A QUESTION OF " WAIT."

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 55

A QUESTION OF " WAIT."

Some followers of racing are strongly in favour of sticking strictly to figures, and would allow weight adjusters very little or no latitude in the eompikitions of their handicaps. It was not so in the old days, as the following anecdote of Admiral R-CU3 will show:— Though apt to be unduly influenced by prejudice, the late Admiral Rous was a really smart man, and whoever succeeded in blinding the old salt to the merits of an animal with whom it was desired to win a big handicap deserved to "cop" when the horse was slipped. Shunting was regarded then as a necessary evil, and the fact of a hor=e_ having- been pulled did not provoke the indigmtion that would nowadays be raised against the offender— indeed, there were a few jockeys who, though suspected of possessing muscular arms, were such adepts a£ the game that even the most experienced judges were frequently puzzled to know whether they were trying or not. "Sam, Colonel Craddock once said to Ohifrwy, while watching a jockey who had acquired a, reputation for not always going straight apparently getting just beaten on a hot favourite, "is he pricking or pulling? Whenever the Admiral saw a horse which he thought " out for an airing,'' he *nvariably made a mark against his name, and it frequently happened that owners of animals who had be'en "running a bye" received a shook on seeing the weight allotted to the erstwhile non-triers. At; York Rous was watching the reputed best miler in England, Lord Ronald, running in the Zetland Stakes. Just before the stands were reached ifc was apparent that, his lordship was in trouble, while the horse by his side, Lanaret, was pulling double, though his jockey was making- strenuous -efforts not to win. Thanks to the reina , not breaking, moreover, he was juss beaten. In due course Lanarefc vns weighted for the Cambridgeshire, and thefiH the Admiral avenged the York fiasco. Hissj oris>inal idea had been to give Him jus'?' under 7st, but when the handicap appeared!? it was found that Lanaret had received! j 8.4, and even tb-en ho was only just beaten.'! after a most unluekv race. But for the ' contretemps preyiousLc nieixtioued, what a

ipinch the great Hougihton event would B-ave been!