ROUGH RIDING RAMPANT.

NZ Truth, Issue 72, 8 December 1906, Page 2

ROUGH RIDING RAMPANT.

The Jockeys' Joust. Stone-blind Stewards. When Rosegrove fell m the Railway Welter, at Feildihg, and unseated his rider, the onlookers held their breath ; for as the horse .careered on again m wild affright, Young was seen dangling head, downwards with his foot entangled m the stirrup and few doubted that they were witnessing a tragedy. Rosegrove, however, seemed instinctively anxious to keep clear of his jockey, and by what Charles Lamb would term a fortunate piece of misfortune, Young I escaped with a severe shaking— his stirrup iron giving way at a critical moment. As he returned to the " enclosure his face beamed with his usual smile and the crowd accorded him an ovation. It was expected on all sides that there would be an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the accident, but as no complaint was lodged with the > .stewards they evidently deemed it unnecessary to take action. .Some of the jockeys who took part m Ohat race must be congratulated on the fact that there* was no necessity for a Coroner's inquest ; but ho* and why •ijhfey escaped the wrath of the Feildinp; stewards is altogether beyond common comprehension, for a more', palpable case of deliberate Tnifitlinf? "-siiW; bumping was never •tfii/nessed. It was n?t the ovJin&ry '''.•':■.■--'■•' •

| "crowding of a' big field, it, was not : . 'mer6 pockettirig, bu.t three or four of' Yaung!s nearest attendants 'seemed; 'united m. a de.te'rm.ined .effort to Hoist; him into 'the clouds ; and for a. second tie seemed bound to be thrown, in* ; to the inner course. What the feelings of the clique Were, when thfy -j observed the mishap,.. canrioit-V.'be--gauged, but it is to be hoped -that; they 'recognise that the tnatter 'was' carried rather far. Had' the 1 "aicci-.; dent" taken place anywhere m the vicinity ' of the straight/ an inquiry , would have been the inevitable procedure ; but because it all happened away from the crowd and was shorn of tragic consequenoes the stewards had no hesitation m shirking their duty. At the last Otaki meeting the filly Lomaria was dealt with m a similar manner during the running' of the Trial Handicap and no action was taken ; but surely something better might be expected from a club which boasts such a standing as the. Feilding Club does. It. is quite conceivable that a jockey placed m Young's position has no wish to lay his complaint before the stewards. What is the use of those gentlemen if they have to be pushed into doing their duty ? If they fail to take action on their own initiative, jockeys will cease to expect protection from them and some day they will be set the ! task of unravelling a veritable chaos which may as easily as not appear m the form of a pile of mangled corpses. Another phase of the question is this. The club owes a great deal of its income to the totalisator commission and it is to its own interests to see that the public get a fair run for their, money. Rosegrove was one of the favorite fancies for this particular race and his backers, much to their chagrin, saw their money fall a few yards from the barrier. However, this is a minor detail compared with the risk of life. If the different racing clubs are not more alive to their duty they will find the police authorities stepping m before them and taking the action they so glaringly fail m themselves. This is a contingency to be avoided at all hazards, and yet it is undeniable that there is too great a tend-

ency to pass over matters like the Feilding and Otaki cases mentioned, simply because they are not attended with serious consequences. It would be no tiling short of lunacy to/allow a criminal to go scot free because he fired a pistol and chanced to miss his human target ; and the stewards of racing clubs will find it the rankest folly to show laxity m dealing "with ruffianly, murder-chancing, horsemen. Serious fatal accidents are of rare occurrence on the New Zealand courses, but this is no excuse for the officials to fall into lackadaisical methods and supinely neglect their iduty, A class of jockeys exists m the colony composed 1 ' of young fellows who think it advisable (possibly, essential) to either bump or pocket' an active adversary immediately the barrier rises. Jl'be sooner the racing clubs succeed m replacing this impression by a wholesome amount of fear, the better it will be for all concerned. In the case under notice the stewards of the Feilding Club undoubtedly missed a, great opportunity of sending some of the mannikins who indulge m foul riding for a long "holiday, and satisfying the public that they, have some slight" idea why they are m the position they hold.