OTAKI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2413, 31 May 1900, Page 36

OTAKI.

This is the meeting for big field?. It is ri&ht in the back breeding centre, ancl v/hils they have plentj^ of Ihesse horses they ran them often. At last week's meeting there were 147 starters for the 14- events — an average of 10a per race. The machine betting, however, secuia to be on the down grade. In 1897, when the meeting was for the firat time lengthened to two day*,, .89480 passed through the totalisator ; in 1893, the total reached £10,463; last year it was £7787; this year, £7770. I notice, also, that the weight-for-age rice has disappeared irom the programme. Still it remains a fine meeting of its closs, and this season it provided some capital racing for the amusement of the large crowd of onlookers. . Haydn, winner o[ the Hack Hurdles, was prominent all through and outstayed Agent-General. Tokatea stumbled bicliy. Eketerina, etc., looked lika winning the Otaki Hack Handicap until she stumbled ; after ohat it was an easy thing for Gcbo, who by the way, belongs to the lucky Advance stable. Nobility gave nothing else a show in the Maiden Flat Race ; he simply played with his opponents. The Rauka,wa. Cup was a capital contest. Tho whole crowd ran in a bunch till reaching the straight, where Volley and Paiby- Twist went ahead together and ran a dead-heal. Mcsze, another of Mr Doiiglas Gordon's fast ones, waited on her field in the Welter till well into the siraigh>, v.hen she rr.ade a run £hal smothered the others. Waituna and Lady Agnes made the running in the Flying, but in the last furlong had to resign to Ngatoiiuia and Bonus, of whom the iirstnampd won easily. Derrin^coite had no trouble in accounting for the Rangiuru Handicap, and it if a mystery how he was allowed 10 pay £9 2s corsiderinn; his recent form. On tl:o second day fii^ht Metal could not quite see out the Trinl Hurdie^, and Sweet Oil won hi fast time b^ half_ a length. Five of the s^ivsro in the Olmu Jrlack Handicap had a tay hi the finia*!, and Nobility had to be punished to zfi'j hoi'ie by a head from Conea. DerriiiEjeoLte, handicapped to get 151b I'-oin Unamakunga on the first day, was put on level weights with that horse on the second, and both received half a stone from Volley. I crti referring to the Tc Horo Handicap. I'Uo Onyx made the running, but Derringcotte agaiu won tnia time by only a neefc. J.'Oiius, backed clown 10 a &horl price, won the Telegraph 'Welter, and after t'ne Second Hack Hurdles had provided a little vaiieLy by ihe victory of an outsider, two more certainties were brought off by C. Jenkins, namely, Sentry in the Railway Handicap arid JOondyke in the Huir.r Scurry. The smpllnos* of the dividends was one of t'-.e fenhues of the meotmq'. Either it was had handicapping or miraculous picking, or — is the third possibility ent.ertainafo.le? — was there a little rowing in?