RIDERS TOLD TO BE CAREFUL

NZ Truth, Issue 1272, 17 April 1930, Page 13

RIDERS TOLD TO BE CAREFUL

, JUDICIAL WARNING WAS GIVEN BOYS AND THE SEQUEL Jockeys riding at Hastings the first day must have gone but for the earlier races laboring under some feelings of grave doubt. PRIOR to the start of the day's racing the saddle-Bitters were collected arid given a lecture by the judicial committee. , / One of that body, Harold Russell, came up and told Press -writers that the committee had warned Jockeys that they— the ' committee — viewed with alarm the succession of accidents In i running, and that Hastings: was not going to have anything like that happen; ■ Boys who strayed from the straight and narrow path, during races woufd be severely dealt with. The Press men thanked Mr. Russell for passing on the information, but, knowing only too well the capabilities of amateur stewards, they refrained from telling Mr. Russell just what re-* suits his committee would _ achieve. As was expected, after such a warning, the ''basher" gang started early Int the day, but the stewards either mis-* construed the actions of these inter* ference kings, or failed to see the hap» penings. ■ . • One horse was all but knocked over going out of the straight, but the cloud of dust that the leaders ■-. had raised must have blotted out the incident for the stewards. And their stand was less than fifty yards away! Likte m the day "Truth" mentioned the curtain lecture to a well-known rider, but what that rider had to say ■about -stewards who make threats and then fail to live up to them, cannot bo repeated. . They say .the proof of the pud- ' ding;is m the eating. Well, if leotures such as was delivered at Hastings are going to minimise . rough and foul riding give us less r lectures. Peeds, not words, I« what counts.