'ous; owing 'partly ,to the PQuntoJV^a attraction of tl^e Totara -i'lat rages, an.4- I ; toi the' ;dist^nce: :of ttha'vraoe-pp.ursßj i -- from town, which at. theimost fayorablg time interferes with the complete supcesa of the .Ahaura''racu;., meetings, .^as< fari; asiregardaiainumerouff concourse of spec-rj-Tatorsr " r The- p^tp^rcap^nrTjf^enaittrAMTi s thp 'Stewards--; Who "took- si 'leading. -part-io-i in| getting, ug, the meeting, throwing^ jcold/water'lpn^he'ijßport^ at' the last ihioment, "by. absenting .themselves- from~-->" the course, did not improve^ matter^, | be'gause : it showed Lthatrtho^e, who/^ere-' most, interested; in. making "a successful" Christmas gath'erinjg at AhauraV^pJfkible^ ' lost confidence "in ' 'themselves^' ih' 7 their J '^ own efforts, when it came^t'o : the scratch. As it must Vbe said somewhere, itmay, ag well be said here as any where ieJs^tha.V{ bqt for the indefatigable 'exertions o^ Mr WJ. Guinness, ' the ftori. sec. 'to-tne-C,otn--.fhittPe, there; was at : oi^e time very ibrni- , ment danger that the whctletaffaii; wbiil^collapse. !Bleithe£ ; of %k- S^wapds \yhq were'depeii'ded upotf tq do : tlie handicapping ; wpre ; available j one. QfiKps.e\ge.njtle?~ - men having hpr?e^ ; -his qwn in,alni6g| | eifery race, very prdperl'jti declined Ipac^ and the other was not on "the cpurse, The ¥^ very delioate duty of .fixing /the 'weights N in hack racing therefore- devolved upon those who were least acquainted with 'the;' 1 merits of the contesting hdrsesy and if bne'T or two of- the handicaps were complained ofj dissatisfaction caniiot be wondered >a|. Apart from|he3p cjrawbaoks, tb.ose v 'who were but for a day's eriioymeni; r had it, for j;h'e':. weasher was " delightful: y/tW cooli ;\ cldver-ecehted breeze blowing!' across the plains on which the course is si^uatedr - .counteracted and tempered ♦he e^cta 6i rather too warm „aun, whiJo he greatest possible good humor prevailed upon all sides. : If/jthe occur? L 3' i-ence of two meetings within a few miles Jl pf each -.other, pn ; the -same day^ormedl'a reason in itself , for,. the, npn-succeas of > either, in, a commercial point of jvie.w.if the matter of a race-mee'tmg ! can v ''be viewed, at all> from; such. a;fstand?poinji,'i the proximity of boih, .oathgrjpgg gave 'ii pppdrtiznify io the comparatively large number of equestrians, male. andiemale^__ who were present to \[ w;itch the world n (and themgelves, who' were^ill the world

to each other for the occasion) with noble horsemanship, by careering -backwardsand forwards from one course- to the other. Another advantage- was that the owners of horses could and did *nter>, run for, and win stake* on each course-* proceeding not calculated npon by 'the promoters , of either meeting. NqtaWj' Sandy, or Blazes; or PlougHboy/ or Mephistopheles, or whatever his name really is,took the Trial Stakes and. the Latik, ftme at the., Totara Meeting, and afterwards took the Ahaura Plate, the principal' prize, after the Hurdle jHandiSip, at the Ahaura meeting. Thisold warrior ploughed fifty acres of the .most promising-looking; cropped land m the Srev Valley this B«wn. He was afterwards to be seen harnessed to a mud punt on the Ikamatua . Plains, and if he has anything at, all like . a fair show his owner hopes to .drag off the l>ig money at the New Year's meeting at Greymouth It was expected the Ahaura Plate would be a gift to.Bulcher Boy, for their Worshipa the Stewards after putting all the weights they conveniently could upon Sandy, seemed as if it would take very little persuasion to induce them to clap the scales upon them as well ; but it was of | no avail, either Sandy was too 2ood,_or.< Butcher Boy wasn't up to the work. The Hurdle Handicap was a fluke for Drum Major, a little cheanut weed of a thing, that can jump, like a wild cat. The Doctor, a rough, honest looking old iron grey, took the lead, and the fences beautifully. He was exceptionally well ridden, but, unfortunately, when, after clearing the last fence in the straight running, -.and the race looked all his own, he swerved inside one of the posts, and although he came in firstly lengths, the Stewards decided that he had lost the race. Subjoined are particulars of the racing : — .- Tbial Stakes, of 10 soys ; 14 miles ; weight for age ; open to all horses. , ; . Mr Burrow's Butcher Boy, list 111 b (Owner) — \ ■. Mr Phillip's Grey. Doctor, list , 41b.(0rchard) ... ... ... 2 , Mr Kraaft's No Name, lOsfc 51b , (Owner) ... ••• —\ . Mr Stewart's Doubtful and Mr John, Hamilton's" Grasshopper also, started. Butcher Boy lead from the beginning,, and won, by a length. .-;•:" > .;< ■ Butcher's Pukse Handicap, of 10 soys j 2 miles } ; horses to be honafide property of butohers in the district since Ist of. November. .4, : . . _ - . „ ... Mr ' Burrow's Butcher Boy, 12st • 71b (Owner)- ... ; ... •• 1 Mr Elliott's Chubbs, lOst (H. Newcome) , ,-... ••• ••• % Mr • Stewart's Doubtful, list (C. Cregan)... ' ... ...... 3 This was a good neck and neck, race between Butcher Boy and Chubbs to the last turn, when Butcher Boy went in a winner by half a length. .' AH UJRA. 'Plate, of 15' soys ; 2 miles '; open toallhoTses ; Stewards" handicappers. : Mr Cochrane's eh ? g Sandy, 12st 121 b (Cochranc) ..,-.. „..., }, ■.-.. Mr Burrow's, br g Butcher Boy, 10st7lb (Owner).,' ... ... 2 Mr Gle'ndenning's JSo. Name and Mr Wilson's Drum Major were entered, but did not run. .Butcher Boy.took.the , lead the first round, waited upon by Sandy, who was hard held, dancing along with one - girth broken, and flying in the. wind. In the heavy running on the side. of the course opposite the' grand stand Sandy went ahead, when a really good race ensued, Sandy winning— the rider coming in with both girths of his saddle adrift and trailing behind him— Butcher Boy a <r O od and very game second, showing to the last that after all his previous struggle lie had plenty of bottom in him. The were no entries for the- Ladies' Kace, and a Hurry: Scurry of 5/ sovs- was substituted. . ,_ „ Mr Wilson's Drum Major, with the "Old Identity n steering him, won the stake, beating several other competitors. Hubw-E HAwpiCAP. of 20 soys ; 2 miles, over 8 'flights of hurdles, 34ft high -all horses. ' Mr Wilson's Drum Major, lOst . (W. Kraaft) ... ... •• 1 •DrPhitlips's Grey Doctor, lOst 71b (Enoch Orchard) 2 Mr Elliott's Ghubbs, 9st 71b (W. (Co hrane) 0 The Doctor led : from the start, dashing through the second hurdle, and making a gap in it, but taking the resfe gallantly. The Major, came cantering up behind the Doctor, taking his jumps with the greatest nonc/wikmcf,, his rider waiting patiently on that providential fluke which every old inckey always expects, It came at the last hurdle, after clearing which the Doctor became restive/ and before Orchard couW. again steady him to his work he wriggleda few feet off. the course and on to it Vain in a stride or two. He came in firs! easily ', Drum., Major second. Chubbsstopped to make a critical examination of the first 'hurdle, and stayed there complacently browsing on the gorse of which 1 it -wa* partly constructed, all the time his 'antagonists were, bursting them selves for honor and glory. The owner of the Major claimed the stake, and the Stewards; after, evidence, allowed his claim. 'Much sympathy was expressed for the rider =of the Doctor, who rode pluckily and with judgment, until the mishap occurred which lest him the. race. This race concluded .the advertised , events; but a number of scratch matches came off latter wards. ■ The entriesfcbeing made at the post, the ' betting was confined to "sweeping" almost' exclusively, but it was carried on rather extensively. Of "the Stewards, the bulk of the trouble of bringing off- the several events fell to Messrs , John Kennedy, David Jelhe, Jas EolitfesraTid'the Hon.-Secretary, assisted. by Mr E. Shearstonp, .who made an efficient clerk of the scales. Mr George Mason 1 was; of course, starter,/ and this gentleman must get the credit of travelling, Nearly thirty miles to take the part allotted to him, and to redeem his promise that he VouM act. 'Mr John Overena wak^lerk' oFthe course^ .arid.-that inevitable^ vagrant tyke,: which .will .always persist insetting jn,the ,fairw>y;,of ; the straightr,v(nninglust wien.the W^are coming home, will long have a lively remembfance^f and 'measure of sidered the meetin| n passed off »twfao ; torily, andwaV^thefaxlurethatanumber of thd'eroakers hbped and expected.