DEAD WEIGHT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 55

DEAD WEIGHT.

In ■ England gome discussion has recently taken place concerning' the advisablencss of catting: up a lot of dead weight for the sake of securing the services of ' the crack lightweight of the day. The subject was brought under prominence by the fact that the young Australian, Frank Wootton, has during the season been retained for horses high up in the'ecale of handicaps, and the general opinion seemed* to be- that it is not a wise policy to leave youngsters to do work for which capable men are also available. We remember hearing the same question argued at Flemington a year ago (says a Melbourne paper;, when Mr J. Wilson, jun., put ut> J. Pike, a. "feather," to ride Lady Diffidence, at Bst 101b, in the Oaks. Lady Diffidence was beaten, but jt could not be said that she suffered on the score of horsemanship, and it is at least doubtful whether any of the bigger boys would have got any more out of the filly that afternoon. On® of the objections to dead weight is that a quantity of it, when packed on a, horse, has perhaps a tendency to roll, and a burden that is not steady might, it stands to reason, be felt more on a ■horse's back than the load that remains firm. But this difficulty can be met by a proper adjustment of the f 'cargo." A lead saddle, for instance, though an unwieldy thing to handle, can be made to sit neatly enough in its proper position, and loaded saddle clothes, waistcoats, etc., can also with care be stowed away snugly. We have had numerous cases here of great masses of de3d weight being carried to victory in importanb events. James Barbour, for instance, only scaled something like Sst 51b the day he won the Caulfield Fourvmile Steeplechase on Daimio, who was handicapped at 13st 3lb, so here was a shortage of nsarly sst to make up. T. Brown was only about 6st 71b himself when he piloted Duration to victory in ths Bobart Cup at lOst 101b, and E. Gorry could not have been more than 6?t when he won the Derby on Australian Peer. Peter St. Albans was only a mere- handful when yean before he steered Briseis to victory in the V.R.C. B!u 3 Riband. Still, there is always a certain amount of risk in carrying dead weight, and given the choice we should prefer to employ a rider something like "the fit."

THE WAIRIO J.C. MEETING

The Wairio Jockey Club have issued a programme for their annual meeting which is set down for Wednesday, January 13, jf next year. It is, as usual, an eightitem oard, and the principal is the Wairio 7up, of 40sovs, one mile and a distance. Other events are. the Handicap Hurdles, of 2Ssovs, one mile and a-half; Maiden Plate, of 2C*ov«, one mile ; Handicaj Trot, of 2£&ovs, one mile and a-half; Farmers' Plate Handicap, of 25sov«. five furlongs (for horses owned in the district) : Flying Handicap, of 50sovs, six furlongs ; Handicap Trot, of 30sovb, one mile : and Welter Handicap, of 30sovs, seven furlongs. Nominations are due on Thursday. December 17. handicaps will appear on January 5, and acceptances and entries for the Maiden Plate close on January 8.