SPORTING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8863, 22 July 1890, Page 2

SPORTING.

THE D.J.C. AND THE NORTHERN OWNERS. Tho following correspondence has been banded to us for publication :— Christchnrch, 11th July 1890. Sydney James, Esq., Seorotary Dunedin Jockey Clob, Dunedin. Dear Sir,—l bug to acknowledge receipt of yours of the 2nd inst., and regret, as I have already intimated, that the spirit'of my letter has been misinterpreted. If you will bs good enough to look through tfc» correspondence ngaiii, you will find that I have not made •' charges of corruption " against the club's handlcapper, and a particular " stable and the condonemeut of the committee." So far from making this charge, we have refrained from even defining before your committee the reasons which led to the withdrawal of our horjcß from the Dunedin Cup j believing, as we have already indicated, that whilst so much party feeling existed no good could result unless the inquiry were held before an outside racing body. That the handicapping for the Exhibition meetting was a common topic of conversation will readily be conceded, as well as tbat it met with much adverse comment both privately and in the newspapers. The criticiems that were current in racing elrales are well known, and I have already given extracts from the newspapers, which are samples oi the opinions held by tho press at the time. Now 1 think a perusal of the correspondence will show that, although I have eontfuued,to,urge that ample grounds existed to warrant a proper inquiry being held, yet we have not made the charge to which your refer. It is true that in response to your Invitation I suggested that your committee should Inquire of your handjeapper his reasons for allotting certain weights to particular horses. This Inquiry was held, and resulted in its being practically admitted that error! pf judgment had been committed. J acpeptrd this decision, and recommended the owners interested to retume their friendly relations with your club. With regard to the alleged insults and assumed dictation I merely exercised ray undoubted right to oriticise a publio body, and I maintain that I did bo in perfectly moderate language. In the interests of racing I have already made suggestions which I hoped would have removed the past friotion, and with tha Bame object in view I now add that if you can quote any passages in my lettßrs which bear out the construction you have put upon them, I will withdraw them. But I am bound to odd that if lam to be made the object of personal attack for having given expression to the dissatisfaction whioh was felt by owners with regard to the recent handicapping I shall not hesitate to defend myself to the end.—l have, &a., Qbo. G. Sthad.

Dunedin Jockey Club Booms, .. ■ . 18th July 1690. Q. Q. Stead. Esq., Chrißtehunjh. Dear Sir,-yotir letter of- nth Insfc. was considered at a special meeting o£ the eommittc'e"pf the Dunodin Jookoy Club held on tho 16th inst. '." It appears to the committee that you are seeking altogether to ignore the real question at ibsub between yourself and the club. Tho question is not one of want o£ judgment merely ou the part of the club's handicapper (which has uover been raised, and certainly not admitted), but one affecting the honotty and integrity of that official in the discharge of tiis duties in connection with a particular stable, with the knowledge anc'. approval of some (if not all) of the members of the committee, Ihe Interpretation wh!ch must be pat upon your insinuations and charges has been repeatedly pointed out to you, and you cannot therefore be ignorant of what|the real issue is; but up to the present moment you have pertis'.entiy refused either to amplify your charges or to disclaim the interpretation put upon yo-nr insinuations by the committee (and endowed by the pnblln). Inc.committee feel therefore that it would be baly a useless waste of.time.and would lead to no good result to enter upon a renewal of the correspondence as to the meaning of your insinuations. As to jour being made the object of personal at-

taok. If It la 10 you havo brought the position upon yourself In forolnjj this prolonged and disagreeable oorxespondeaoo. The committee cannot be hold responsible for your desertion by those who were Induced to join you in the first ill-advised communication on the subject. If you have reasonable evidence In support of your .iDßinuntions, or even good grounds for sußplolon, the committee have a right to demand to be made awara of them. They will then assist you In every possible j way to Investigate the matter fully, and to bring the parties, if found guilty, to disgrace and punishment. If on the other hand you have unwittingly used expressions calculated to be Injurious to the reputations of men who have long held and still oocupy honourable positions. It could nob' be considered derogatory to any gentleman to disclaim the intention of having imputed the dishoiiournblo motlvcß which the Inuguuge used 1)R8 been supposed to oxpress. It appears to the committee that these are the only two courses open to you, and it la for you to decide between them. • The committee see no reason to depart from tho determination conveyed to you in my letter of and lost., and they have now Instructed me to give the club's handicapper official notice of what Ib required of him. "; I enclose for your information oopy of my letter to him.—l have, &c, Sromty James, secretary D.J.O. Dunedln Jockey Club, Duneain, July 19,1890. George Dowse, Esq., Korth-Hast Valley. Dear Sir,—Referring to tbe correspondence between the commltteeof the Dunodin Jootoy Club and Mr G. G. Stoad relative to your handicapping for the Exhibition meeting (full oopy of which I enclose for your Information), I have to state that the committee are of opinion that Mr Stead has therein mado Insinuations and statements derogatory to your hoDour and Integrity as a handicapper. Mr Stead having failed, although repeatedly requested to do so, either to withdraw or amplify these charges, the committee are decidedly of opinion that the matter cannot ba allowed to rest In its present position, and that they csnnot with propriety, as the governing body of an important racing oiub, oontinue to employ you as handloapper whilst such a stigma rests upon your character. I am inatruoted to request, therefore, that you will send in your resignation as handlcapper. As, howover, the oommitteo are fully satisfied of your honour and integrity, I am to add that If you elect to bring an action lv the Supreme Court against Mr Stead in order to havo the whole question fully ventilated, and to clear your character of the aspersions mado against you by that gentleman, the committee will allow the acceptance of your resignation to remain In abeyance pending tho result of the action, and on that your future connection with the club will depend.—l am, &0., Stdnby jAiiffl, Secretary.

THE GRAND NATIONAL MEETING.

Chbistciiubch, July 21. The Grand National meeting is not exciting the usual interest. Ahua is doing good work, and is a strong favourite for the big steeplechase. Ixion and Erin-go-Bragh did capital gallops this morning, and are most fancied for the Grand National Hardies. Leonardo and Darnley look stale. The former pulled up lame, and tbe latter persistently refused to jump the schooling fences to-day. Squib, Daddy Longlegs, and Little Aether aro reported well, but have not yet arrived. Sir Maurice hau made a favourable impression.