AN AUSTRALIAN RIDER ON AMERICAN RACING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIII, Issue 10670, 3 June 1895, Page 6

AN AUSTRALIAN RIDER ON AMERICAN RACING.

O, Moore, the well-known Australian rider, returned from America recently. Hiji reminiscences of Pacific coast racecourses are (says the Melbourne amusing. The Bay District, track ,ia popularly believed to be the best round ’Frisco. This Moore describes as being ia, the most primitive state. When ho arrived they had had eighty-five days continuous racing and considerable rain. Th<r consequence, was that anyone who wished * to cross the course had to don leggings’ up to his thigh; After each raca . a thick plank was drawn round the course to give the mud s smooth surface. “ A good mud horse” - , is a; favourite term. The jockeys ride with a," single rein knotted. They bend over the horse’s head and grip the* bar of the, bit. and when they attempt to use the whip in ii close finish they tumble off. All the riders wear leather overalls. It is thought' nothing for a starter to keep the field three-quarters of an hour at the post, and if the riders attempt to “ boat the flag” they get hit over the head. There is no clerk of the * course to lead the winner in. On the contrary, the first rider that gets to the gate is weighed" in, and tho winner has to take his turn. At this operation' the weigher is not particular to three or four pounds. The steeplechase course Moors describes as like’a switchback railway, and on two miles there were only five fences, and these of such a nature that Moore offeied to carry ary one of the stewards over them - on his back. No work is done in the morn- - ing, all the training being done on the, track between the races. The sheds are also built on the edge of the track, and the horses are walked about with their clothing on in the intervals. In many races only an., hour is allowed between the time for entering and issuing the handicaps. Yet they give good prizes, such as .£IOOO for a four-, mile race, and .£2OOO for a mile and a quarter. The records Moore utterly discredits. Carbine, he told them, could not! do the time, to which the cool answer was that they “had better horses than Carbine, ever was,” Stromboli had developed a bad .leg, had ibaen blistered and sent to the stud, while Doncaster, who formerly belonged to Mr Keys, was running well. Moore saw Jim Hayes in ’Frisco. He is cow on his way back. Moore says ha would have stayed in America but that hi saw “ there was nothing in it. It was all boom and blow—a big gamble, extending over 133 days continuous racing."