THE TUAPEKA MEETING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 54

THE TUAPEKA MEETING.

! The Tuap?ka County Jockey Club were by no means fortunate with the weather for their annual meeting-. On the first day it was iin«, but aomewJfrat threatening, and en the second, heavy showere set in during tba morning. Still there was a fairly good attendance, but the absence of shelter on the course no dcubt deterred many from putting in aai appearance. The financial returns were oempa r&tively good, as thsy exceeded those of last year, and should give tba club courage to go on. The track carried a gocd growth of gra"3 — a fact due to the judicious tcp-d.T-ps.sing anid fowitmt to which it was treated after last tear's meeting. With Ih,e exception of t.h^ trotting events, email fields wera seen out I in the majority of the races, and, occasionally, the numerical strength of the runners was reduced by some cf them not being particularly busy after winding 1 honours, whilst faulty starting ait times ' robbsd some cf the races of a good deal of interest. Erskiee- annexed the fhet of j the principal merits on thr» opening card, in which he was opposed by Hiro, Flavour, Ronaldshay, and MangOine!. Flavour was Left, and Ei,kine and H.iro were disputing matters o\er the first coupLe of 'urlongs, but af^r that th-e. Lord Rosslyn g.ekli<n,g ; bad tho opposition beaten. Four nas the main for the T.C.J.C. Handicap, and two of the quartet in Quagga and Tirole lost j ground at the start, from which Linda I took charge, and after baiaig closely at- ' tended by Hiro over the first half mile, (he [ Stepniak mare drew away, to wm comfortably. At the finish Quag.g.a and Tirola closed up, and in a gcod go for ppcond place Hiro b?a.t Tirole by a half lorigt,h, whilst Quagga was close up. Octave had 110 c'lifficultj in winining th-9 Shorts Handicap, liiid this marked her oiily appearance at the meeting. On the second day Lady Ranald mack; a.n exhibit'on of Monture in the Flying Handicap, and Erskine followed up his success on the previous day by winning tht^ Lawrence Handicap from end to f>nd. Th° Tiara gelding also Lsndad xhc Far«w«ll Handicap afiry a gocd ba.ttlo with Ya^ra.nco. In the Hhcrto Handica-p and S^v.ards' Ha.n'Jkap, whirh were won by Ltifle vnd Poak tv-pective]y. 1 the ?rar(, which tho-vs horses obtained handiI oappxl tJi--> otl"%ri right out of a winning I chauc?. The mariajpmGnt cf the details in coiHKO'iou with the meetir.g- \u evcellent en iic'i dcy-, a-- the lior*«s wcic promptly f>»iii U» tb-f ro-'t, s.ik!, as a coroequeii.ee, carl, <.'a\'d nacing w&t, concluded with a mininuim !o-5 of time. Ihs 6upervis.,on of thi ninniug, howe\ar, left a good deal to be desired, and the club, to hold the confident cf racing men, will have to be much stricter in their control of the game.