OTAHUHU TROTTING CLUB.

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 948, 27 February 1897, Page 15

OTAHUHU TROTTING CLUB.

The Otahuhn Trotting Club had a , good day for the opening of the Club's Summer Meeting. The day, though dull, was ceo], and the rain kept off till the programme was run through. There was a good attendance, and speculation on all events was very spirited. The sum of .£2530 10s was passed through the machine in 10s tickets. The racing throughout was of a good order. Only two first favourites got home during the day, whilst several comparative outsiders were victorious, the average of the dividends being of a profitable kind to backers. The business arrangements of the meeting were carried out in perfect manner, no hitch of any kind occurring, whilst punctuality was a "marked feature of the management. The meeting will be brought to conclusion on Saturday next. 27th mat.

The weights for the concluding events of this meeting appeared last Tuesday morning, bat acceptances close after these notes go to press. But with last Saturday's running fresh before one, a good idea of what is most likely to run well cau be gathered from the full list of weights. For next Saturday's racing, the following are my fancies in the order named : — oaW

2ad Maiden Pony, 5 furlongs. — Lady Howitzer, Lena, Kaipara. Trial Trot, 1* mile. — Darlington, Misß Hi-n, Bendigo.

( • ibuhu Pony Cup, 1 mile. — Ranguiru, La y Howitzer, Bit o' Fashion.

b'iourban Trot, 2 miles. — Hurricane, Da.i iogton, Nellie. Steeplechase, 2* miles. — Platen, Helena, Fanntleroy.

Harness Trot, 2J miles. — Wahinapai, Woodbine.

Pony Handicap, 5 furlongs. — Germina, Lena, Silkworm.

Newhaven's fall seems to have scared some of the fraternity. But the crack is apparently all right.

Precaution seems to have passed out of speculation on the Newmarket Handicap. No mention is now made of what a month back promised to start a first favourite.

Reiff , the American jockey, believes ia getting away well in a race. He says, ' I like to make up good ground when mj horse is fresh, not when he is being asked to do his best.'

The police are worrying the bookmakers in Australia. At Armidale meeting recently the names of thirty bookmakers were taken preparatory to the unwelcome summons.

Fauntleroy keeps his place amongst the hurdlers at Potter's, but he is now in the position of the handicaps, where a beating ia always to be expected.first by one and then by another. Tnis pony has been kept going for a long time, has been run out ©very race, and has, being a game one, won a respectable number of races.

The curiously named Le Corbeau is no great guns, or he would have beaten Hurricane easier than he did at the finish o£ the mile Electric. Hurricane was trocted all out, a beaten horse, in the 2 mile Otabuhu Cup, so he could scarcely have been very fresh for the mile. However, the old horse seems better than ever he was, and under Chatteris' handling is seen to advantage.

The ' good things ' of last Saturday proved misnomers, and followers of the so-called ' morals ' had a .bad time of it. The cunning oneß fared badly. Oataiders were right in it throughout the day, whilst the knowing ones lamented their sheep-like propensity. Given a little more time for speculation, one or two of these good things would probably have shown no return, so eager were punters to get on. Price was nothing. One certainly got homeland returned 2/-. Others which did not win were quite as warm

"Bie Wanganui Cup will be run next Thursday, March 4th.

The Newmarket Handicap will be ran on Saturday, 27th inst.

The -Auckland Trotting Club's Autumn fixture U dated 10th and 17 th April next.

The Wellington Club intend instituting classic events for future meetings. The St. Leger of 1899 is already outlined, and other classics are being determined on.

There were some backers for Panoply over the Takapuna* Summer Handicap, as reports from Dunedin show that, a commission was worked in his favour there.

The Flirt died during the. present week. It will be remembered this mare got hurt at the last Ellerslie meeting. It was thought at one. time she would get over theße injuries, but got worse just recently, and died this week.

St. Paul Las been taken right to Wanganui from Taranaki. Daystar is to be shipped to-day (Thursday). Mr Evitt's revised weights for the Wanganui Gap (I think only St. Panl comes under this head), are dae on Saturday, 27ch insr.

Mr G. G. Stead parted with Senior Wrangler at lOOga. He is considered a cheap one for the purchaser. This Medallion— Flattery colt might turn out a champion. He disappointed his late owner recently when ruuning in the Lyttelton Pi ate. This is~ thought to be the reason of his being disposed of at such a low figure.

Flirt, "who won both Hurdles at the recent Woodville meeting, paid £22 the first day. A Maori woman held five tickets, and had a nice sum to receive, and her excitement on receiving her dive, was very great. The spectators relished the fnn of her step dance, which was in good old style.

Doris has certainly wonderfully improved, and seems now able to stay. A mile-and-a-quarter in 2min lOaec is fast go ing, and Doris was close on St. Paula heels at Taraoaki in something like that time In rubbing np against St. Paul, Doris' owner bumped a good one. but he cannot complain, as Doris has so far done well by him since he purchased her.

Secrecy seems a good mare for the sticks. Opposition just now is not) extra good quality in any part of the North, bat Secrecy seems one likely to do better than she has yet done. Gipsy Prince can hardly be as good as supposed, for evidently his Btable mate had to take up his task at Taranaki. St. Simon could scarcely be reckoned a great chance with 12st. slb.

At the tail end of a final rush, just as the race started, a man handed iv his pound and took two tickets onthe favourite. JL'he tickets could not be.iung on, and the investor was called on to retocn them, as they were not registered. And he, with a quick glance, ascertaining that the fateTbf the favourite was already overcast, handed them back and received his money. He considered himself lucky, and he certainly was in two ways, as he had no chance of getting a dividend if his horse had won.

Lena's running at Potter's last Saturday was dubbed as inconsistent by a few disappointed spectators, but a little attention paid to the actual running does not disclose any very firm foundation for such opinion. The five furlongs in which Lena was beaten was certainly a maiden, but Lady Howitzer, who won that event, afterwards came out in the big event, carrying over her penalty, and finished a good second to J3ito' Fashion ; and indeed, had she got away with Bit o' Fashion, would very likely have won the double. Lena, carrying 2 Lbs less than she had in the Maiden, the Flying by about half a head from.. Kaipara, Bit o' Fashion (9st 181 b), third. The whole running simply proves to my "mind that Lady Howitzer, as ponies go at Potter's, ifa a good one.

A very tricky customer invested his last half-soy. on a race and lost. During the interval between ' that and the next ' he exercised his lively imagination to discover some means of raising -the ready for a stake on a presumed ' good thing ' in the race to come. On the apSarently useless totalisator ticket he estowed unreasonable attention. At length he rcse, and made his way to the macnine, where a big crowd of eager investors were elbowing each other in their endeavours to ' get on.' No. 3 was faVourite — a big favourite - and nothing else seemed to be fancied worth speaking of. Our young rascal's ticket was numbered 3, but its chance had gone when the last numbers went up. But the holder was not discouraged. He joined, the crowd, listened to the clamonrings, made a feeble mock appeal to the busy totalisator man, and then hurriedly offeied his ticket to a clamourer for No. 3 The halfsov. received he put on number 6, but as neither of these numbers proved lacky onep, no word of the fraud was uttered. The moral of the foregoing is obvious.

Joe Gallagher received by a vote of the Wellington Racing Club £20 from the "W.R.C.jockey's relief fund.

Mr Stead has disposed of Mauser and Musketry. Manser goes into Murray - Ayoßley's stable at Riccarton, and will probably be tried a* a jumper. Musketry was purchased by a Dunedin man.

Through, the licensing of booths at the Dunedin Jockey Club's meetings,' that Club's revenue should be considerably' augmented. In' the past prohibition on the racecourse mußt have had a severe effect on the D. J C's finances.

The -Otahuhu Trotting Club was exceptionally lucky N ia the matter o! weather laßt Saturday. The rain, which threatened daring the afternoon, held off until the last race was run. No threatenings occurred daring the morning, so that the attendance was not spoiled, and only those who were fortunate enough to have dividends to collect over the last race experienced any discomfort from the rain, and their discomfort was qualified by having a good dividend to draw.

Newmarket acceptances this year are folly up to the average as regards numbers, but it does seem as if, the quality of the field is a deal below several past years. In a field of this sort a horse like Hova ib reasonably fancied, even with lOat 21b. Precaution has passed out, the one horse which seemed to me to have a great chance. I will not attempt to pick such a race. At the same time, I think the winner ought to come from amongst the following, viz., Hova, Valiant, Cydnus, Pilatus and So-and--80.

Woodbine, winner of the Harness Trot last Saturday, pat down a great pot in "Wahinepai. The race was thought a foregone conclusion for Edwards' mare, and I fancy most of those who backed Woodbine did so from reluctance to lay odds of three or four to one on the favourite. Woodbine, on the limit with 77sec, received from Wahinepai 19aec , and stuck to it all tbe way, Edwards' mare scarcely lessening the distance at any part of the journey. As for the others, they were merely spectators Had no chance whatever.