STRATFORD RACING CLUB MEETING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 10212, 18 January 1895, Page 2

STRATFORD RACING CLUB MEETING.

the unexpected occurred, ■for Trickery,, who was ridden by C. Riley, answered 1 every call of the whip, and st*UWjHng: iiome he won a hard race by fealjEa\ length : Docility and Bushboy fcsahgT almost on terms for second place.Time, 2min. 20 3-oth sec ; totalisator,--£405 : 49 on winner ; div. £9 Is. Nine faced the starter for the Toko Handicap ; Disraeli and Thunderbolt being almost equal favorites. Disraeli hopped off the mark first, and getting a good led, he maintained it right through ; Clayton being second, and Thunderbolt third. Time, lmin. 3-tsec. Totalisator, £340; 74 on winner ; div. £4 2s. Twenty--i one contested the Cardiff Stakes, four 'furlongs, catch weights. The race was run a bit over the distance in order to get the large field in a Tride part of the track to effect a start. Clifton and Cloudshot made most play till well in the straight, when St. Vincent came through, and won by a length. Time, 59 l-sth sec. Totalisator, £352: 44 on winner; div., £7 4s. Twelve saddled up for the Midhirst Handicap, six furlongs, and Donovan was installed favorite ; Secrecy and Trickery being next' in demand. The race resolved itself _ into a great struggle in the straight. r Donoran rounded into the turn for home first, but James had to to rids him to keep away from Docility, who came with a determined run, and being nicely handled by /Stevens she closed on the Dauphin colt twenty yards from the post, and won an exciting race, by a mere nose. Dummy ran a good third. Time, lmin 18secs. Totalisatory £426 ; 29 on the winner ; dividend, £13 14b. In this race Mr Baird inflicted the foßowing fines on jockeys for disobedience «t the post ; — J. James, £5 ; Schafrer, £3 f Crook, £1 ; E. Johnston, £1 ; Manuel, £1 ; Julian, £1. A large field went out for the Selling Bace, which ended in a dead heat between Merman 11. and Twilight ; Master Mahoi being third. Time lmin 4 3-5 Bee. Dividends, Merman 11.,, £1 Is ; Twilight, £7 ss. The Publicire!" i Handicap saw another large field, twelves ! horses facing the starter. Nganeko madeplay first, then Nugget and Silver Sea took a band but in the straight j Clayton put in his claim. iv\d lasting the best won by a length. Time, lmin 48 4-sths sec. Dividend £13 Üb. The day's racing was brought to a close •with the run off between Merman 11. and Twilight, the latter winning comfortably.. Dividend, £1 Is. During the day E. Williams, the jdcJsey., had Mr J. Goodwin before the stewards, over a disputed riding fee, which was alleged to be owing some two years -ago. The stewards held that Mr Goodwin -was liable for £2. Mr Goodwin was also fined for the late scratching of Upshot" and Leofwin. The following are the concluding results: — * Cardiff Stakes, of 20 soys. 4 furlongsSt Vincent (Gillie) 1 The Unknown :1 2Cloudshot 3 Midhirst Handicap, of 50 soys; Becond horse 10 soys from stake's. 6 furlongs. Docility (Stevens) ... 1 Donovan - 2 Dummy ... ... ... ... ...- 3 Sni.LixG Race. Merman 11. (James) f" Twilight (Ainslie) T Master Mahoi 3 Purlicaks' Handicap. Clayton (Gillie) ... ... ... 1 Nugget 2 Silver Sea 3

The third annual fixture wa3 held on Thursday under most favourable circumstances—the -weather being fine, attendance large, and speculation through the medium of the machine very animated, Mr F. Hill and his able assistants (Messrs F. Neylon and G. Spriggins) putting through a total of £2,600 odd. All the officers worked hard to ensure the success of the meeting, prominent among them being Mr Coutts, the hon. secretary, who was most courteous, affable, and obliging to all he had to do business with. Messrs Liardet, Hirsehberg, C. Sole, R. Lusk, McCracken, and Syme, al«o were to the fora in furthering the day's work. The appointments were perhaps not on metropolitan lines, but still there is the making of a good club, and now that they are given an assured existence by the Conference we may expect to see the Stratford Club put in a lot of improvements before their next tryst. The racing itself was of a most interesting de acription especially the finishes for the Cup and Flying Handicaps. Business opened with the Hurdle Handicap, 1^ miles, for which the seven numbered on uhe card faced the starter. Ballyhooiy was installed favorite, evidently on the ground that ho was an Auckland representative. He had nothing to do with the finish : in fact he was done before he had gone five furlongs. Nugget rushed off with the lead when the flag fell, attended oy Pembroke, Kathleen, who jumped the grandstand hurdle like a deer, being third, and the others handy. Round the back Nugget and Pembroke were still going in the lead, and this order was maintained to tho second last hurdle from home, where the field clo -ed up,but unfortunately, from a finishing point of view, Conscript blundered, putting those -with him out of the hunt through a cannon. Nugget, who had negotiated the obstacle in front, came away and won with a few lengths to spare. Time, 3min 1 1-5 sec. Totalisator £328 ; £:55 on winner ; dividend, £8 Bs. Tho Ngaire Stakes, 5 furlongs, 9st up, was robbed of a lot of interest through^ Waiuku putting in an appearance on the' ground. Of the 32 figured on the card thirteen dropped out before the Hurdles wore run, and several others also went out afterwards. About 15 minutes beforethead verfcised tiuio for the race "Waiuku's name was placed on the scratching board, and those owners who had scratched on account of his appearanco on the ground were loud in complaints about his late scratching. However, the race was eventually fought out between eleven. The ex Auckland pony La Grippe beat tho flag, and hopping away in tho lead she just lasted long enough to get homo from Egmont, The Nun being third. The time was lmin. lOsec. Totalisator, £262 ; 26 on winner ; div. £0 Is. Tho owner of Egmonfc ontered a protest against the winner on the ground that La Grippe had run at an unregistorod meeting at Potter's Paddock, Auckland. The stewards met, and, on production of a clear receipt from tho A.R.C. lifting any disqualification the horse was liable to, dismissed the protest. The Stratford Cup, 1-j-miles, next engaged attention, and tho whole nine stepped out to contest for tho event. Donovan was instilled favourite, and certainly in appearance c(»fidonce could not havo been roposed iv a better looking bit of horse flesh. Docility, the Manaia representative, had a lot of admirers, and certainly when she stopped down the straight for hor preliminary she looked worth bucking. Bushboy was looking well, and lie was also backed to a fair oxtent. Fish Oh was third favorite on the machine, but the filly did not look bright. Silver Sea looked well, but hersimllness was against hor battliug out a strong run 1-J mile tace. The Friar looked well, and Tip, the Auckland representative, looked a triflo light for a hard run race. Nipapu was a .trifle big, but. will improve. On the dip of the flag Nipapu and Tip went to the front, Donovan and the rest lying handy. This order was kept past the stand and around Hiu back where Donovan made a forward movement, and running behind '* the bu^h " he lud evidently taken the Ij.kl. When they came into view again, rounding into tho straight, Dooilit}' ami Donovan wero in tho lead, but tho whips Ciinio oiifc anil all wero flogging two furlong* from thu post. DonovanV, and tlu'n Docility's, victory was' proclaimed, j with an occasional dill for Bushboy; but j