RACING AT AWAPUNI.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8799, 29 April 1907, Page 4

RACING AT AWAPUNI.

Observations by Visitor. Having in all my travels throughout Australasia been a consistent visitor at most of the principal race meetings, when' business arrangements permitted my being present, I availed myself of same, and" the idea has struck me that you might find room for a few impressions of a visit to your recent meeting from-me in your smartly and brightly edited journal, in which the Sport of Kings is prominently and accurately dealt with. By the courtesy of the Club I was favored with the distinction—which, I understand, quite correctly is not in the case of the M.E.C. grossly abused os in soma instances I know of—accorded the privilege of a “complimentary.'’ "Understanding that there was a choice of means of getting to the course, and having seen something of ■ the _ dangers that beset one in vehicular traffic under no control or regulation, and when drivers have only one object in view, a record number of trips, I decided Ito stick to the iron horse. Knowing how reasonable railway travelling is in this I country when I was informed the return I fare to racecourse was 2s 6d, it struck me I it seemed a shade on the high side for | such a short run, and having an idea, I questioned the ticket seller if that ffl: eluded admission to course, and was I answered in the 1 replied already had a ticket admitting to the course and did not want onothorr. Can t help it, sir, the official said, the regulations are Oh! bother the regulations, give mo the ticket, it’s not worth making a fuss about j but at the risk of being called stingy, as a matter of principle, I always object to compulsion of this kind. I was soon _ comfortably esoonced in a railway carriage and commenced I think the shortest railway journey I have ever takentoarioecourse. At Awapuni station I noticed the deviation from the main line, and upon making inquiries was informed we were now t: availing over the Manawatu Racing Club Railway line. The thought immediately struck me that N.Z. Racing Clubs must possess an unusually large quantity of enterprise when they thus launch out to cater for their patrons. This opinion was greatly strengthened when the train ran on and over an extensive viaduct. "Say Mr, I guess, to uso an American expression, this here darned railway cost somebody quite a nice number of dollars.” To be sure I guess and calculate it did cost some folk a tall amount, replied a young man opposite me, who I was informed was attached to the stall of one of the Palmerston papers, I hope it is not the Tines, for he seemed to think he had quite mastered American talk, at which he certainly made rather a weak attempt. Being a fairly keen observer, this private railway line, which must have cost fully £IO,OOO, I should reckon, all told, to some extent prepared me for the subsequent knowledge I was to obtain as to the result of what men of a bold and progressive temperament can accomplish. It is no exaggeration to say I was more than • favourably impressed. Firstly, everything I was on a much mors extensive scale than I had anticipated, My first exclamation was, “What a beautiful blending of the ancient and modern.” Ono poet, Adelaide Proctor I think it was, has said that “God’s world is all right but man’s all wrong.” There is no gainsaying the fact that many of this earth’s beauty spots have been sadly I marred and disfigured by the hand of man. This would be quite a misapplication as regards the grounds now under notice. It is indeed one whoso native worth has, like the lovely recreation grounds of New Plymouth, been fully availedof for the creation of a rendezvous charmingly attractive to anyone with half an eye for beauty. I have seen a good many racecourses in my travels throughout Australasia, and there are very few, indeed, which can be considered equal “ to those of the M.E.C. at Awapuni. Flem- > ington, of course, stands right out by itself. 1 A Melbourne Cup with its 100,000 multi--1 tude on hill and flat, is a never-to-be-for-gotten sight. But it is a steaming, bustling, careworn and anxious looking mass of t humanity, and personally I prefer pleasure 3 of a less vigorous and wearying character, j To get back to my subject. { After having a look round the fine apj pointments of the Club from pinnacles of ‘ which multi-coloured bunting of various r nationaitics floated in the breeze, I began >to draw some comparisons. Noticing a gallei y with a fair holding capacity on the top of a building, on one window of which was “ Secretary” and another “Press,” I asked a friend who occupied that look-ont over the secretary’s office? “Oh, that’s the members’ stand,” he replied. “ The mem- “ bers - stand,” I exclaimed. “ That’s funny. Well what’s that little box flush up against the track on the southern end of the grandstand?” The answer to my second query

was “I thought you said you had often been to a race meeting before? That is the judge’s box.” This .1 previously knew, but it was to lead up to my next question, which was : “ Are the members fond of scenery only, or do they also enjoy watching a bitterly fought out issue between contestants and an exhibition of skill on the part of the knights of the pigskin ?” I was informed that the majority of the officials and members of the M.R.C. were very keen racing enthusiasts, —and I again chipped in with, “ And you mean to tell me they are content to view a contest from up there, some drains away from the finish.” I was assured that they were satisfied with this outlook. I did not like to be too fault-finding, and as it was no business of mine I said no more at the time. But on the second day my opportunity came. The event was that in which two horses fell on the flat at the entrance to the straight. Among tho very interested spectators close to me was J. H. Prosser, the Porirua trainer, who had one in the event being run. Prosser’s mare was entrusted with a large amount of stable and public bullion, and it was confidently anticipated she would win. After the field had swept past tho members’ stand and were nearing the post, some one commenced to condole with Prosser at his he rse failing to get up. Prosser’s reply was “ Oh, it was bad luck, she could never have been so far out of it if she hadn’t been interfered with by tho horses falling.” The words were hardly out of his mouth when someone who had his glasses on the numbers which are sent up so remarkably promptly from the judge’s box, called out “ 2,7, 8,” and Prosser nearly fell off the balcony. The horse who belied his flimsy name, Gauze, had put in an extra- i ordinarily fast late run, and got up in \ the last stride, a raro illustration of gamencss and clever horsemanship. And yet all this was entirely lost by occupants of the members’ stand, several of whom were inclined to question the judge’s vision, only that, as they said, it is Mr Hartgill, and nothing more was hoard of the matter. How the press men manage was a bit of a mystery to me, and I asked one of the scribes. Ho said "Wo are all ! unanimous in condemning the members’ stand as at present situated, but they don’t take much notice of us in those matters and after mature consideration we have hit on the following plan. There are always at least G press representatives

J .it the M.E.C. meetings. Well two get on the members’ stand, two in about tho centre of grand stand, and two as nearly opposite the judge’s box as possible, and after a race wo moot in the press room and all being good pals, tho rest is easy. Sometimes a boated argument as to what first turned straight in the homo run, and [occasionally a man will question a judge, but not if it is Mr Hartgill who is in the box.” " Why,” I asked, “ Docs ho never make mistakes,” and the scribbler was ready with “ No, he cannot. Ho has every jockey’s colors photographed on l.ia brain."

I now pass to another item, the Club’s lifeblood—the totalisator. I have always been an ardent supporter of the latter in the old argument of stationery versus walking machine. I was going to use the words dead and alive, but.those are only safe as thoughts in racing'.matters. To a very great extent it is very much the samo as in llugby and Association football; which have you been used to. My chief objection to the totalisator ns found at most meetings I have attended in N.Z. is the extremely unpleasant jostling and rush . that one is subjected to. But all this I found changed at the M.B.C. meeting. - This Club owns and runs its own machine, ■ X understand. It is up-to-date, and all the others L have soon worked in N.Z. are by comparison a hideous nightmare to me and ought to bo reduced to matchwood at the earliest opportunity. What with having one’s clothes nearly torn off one’s back, tho excellent opportunity afforded for pocket picking and tho raucous cry of tho man who gets his If per cent commission ; como on gentlemen you’ll got left thoro at tho post, I would personally prefer to lose my money under less trying circumstances. The alteration of tho figures on tho machine nt tho M.K.C mooting after a race bad boon started, at first struck mo as strange, but I was enlightened by a.member who said tho tickets wore all issued before barrier riso but could not bo recorded fast enough on tho machine, and officials wore specially sot aside to supervise its working. One or two other little details and I have finished. X Imvo never Keen tho placing on 1,2 and 3 horses bo promptly and so unhesitatingly sent up an by Mr Ilarfcgill on Wednesday and Thursday last, and have rarely if ever booh such a *eruw of desperately close finishes, redounding greatly to the credit of tho club's avoirdupois adjustor, Mr ,7. 13, Henry ts. I shall always carry with mo exceedingly pleasant recollections of my Hast visit to Awaimni. 1 hope to bo there again some day when the ilags are unfurled, tho colors are up, and when suoli a visitation from tho clouds as when Gatwo an Bunnschorlb donconded like a wolf on the fold can bo witnessed from tho members’ stand,—Times,