Late Sporting.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 996, 3 April 1891, Page 19

Late Sporting.

THE WAIRARAPA RACING CLTJB AUTUMN MEETING. (By Vigil int.) ~ The Wairarapa Racing Club are evidently well on the road of progress. They have a very pretty and good course and capable and energetic officers ; and last Monday’s meeting, a full report of which appears elsewhere, showed that they have the appreciation and confidence of the public, for it was a treat to see the crowd of delighted and apparently prosperous settlers who wore there. A very gratifying feature was the large number of ladies present. The grand stand was all too small to accommodate the people who flocked into it, and I am glad to hear that it is the intention of the stewards before their next meeting to enlarge it by extending it another 20 feet in length. This will of course enable them to increase the size of the luncheon room, stewards’ room, and other offices. While they are carrying out these alterations they should also utilise the roof for standing accommodation. I notice that the members’ and stewards’ stands have been considerably improved since the New Year, and the secretary tells me that the saddling paddock and lawn will have their limits extended, and that the stewards are determined not to rest until they have made their course as complete as those of the metropolitan clubs. The Autumn Meeting has, I hear, resulted in a profit of between £3OO and £4OO, so that there will be no difficulty about funds. The racing on Monday was very interesting, and one noticeable feature was the success of animils bred by the late Mr J. O. Yallance. Mr Ray’s Comet, the winner of the double — Flying and President’s Handicaps—first saw the light in the Kaliumingi paddocks, and so did Waihora, winner of the First Hack Race. Deception, too, although bred by Mr D. McMaster, owns the Kaliumingi stallion, Voltigeur, as her sire. In the Hurdle Race Lone Hand fairly settled the pretensions of General Gordon, and the latter has apparently been an over-rated horse..- In the Hack Hurdles there. was little to choose between Depression and Timothy, but tha former w; ■ apparently still suffering from the effects of the knock she got at the Hutt at the last Summer Meeting. Forester looked well, and his running indicated that he is coming on satisfactorily. In the Grand Stand Handicap it looked at tho turn as if he were going to win, but Gravestock got blocked in trying to get up on tho inside. Egalite looked well, but is evidently only half fit. When really well he should be a'profitable second string for Mr Ray. Wanderer was looking better than I have seen him for a loDg while, and it is a mystery to me how his owner came to be obliged at the last moment to put up 9ib extra (I am told he really carried 111 b over but only declared 91b). With his net weight the President’s Handicap must have been a very close thing between Wanderer and Comet. apparently very well, but not so fit as he can be made. He is one of the pretty sorb, and gives one the idea of being soft when he is not, so that it is possible he may be in better condition than bis looks indicate. Of the hacks Brookfield, Mahara, Deception, and Waihora were decidedly tho pick, and tho first-named, who looks more iike a racehorse every day, made a gallant fight of it in the Second Hack Race in spite of bis 9st 31b. In the same race Mahara, Bst 10lb, showed up prominently for the greater part of the distance, but did not finish with the resolution he showed at Opaki. The First Hack Race was completely spoiled by the wretched start, and I must say that this was the blot of the meeting. Of course the fact of Mr T. H. Hill not turning up put the stewards in a quandary, and they had to get the best substitute they could. Mr Cundy was painstaking and patient, but he has not the knowledge of the art to be an efficisut starter.

The starting question is becoming a burning one in racing circles, and to my mind the time has nearly arrived when every club will recognise the fact that it is necessary to pay more attention to efficiency in this department. The only way to secure this is for several clubs to combine and pay a man who is thoroughly capable. Starting is an art which only a few men can attain, and there are only 'a few competent starters in the Colony. If six or eight clubs joined and each paid say £SO a year towards giving a good man £3OO or £350 a year. A starter’s office is a very responsible one and he must be well paid. They could then depend upon their handicappers’ work receiving a fair trial. As it is the club’s pay large sums to handicappers only to have their work knocked into a cocked hat by incompetent starters. The subject is one which demands longer treatment than I have space for now, but it is a very important one and I shall return to it in my next. ______