RACING COMEDY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21273, 29 August 1932, Page 10

RACING COMEDY

THREE-HORSE CONTEST TWO LOSE THEIR RIDERS SPECTATOR TO THE RESCUE [by TELEGRAM —OWN CORRESPONDENT] NEW PLYMOUTH, Saturday An extraordinary l'ace opened the programme at the Taranaki Hunt Club's annual races to-day. This was the Hack and Hunters' Hurdles, for which there wero three starters, Tenacre, Calamine and Money Boy. At tho fence in the straight the first time Tenacre dislodged his rider, 11. Mills, who had made.a valiant attempt to cling to his mount's neck. Tho other two horses continued together until reaching the fenco halfway down tho back stretch, when Money Boy, who had been jumping badly, turned a spectacular somersault and fell heavily. Tho animal lay still, temporarily knocked out., while Calamine went on without unduo hasto to win on his own. In the meantime Tenacre had been caught in tho straight and M. Conway, a well-knoAvn trainer, mounted him and trottod him round with tho object of completing tho course and securing placemoney. As Tenacre approached the fenco where Money Boy had como to grief tho latter began to revive. Ho and his rider, A. Jenkins, had fallen across the fenco bounding tho track, but Jenkins remounted him and jumped him back on to the track. A new problem arose when neither horse would jump tho fence. Tenacre baulked several times. Then Money Boy went over and his example spurred tho other horse, which set out in pursuit and quickly caught up to him. The two ran together to tha straight entrance, where Tenacro forged ahead and helped by a bad jump by Money Boy ho increased his lead and came in several lengths to the good, loudly applauded by the crowd, Mr. P. S. Hill, owner of Money Boy, lodged a protest that Tenacre had not jumped tho fenco in tho straight. Tho stewards dismissed it on tho ground that tho fence had been duly jumped, and tho rider drawing the weight, the placings remained. There was another unusual occurrence in the seventh race, the hunters' flat race, for which nine horses accepted. Through a misunderstanding tho totalisator was closed with only £l6B. invested on tho horses' chances, only one-fifth of the pool expected. Investors standing in front of the totalisator wero dumbfounded at tho early closing and waited in a dense mass, many calling out loudly for the machine to be reopened. They waited for ten minutes voicing their disappointment and dispersed to the stands only when the signal was given for tho start of tho race. One horse had only fivo shillings invested on his chance and the others had correspondingly small totals. However, any hope of a big dividend was defeated by the first and second favourites finishing in that order.