AUTUMN MEETING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2668, 3 May 1905, Page 52

AUTUMN MEETING.

Bt Fbitz.

The New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club's autumn gathering, covering three daysi, was begun on Wednesday last, the opening day having been postponed from the previous Saturday, owing to the heavy rainfall. It was thought by many that the club made a. mistakej in not going on with the gathering on. the date originally fixed, inasmuch as a large number of outside visitors to Christchurch, the majority of whom went away at the conclusion of the C.J.C. autumn meeting, could not participate in the sport. However, as it turned out, the postponement was a fortuyte one, fine weather being experienced every day. The track, according to those who had to drive or ride upon it, has never been in better order, and the caretaker deserves every credit, not only for his good work in this direction, but also for the general state of the enclosures and surroundings. The officials all round are to be congratulated pjj like general excellence

*f their efforts, a word of special praise being > due to the secretary and handicapper. Since the last meeting, several improvements have been effectedj^the most noticeable being the installation of an electric clock. This , faces the judge's box,' and can easily be seen ' by those facing it, though it is questionable - if it has formed a material or useful advancement. The timepiece is started by the starter ! and stopped by the timekeeper in the box, and , though the time shown differed slightly from that registered by watchholders, especially "on the -opening day, this was not so noticeable subsequently. The clock, of course, can only register the time as taken from the limit ~ horse, and after deducting the handicap, say, Jfrom ifche time registered by the winning . scratch horse, the two sets of figures are shown in. plain numbers above the dial. It has been Suggested that enthusiasts would watch the hands, and so discover the time put up )>y . any horsei over- half a mile or double that distance; but my experience shows that the race itself is of much more importance to the- majority than is the time, especially as it is not at all easy on a .five-furlong track to strike intermediate distances. The meeting was almost entirely free from that ancient bugbear of trotting — protests and inquiries. The one exception occurred on the last, day, in -connection with the contest for the Fliers' 'Handicap. The American mare Kbrice was 'sent out strong favourite, but she -began slowly, and her chance appeared ] .to be hopeless. "However, .a quarter of *. mile ■from^ home' the. , pace Began, to tell .upon the leaders,-; Pygmilionf and. Myrtledean, . -and' Norice; r pacing'at a .strong- gait, and "Verax,-who ■was" alscr- finishing' very'fast," got close, to- the j leading* pair.' * When. , f airly.,in , the. . straight, ' Myztledemn- gave way-to Verax and' Nonce, and i . 70yds- from*' the- judge rid. one- could select the 1 -! possible winner. The three horses were being i ' driven" Tit-, their "utmost speed,' *Bßd when be-j i. tweeif 40yds and '50yds from the post Norice and -then Verax broke. Neither having returned to the proper gait "when the race was over, the stewards^ after a lengthy inquiry,, decided to disqualify Nbrice, the winner, and Veraxi •who" finished scond, and placed Pygmalion first, Electioneer second, and Flora. G. third*. Naturally, the verdict met with a, mixed 're-ception,-those in favour of ~ Nbrice and. Verax holding that asthe rules provided thatbreak- - ing* on the /post carries no greater penalty fhan at, any; other - part of the race, neither^ - •hbuld have* been distanced. It was stated, I 'understand, in evidence that the driver of Norice struck his mare .after she had broken. It may he held- that this action would 1 scarcely assist the mare* to strike her gait again, though. one cut of a -whip- frequently has that: effect, in. conjunction; of course, with a .discreet handling of the lines. No one suggested that either horsa was deliberately forced to .breaks but the stewards evidently held the opinion, hy their decision, that sufficient effort was" notmade to- steady "them - after they had done so: Ifthey believed that- the driver of Norice made an error in striking her after she had broken, that argument could not apply to the' pilot of VeraXr -sand' one reason, perhaps,' for the' latter's disqualification- appeara~to be that the^cdncials &eraed~it;inadvasablWto'discfrminate between- 1 thenr.'_-~"lffc, is-jonly; fair to state, that Norice's 'lobbies broke, whichicaused her to "go upi" Thongfif opinions differ . as to the justice -of the' stewards' action, their decision conveys a salntary;- waning- which, cannot, be -ignored by thoß&%ho* ."go a-trbtting."".."" /" ". >-' - Some remarkably fast .times 1 were registered at the meeting, the record' put up by-the-two-year-old Sal -Tasker in the Speedwell. Handicap: ok. the first day- and in. the Juvenile Race on- Saturday- •being -particularly meritorious. lii -Hie former' she paced the mile comfortably - Sir -2.27^ winning very easily, and ,in "the Juveniler Stakes the daughter* of Rothschild and Jessie cut out" tEe eight furlongs in the remarkably fast time of 2.20. The filly is owned by an enthusiastic- Tady supporter of the sport, ancT was trained- by- D. •T. Price. Sal' Tasker's performance will-p robably stand' -for many a long day> Her sire is 3 _one of the- most- successful we have ever. had. Jessie, her dam, was a* fine .-performer in her" day, and writing from memory, I think she holds a- record of 2.25, registered on a half-mile track. She is now being driven^ by Mr J. B. Reid. Mention, of the. Juvenile Stakes reminds me that- the three starters were all sired by Rothschild, and it.- would be difficult to find, a trio equal to them- Lord Elmo's dam;' Judah.-was bred at Honolulu, and race prominently here,, whilst the mother ofJßelle'Vue, P.auline, .was another well-known performer. Both are handsome colts, each, gifted, considering their age, witk great speed,, and both should prove stalce-earners in the > near future. "" It is rumoured that the" club does not intend to includer a race for juveniles in future, but I think it would be unwise to discontinue such races, for although they may not prove -financial successes, a-J compared -with other events, they serve to -introduce tis to the best young- - -sters of the" year, and give encouragement to breeder s~ — First Day. — One of the features on the- opening day was {he- success achieved by the southern trainer,* A. Bnngle, who had the pleasure of piloting three horses to viobory-^-viz. : Queen V., General Griff, and Frances- H.- Though, favourites more Hha-trheld their own,* the racing was all that .could -be- desired, and specul«tion raa fadiiy brisk, the sum of £7658 being put through the totalisators.. - '"' -". ; - , Foe tme-:first hair of the journey in" the Intro-d-actbry Handicap Lord Althorp's colours were prominent, -those "of Belle Vue- and Master Poole ,*-, bowing next in the order named, but with five furlongs to go Mastei Poole was in charge of affairs, andthough the two-year-otd Belle Vue trotted a fine race he suffered defeat "by a length and a-half, Master Poole being Teturnedr-.t&e winner, whilst Valentia was in third place." General Grigg was sent out favourite in the Autumn Handicap, and the- popular selection secured the stak~c~ Sierra held the fort temporarily, but he quickly gave way to General Grigg -and Big Jim, and the laat-namedi pair trotted in the order given for the -remainder of the journey, General Grigg securing a fourlengths' advantage from Big Jim as the judge •was passed; whilst Sierra finished) third, 50 yards behind the second horse. The Dunedin mare Queen V. went away at a great -r>ace art; the start of the. New Zealand Handicap, Blythechild and Vestina also travelling strongly. At the half-distanoe Queen V. ■was leading Vesiina, both going well, but over -the last lap the latter broke badly, and! could ■not be- induced- to settle down again, with the result that she was headed by Blythechil'd 1 and , Imperialism-. ~ -In tha , meantime Queen V. -paced home an easy winner from Blythechild, •with Imperialism in third place. 2ib fewer than 24 horses' started for the Jiadies' - Bracelet^ and the favourite, Te Poxangi,. who led all the way, won with the greatest ease from Woodburn Chief, who got' %way slowly, and, -also brok© badly. Ir.E.A. finished -third in front of a- strung-out -field, some being over'halE,a mile behind the winner. Frances H: 'had mutters all her own way in the Advance Handicap, and picked up the igtake- comfortably, defeating Glenroy by 30 yards, 'Possum losing second place by a length mad a-haH. ' ; „ Belle Vue began well in the Dash Handicap, mad with three furlongs traversed he was showing the way to Lady Mab and Broncho Bill. Igiiteijn^ the b&ok stretch. Ladj Mah closed

T on Belle Vue, bu+ then left her feet, and Bell© Vue went on well clear of his opponent. Before reaching the next turn, however, the latter's hobbles broke, and he came down , heavily, but fortunately without apparently 1 injuring his driver or himself. From this out Lady Ma-b had matters all her own way, and won easily from Broncho Bill, with Sunbeam ! thiid. Anstrey and Huon King raced together for four furlongs in the Express Handicap, but the former broke, and Huon King holding his position to the end defeated Bushman with the greatest ease, Electioneer Belle half a length behind the second horse. The result of the Speedwell Handicap, the last race of the day, was never in doubt, as Sal Tasker at one© went to the lead, and never giving "her antagonists a chance paced home am easy victress from the fast-finishing Specialist, the latter defeating Lady Elmo for second place by several lengths. — Second Day. — The meeting was continued on Thursday, and better racing hai.. never been seen on any trotting track in the colony.. The Metropolitan Handicap, which formed the main attraction,, was a particularly fine race, and was won by one of the performers we have ever had~.- Black Child is a beautifully clean trotter, and though, there are a few judges who coni aider that he. " climbs " somewhat, there is no doubt that his climbing propensities have enabled him to - register -deeds which should have ! left him free from, such criticism. He is a great horse — a good-shaped one at that, — and seeing that he left the two miles behind; him i in 4min 41 sec, from scratch I think I am correct ! in suggesting- that he is one of our champions. : Some of. the minor events were captured by outsiders — a- fact, which, filled a few pockefcs. onljy, and probably decreased the totalisatorj returns. The sum. of £6528 was invested durf ing~ the .afternoon, as against £7864 for the corresponding day laat year. The winner of the opening race — Birchma-rk — did not start on the opening day, but when he. did the public would; have nothing else, and he won tbe April Handicap with, the greatest ease from Block Prince and' L.E.A. ' Electrician never gave his numerous opponents much-chanc-i in the Ladies' Bracelet, 30 yards separating the gelding and the favourite, Wili Arab, as they passed the judge, with Len _Eo*B®chiia in third position. Investors pinned their faith Jo Veneda, Te Whiti, and Soubrino in the order named in the Harvest Handicap, "but neither of the trio could, hold, the outsider Tea Tree, who picked up- the stake" comfortably by 50 yards from. Veneda, Te^ Whiti finishing in third position. Black Child 2sec, Verax 6sec, General Lincoln 9sec, Cocoanut and Elector 10s ec each, and Imperialism and Florin llsec each constituted the Metropolitan Handicap field, General Lincoln carrying the bulk of the money. Imperialism began slowly, and Florin showed ' the way past the stand to Cocoanut and Elector.' With, half the distance covered, Florin held, a- two-lengths' lead from Cocoanut, and Elector- (together). General Lincoln and Slack Child improved their positions during .the next half-mile, and commencing the • last- lap -Verax also - drew up ,-to the leaders. A little - more than a furlong from the posft General _ Lincoln, had taken charge, butfjhe-- was unable to. hold Black. Child in the inn ."home, and suffered defeat by three lengths, Cocoanut eight lengths away in third place, and Verax fourth. Another outsider in. Miss Banks appropriated' the Easter Handicap, after an interesting struggle had been witnessed over the. 'mile and a-half. Austerlitz, the favourite, appeared to have the race won, .hut he tired badly, and gave pride of place to Miss Banks, who ran home a comfortable winnSr by 10 lengths. . from - General Grigg, who passed Austerlitz when ■ near the winning post. ' Still another outsider in Revenue pulled through in the . President's Handicap, defeating that unfortunate mare Felony, by a length and st-half, another well-backed one in Valentia filling third place. "Felony led the field, going apparently well within herself, half a mile from home, but she could not hold her advantage. •• Only £18 10s was invested on Bessie B. in the Telegraph. Handicap, but she won all the same, and paid the best dividend of the meeting — viz., £35 10s, a most unusual thing in a field of good ones. Before reaching the half distance the favourite, Directo, was out in front of Bessie 8., Robert Emxnett, and Marion, but just before reaching the straight the leader tired, and- a splendid race home resulted in Bessie B. •winning by a neck from Marion, with Directo three lengths away in third place. In a field of, 11 harnessed up for the Flying Handicap, Myrtledean was sent out very sultry, and the foteign-hred mare simply raced away from her antagonists, and won from end to end. Wild Wave filled second All Day third .positions. — Third Day. — • ( The racing on the concluding day of the meeting was even better than that witnessed on Wednesday and Thursday, and some wonderfully fast performances were recorded; indeed, it can safely be asserted that better or speedier racing has never been seen, on any track south' of the line. The totalisator investments amounted to £7844 10s, the" total for the three days representing the sum of 21,830, as against £24,767 for the corresponding period last year. The principal attraction for the day was the Grand Free-for-AU, run over two laps of the course, or equivalent to about a mile and a-quarter. No fewer than eight firstclass horses were harnessed up for this event — viz., ' Monte Carlo, Nbrice, Flora G., Lopp, Vickery, Black Child, Hamlin, and Boldrewood. Norice and Lopp were made decided fa-vouriteSj^ whilst Black Child had many friends. At the third attempt the field was despatched, Nbrice, on the outside, beginning quickly, whilst Black Child, on the rails, had! a bit the worst of the start. Norice at once ran to the front, and, with a furlong covered, she was leading Lopp by a couple of lengths, Vickery and Monte Carlo coming next, and Black Child bringing up the rear. With a lap covered, Norice was comfortably holding premier position, the other positions being unchanged. Running round to the back stretch, Vickery paced alongside Lopp, and the latter shortly afterwards retired. Norice easily kept her opponents in check, and finished up the journey a couple of lengths in advance of Vickery, Monte Carlo four lengths away in third place, and Black Child fourth.- The time — 2.52 2-ssec, or equal to a gait of about 2.18 for the mile. Vestina gave a fine exhibition in the Highclass- -Handicap, the Vancleve mare having .her antagonists in trouble by the time she registered, covering the two miles in 4.47. [ Darwin was in front for half a mile, but at I the half distance Queen Mab was leading Bushman, Birchmark, and Vestina. Tha lastnamed assumed command over the last lap, and, going right away from the field, won easily by 10 lengths from Birohmark, who defeated Queen Mab by~ about 50yda for scond place. Owing to colliding with Black Prince, Ngapara came down. Te Whiti annexed the Halswell Handicap by 10 lengths from Veneda, with Mona in third pla-ce. Hugg King was grorajnent 3,ur-

ing the first half of the race, but he retired shortly after entering the second mile.

Six first-class horses contested the Champion Handicap, of 200sovs. Vaunt, who has not been seen out for some time, receiving the greatest amount of support. G-eneral Lincoln declined to leave the mark, and Vickery and Vaunt came down the straight almost together. Vaunt' headed the breaking Vickery during the first lap, Boldrewood pacing third, and Black Child bringing up the rear. "With one lap to go, Vaunt was still striding away in the lead, whilst Monte Carlo and Black Child had improved their positions. Vaunt was not to be denied, and he finished three lengths in front of Vickery, with Black Child third and Monte Carlo fourth. Vaunt covered the journey in 4.43 3-5, Vickery in 4.44 3-5, and Black Child in 4.39 3-ssec.

The Juvenile Stakes, upon which I have already commented, proved a gift to Sal Tasker, the filly catching Lord Elmo at the half-distance. From this out Sal Tasker was never troubled. Belle Vue was never dangerous, and it is quite possible that he was feeling the effects of his fall on the second daj- of the meeting.

Norice, who was making her first appearance at the meeting, was regarded as holding a mortgage over the Fliers' Handicap Stake, but though she finished first, as recorded above, she was disqualified for cantering past the post, as also was the second horse Verax, and the race awarded to Pygmalion, who finished third.

The Farewell Handicap was contested by 11 horses, a couple of comparative outsiders in Discoverer and Austerlitz filling first and second positions. - Discoverer was practically in front the whole way, Directo accompanying him over the first part, the pair being followed -by Fichu, Austerlitz, and Cocoanut. Discoverer, who was vigorously ridden over the last half-mile, lasted just long enough to defeat Austerlitz by a couple of lengths, Cocoanut some six lengths away.