DUNEDIN RACES

Otago Witness, Issue 1777, 12 December 1885, Page 19

DUNEDIN RACES

TO THE EDITOR.

Slit, — Yourself or anyone visiting our Dunedin Jockey Club races cannot but be surprised at the very scant consideration shown to the safety of both horses and riders engaged in hurdle races. At your meetings about four hurdles, with a small wing placed on the extreme outside of the course is all the space allowed for a field of perhaps a dozen horses. Many a valuable stake has been lost to owners from this cause. It has also caused jostles, and in some cases been an encouragement to foul riding by this miserable policy of saving a few hurdles. It is indeed fortunate no very serious accidents have occurred, as would most assuredly occur, if a horse or two fell over these narrow obstacles in front of the field. The hurdles should be placed right across the course. Hurdle races are more interesting and swell the attendance of the public more than any other race, and receive least consideration. The steeplechase is also a miserable farce, as few people care to run a horse over fences erected the same morning of the race, and have no opportunity of knowing the nature of the country the animal may have to negotiate till saddling up. A permanent steeplechase course should be erected insido the training course if it is considered advisable to hold such races at all, if not they should be erased from the programme. — I am, &c., [Arthur Smith. December 4,