AN OWNER'S RIGHTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2426, 12 September 1900, Page 40

AN OWNER'S RIGHTS.

Mr B. C. White, a colonial sportsman now •in England, won the Liverpool Cup with Skopos. Prior to the race many thought he 'would win it with the Lochiel mare Old Olo'. lhat expectation led to some friction between „the owner and the public. The facts are narrated by "Robin Bood " in his letter to the Australasian of date July '20. He writes : I .append a letter from Mr H. C. White, which appeared in Sportsman of Monday lost. Of coin se, every owner has a right to do what he dikes with his own, and to write what he likes ior the benefit or otherwise of the public. But, as a recorder of facts, I am obliged to say that in sporting circles and by the sportingpress, tho comments on Mr White's communication are hardly favourable. The public "liave generally been somewhat in the cold .■when' horses from the Australian stables, ■which include Mr White's horses, have scored —Georgie, to wit. This i, quite within the rights of the patrons of the stable ; for in racing as in everything else, one has to look after oneself first. Still, once more to record plain fact, as the colours of the majority of Australian owners in England are not popular, I tfelt quite certain when I read Mr White's jjetter it would be, as I have said, reviewed unttavourably by the sporting press here. I have rather run away with my subject, for I have aiot yet given the letter. Here it is in extenso : — "When I saw that my mare, Old Clo', pad been made favourite for the Liverpool iC'up, I took some trouble to find out who was /backing her. As I have come to the conorujsion that she has been backed by speculators, jwho intend to make a profit by presently layling against her at a much shorter price, and las I have no desire to play into the hands of

nfchese gentlemen, I wish to warn the general •public that the mare is a doubtful starter, as mo jockey has yet been engaged to ride her. The information — doubtless supplied to you by one who has an interest in shortening her price^ — that J. Reiff will ride her is quite incorrect. I was under the impression that his services would be required by Lord W. Beresord, who, I understand, has second call, and w have not asked if he could ride for me, I

have come to the conclusion that anie-poat betting is a mistake, and is oniy prorila-ble to the .speculative iratermty, who, after a hoiYe has been made a false labourite, trust to the natural di°like of owners to be considered unsportfmanlike to prevent the hor o e being scraccuec". Therelore i take thi«s opportunity of letting the public kno.v that I do not consider my hordes as public properly until they go into the raddling paddock, and if the puolic -.vifh in future to speculate on them before the day, they will do .so knowing that 1 t=hall l.oL' consider the fact ol one of my horses being a so-called public f a\ ourite lenders it incumbent on me to run him." Extract from "HotapiirV notes in the Daily Telegraph :—": — " The owner of Old Clo', Mr it. C. "White, docs net seem to appreciate [he fact that she has leceived flattering treatment for the Liverpool Cup. In a letter to a contemporary he has given the warning, as &o many vexed owneis have before fmn, that she is not public property, and threatena thai >-he may be withdrawn irom the important handicap next week. On that head he can, of course, plea&e himself, and the presence or absence of Old Olo' would neither make nor spoil the Liverpool Cup. When, however, Mr V\'iute expivsses his belief that ante-poot betting is a mistake, he can scarcely be complimented upon the correctness of the reasons advanced. It -rtas very profitable to the stable that he supports when Georgie won the Cambiidgeshire, and would have been even more so had not Irish Ivy crossed the path of Airs and Graces in the same handicap last October." As I wrote on July 20, Old plo' is still second favouiite to Maluma for the race Mr White refers, to, and she was backed for substantial sums at Newmarket yesterday. "Robin Goodlellow, ' in to-day's Daily Mail, comments on this as follows:- — "Mr White's, warning to the public that Old Clo' ih not a certain runner for the Liverpool Cup does, not appear to cause any uneasiness to his personal friends, who both on Wednesday and again yesterday invested very heavily on the mare. Perhaps when the race is over he will further enlighten the public as to this fact." For my own part, I quite expect that, notwithstanding all this fuss, the mare will run, and iur> prominently, too.