THE D.J.C. BIRTHDAY MEETING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2413, 31 May 1900, Page 35

THE D.J.C. BIRTHDAY MEETING.

My friends the growlers may be hard put to it this time to find a peg on which to hang a complaint. The weather proved beautifully fine, the attendance was reasonably, satisfactory if not up to the highest expectations, the starting faultless, the handicapping worthy of the best meeting ever held in New Zealand, and the racing provided a fair proportion of interesting finishes. It would be a pity, however, that the professional grumblers should be hard up for a subject, so I v. ill give them one. They may swear as much as they like at the railway arrangements on the first day. Hundreds of persons who warned to catch the 11.15 train on the Thursday were found struggling for access to the one ticket box, and though the complaint made by the Hon. 6. M'Lean was attended to, and another box opened, a long delay was caused, also much annoyance. The stationmastei; and his men were, as usual, doing all they could to accommodate the crowd, but to the inexpert eye it seemed that the headquarters management were at fault in that they were trying to work on an insufficient plant and a shori staff. If this was not the exact cause of the trouble I don't know what it was. Anyway, the public were very much put about, and it is to be hoped that the experience will bring about better arrangements in future. Evidence that the lesson was taken to heart was provided on the Saturday, when the passengers got to and from the course without unusual or preventible delay. So far as the club is concerned, the only thing to cause a complaint was in regard to the catering department. The tea-room ran out of stock on the Saturdajr, and more waitresses were wanted in the luncheon room. Having ventilated these grievances, and with a passing remark that there -was no band, I pass on to briefly comment on the racing. "Voltaire made the Hurdle Handicap quite a onehorse race. Waiting patiently on his five moderate opponents, he simply smothered them after coming to the last hurdle. There was somo talk of this stake being cut up, but lam sure the best horse won. La Heine lost her rider after going a fm-long in the Hack Handicap, and thereafter Benson held the lead to the distance, where he tired badly, and Witchcraft and Proposal passed him, the first-named winning with very little, to spare. Tom Bviddicomb, the rider of La Reino, got a serious spill. Ho was trying to get up inside of Bcn&on, when the latter bored in, and La Reino, having a lot of way on, had to go inside the barrier post or on to it, Buddjcomb pulled her inside and chicked his head to avoi,d the arm of the barrier^ but

I he could not quite clear the post and cuu.^nt it on the elbow, the impact dragging him off the mare ohd 'causing a compound fracture of the limb, while in the fall he .-uftefed on ugly scalp wound. There being no doctor on the course, Buddicoinb had to be taken to the Dunedin Hospital, and the story got about that his arm would have to be amputated, but happily this proved to be false, and I am pleased to learn that he is doing all right. At the same time it was a narrow shave, and Buddicomb will be incapacitated for some time. The club will, of course, inquire as to whether blame is attachable to anybody. If this is not already proposed, I beg to remind the club that it has a duty to perform in this respect. The story told by some and contradicted by others is that M'Comb, the rider of Benson, was to blame for boring La Reine on to the post. This is a serious accusation, and those who make it ought to sheet it home or take it all back. No doubt the club will afford an opportunity. Another thing the club must do is to see that a doctor is in attendance at every race meeting. A life may be lost some day for want of prompt medical aid if the present happy-go-lucky system is kept up. Fulmen had very little to spore in the Birthday Handicap, yet he won decisively, after running more generously than usual with him and being nicely handled by Derrett. At the end of six furlongs Fulmen was still last, and the public reckoned him 'beaten, but Ted Hankins, noticing that the six furlongs had been cut out in lmin 22sec. remarked to his next-door neighbour that he would win, and almost at once the leaders came tumbling back to Fulmen, while he went on like the stayer that he is, and got thera nice and comfortably, a length and a-half in front. Hankins had Fulmen on the big side, but very fresh smd hearty, and evidently that is the way the hitherto disappointing son of Hilda runs be&t, though, in justice to his previous trainers, I would add that the horse was never so well in his general condition and health as he is just now —not even when, on his looks, he was made first favourite for the New Zealand Cup. -,This is the first year that Ftilmen has started in the Birthday Handicap, and also it is the first year that the race has been run at a mile and a-quarler, so an exact comparison of times is not possible, but Fulmen' s record of 2min 17 3-ssec is faster per furlong than Starshot's 2min 54-sec on the same course last year. I present a list" of \Vtnners of the Birthday Handicap. s>t, lb m. sec. 1891— Fetin-,. 4yiP ... 7 7 2 44 £12 6 3892— D0n Pedro, fiyig ... fj 9 247 7 9 IKOQ-f Melinite. 4yrs •••7 5 9„» f4 8 UM \ Captive, Syr * ..6 0 2 50 \4 12 1894— Hippomenes, Bj-re... 8 8 2 45 5 16 1895— Saracen, oyrs ... 8 fi 2 55i 211 1896— Quiltiri, 3yrs ... 710 2 49| 7 4 18S7- Skirmisher, 6j is ... 8 4 2 47?. 6 8 ISPS-Star.-hot, 4yrs ... 812 2 46~3-5 211 18.09— Sitarshot, syr 3 ... 8 12 2 54 3 10 IfOO-Fulmeu, syrs ... 8 3 2 17 3-5 3 4 Pine had w.eighed out for Picket in the Maiden Plate, and over £120 had gone on to this horse in the totalisator, when Mr Sewell, owner of Galileo, called attention to the fact that at Waimato in 1898 Picket won the St. JPatrick Handicap, of 40=ovs, beating Hangefinder and Glenore, and as the deductions from- that race left Picket's share over £30 he was ineligible, and the officials ordered him back to the paddock, the money invested on him being returned. I think Mr Sewell deserves thanks for speaking in time, instead of risking a protest. On subsequent form I think Picket would have come in first if allowed to start. In his absence Bracken won, King being at him for. about a quarter of a mile. Brisa hung when the tapes went up for the Welter, but made up her ground quickly, and once at the head of affairs nothing else had a chance. The dead heat 'twixt Warring! on and Hippomenes recalled the more celebrated dead heat of three at the Cup meeting, when Sir William, Huntingdon, and Little Fraud came in together. In Thursday's race it was a very fair dead heat. Some say that Derrett, on Warrington, was caught napping. That is not my opinion. The horses seemed to be a fair match at the weights and both were all out. Bristol made no show at all. Glenogle was winning the Tradesmen's Handicap at five furlongs, but failed to see it out, having but a very feeble answer to make when tackled by First Blood, who, by the way, had run in a previous race, and seemed hardly round enough to stand a second go. When the weights for the second day appeared it was found that George Dowse had raised Voltaire 191b for his performance in the first Hurdle Race. This shows what the handicapper thought of the win, and the public evidently considered Mr Bowse's idea justified, for, in a field of seven, they backed the northerner down to odds on. Voltaire, however, never made the least 'show in the race. At no stage was he ever nearer than third, and he finished fourth. The cause I cannot state, but 'I may point out that the time, 3min 3sec. was pretty good considering the stickiness of the going. Waikaia waited on St. Hiko for about a mile and a-quarier and then came away for a rather easy win, and a good dividend. On the first day St. Hiko, receiving 171b, beat Waikaia for places ; therefore, when the handicapper made Waikaia give St. Hiko 161b on the second day it was generally thought Mr Dowse u^as hard on Waikaia. The result of the race proved -that G. D. knew what he was doing. St. Hiko, doing his best each time, had no chance in the second day's finish. The Invermay Welter was a very pretty race all the way. First Blood looked as dangerous as anything at the distance, and yet he finished last. 1 fancy he got jammed on the rails. Higgins cleverly timed St. Denis's run, and possibly had a trifle to spare. Abercrombie and Scottish Minstrel made no show in the Provincial Handicap, but everything else looked likely at one stage or other. Vandyke was first to shut up, then Vanilla, then Nihilist, the latter being headed by Fulmen at the foot of the straight ; but 70yds farther on Brisa came out by herself, and won very easily. The Novel was a mere canter for Hippomenes, who, on the form shown, could have Avon any six-furlong race at the meeting. Glenogle never made a sign in tho Wairongoa Handicap, and Conqueror could not maintain his run; in fact, there was only one in it all the way — that one the veteran Goldspur, who raced very gamely and freely, and pulled up all right. I was pleased to learn that his owner shared in the dividend, thus recouping himself to some extent for previous losses. La Reine was the only one to show any galloping form in the Hack Handicap. I suspect that one or two of the field gave up rather early when they saw the half-sister to Euroolyclon away in front. Jupiter had very little to spare in the Farewell.