"OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND SHUT YOUR EYES."

Otago Witness, Issue 2436, 21 November 1900, Page 40

"OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND SHUT YOUR EYES."

The much discussed honorary stewards question was brought into prominent and unsatisfactory notice at Sandown Park last month, says the Melbourne writer " Javelin. Amongst the 10 starters for the Suburban Handicap were Victory and Liberty, two recent winners over the distance; indeed the continued success of the former had lately been quite a' marked feature of suburban racing. On form neither was over-burdened with weight, and vet while the horses stood at the post stentorian voiced members of the ring were bellowing "200 to 2 against "Victory or Liberty " ! In that field of 10 they finished ninth and tenth respectively, and tha honorary stewards, who "censured" the owner and rider of Liberty, never even asked the Victory folks for an explanation. Under such supervision ( !) how is it possible for the turf to De kept decently clean? "The chairman of the V.R.C. was present,' and if what he witnessed failed to ' convince him of the necessity for .some reform in the appointment of stewards for suburban meetings, then -all I can • say -is. the Victorian turf is in a bad way. In such cases it- may seem somewhat illogical for bookmakers to so pointedly call "dead meat," as offers of 10 to 1 are assuredly not likely to. tempt punters, to back good performers in small fields, but in this particular instance it was apparently a, case of " getting the needle." .Before the favourite* (who won) hardened to 7 to 4, a lot of money was laid against her at longer prices, and when the ,books found that they couldn^t persuade backers, to accept "any price" about two of the best performers in the field, it was perhaps only natural that the little ones should squeak and the big ones .roar! Everybody heard them except the stewards, who may have been toe busily engaged in looking to see whether the favourite was " after it " ! At a recent suburban meeting'a trainer, whom we will call Diek — although thnt is neither his front nor back name — had two horses engaged in a race. A 'backer meeting a friend said, " Look here, I'm in a brfc of a fix ; tell me what you'd do. Before I left town a fellow gave me a sovereign to put on. ' Dick's choice,' and Dick's two are each at 10 to 1!" "You won't be far wrong, old chap, if you put it on the favourite," said hia friend. " But the favourite isn't in Dick'B stable," replied the first speaker. "I know; that," responded the other, "but I'll bet a bit of odds he's ' Dick's choice ' — at any ratej I saw Dick just put a tenner on him ! "