AMUSING DAY AT ROME TROTS

Southland Times, Issue 25666, 8 May 1945, Page 6

AMUSING DAY AT ROME TROTS

RACES RERUN TO SUIT CROWD

A description of a race meeting in Italy where the punter backs a loser and gets his money back is contained in an amusing letter written by Private F. H. (Pat) Hughes, former secretary of the Southland Boxing Association and a well-known golfer. Private Hughes is attached to the staff of the Forces Club in Rome.

“I must write and tell you of the wonderful way these people run their affairs,” he begins. “They are truly a haphazard crowd. This happened at a trotting meeting here—and when one recalls the excellent organization of our own racing clubs at home, it just seems unbelievable. “One of the rules of racing here provides for a re-run of the race whenever an accident occurs, or if a horse breaks its harness during the running. Well, in the race I am writing about one horse led all the way and ran home an easy winner; but a horse about six lengths behind broke some of its harness, so the race is declared null and void. A second race is run and the same horse wins, but two others broke badly and collided. They had no show of winning. Up went the numbers and the crowd immediately clamoured for another re-run. They stormed the track and ran out on to the middle of the course, where the starter and judge are situated.

OFFICIALS GIVEN “WORKS” “They then started to give those poor officials (the starter and the judge) the works. When these ‘lties’ get excited there certainly is Babel. Then the mounted police arrived on the scene; they galloped around the track flat out, but when they reached the noisy crowd they pulled up with great flurry—and did nothing, except talk to the trouble makers. Probably they were in the swim, too! Later two officers came dashing up on white horses and that was the signal for the soldiers to call out ‘Hi, Ho, Silver.’ “Here is the climax,” continues Private Hughes. “Believe it or not, the officials decided to annul the race and refund all bets! That suited a lot, but not others. Then they decided to pay out on the ‘double’—the winner of the previous race with the winner of the disputed race which was wiped off the slate. That started another riot, and in the finish one was able to collect on the disqualified race. “Most punters had torn up their tickets; a lot had collected refunds. Can you imagine the confusion? I had a good day, so was quite happy.” Private Hughes added that if the judge at the Southland meetings was on duty over there he would need some machine-guns and a tank or two to keep order.'