SPORTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6713, 28 November 1889, Page 3

SPORTING.

DTJNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB'S .EXHIBITION MEBTIKG. [X'EOU OUR SPECIAL fiOEUESrONDENT.] .DUNEDIN, Nov. 27. The Dunodin Jockey Club's Exhibition Meeting to-day haa been inado up of sur- , pribes and anticipations. The favourites] j went -down ia more instances than usual, which was of course unpleasant. The anticipation fulfilled — to wife, that the combined attractions of the Exhibition Cup, the presence of largo numbers of visitors and fail- -vreatlier, -would bring the Jjunedin Jockey Club a very large attendj a/nce— v?E3 just as much 0* course extremely j plent-ant. As a matter 0? fact, without' i reference to exact figures, it may be safely j cnid that the Forbury course has never I nucn such a gathering before. Earcly, j too, has it neen any meeting held under euchfavourableauapieesand weather, which waa extraordinarily mild for 'the Eouthorn e;vpi£p.l. This caused the masses gathered in and around the stand and railing to be much larger than usual, and also played ii;.;!it into the hands of those economical Individuals, who habitually view the sport cosily perched on the lee of the sandhills j that fringe the Ocean Beach hard by. It would only be treating these latter as they ticEcrre to immortalise a few of these generous patrons of the national sport. In j default ci this, it is necessary to turn to j those inside, who pursued the more ordi- j jxnvy methods of watching the events o£ j tho day. His Excellency the Governor and J suite were there, as they have to be I everywhere eke during this busy week, ; rmd all the Ministers at present in i pnnedin, with the exception of Mr Hi3lop. j Even the Premier had contrived to manage ! the journey, though he wisely secluded hhnsclf in the Stewards' stand. In short, the majority 0" the New Zealand and Australian notables, whose names figure in the account of yesterday's opening ceremony were presonton the course to-day. The grand stand was filled toovernowingjandtheladies' costumes wero o£ the most striking and tastoful kind. Their variety, colours and beauty much enhanced tho effect of the genial sunshine, and the picturesque land- I Ecapa of verdant hill and vale, which so j much contents the eye »>.t Forbury. All j things taken together will causa tho first j day "0? the Exhibition Meeting of 1889 to be long and pleasantly remembered. The j improvements to tho stands and enclosures, j oi: whisu everyone has read or heard during j the last month or two, are less extensive I than that past master of the art of ! gratuitous advertising, Mr Sydney James, { vould have the world believe; but they are ! all in the right direction, and should tho ; csmis enterprising policy bo followed up, j Ilia evergreen Secretary will yet preside j over the premier institution of its kind in j the Colony. Tho arrangements to-day I wcro scarcely perfect. Thero are many I details in which it ifi possible to suggest i improvement ; but the company was i thoroughly goodhumoured l and*cotnplaints ■ were t'ewandfar between. HrDriver'astavt- ' ing- compared very favourably with., some j oi ; lisa prerious efforts, and Mr IJ/owsa's ; handicapping confounded, ao the totali- | sator figures will show, even thoso clever ■ people who thought they had dL j £Ovei>ed i biota in the veteran's ddjußtmc?at of the i weights. I Tho racing itself was more remarkable j for good fields tkau for particularly close i fiijihhe?, but the spore on thoi'ffhole was j quite up to the average. A, eommence- < iuont was made as usual with tho ; Hurdle Handicap Eace, in which Ahua, I notwithstanding his great 'burden, was j maiio a level money favourite. The little horse ran wonderful/.y well under his weight, and was kept in.-"* nice position throughout, but could not live-home with I h-ccretary when they landed on the fiat j tor/ethor. Cypriote wa/j tho public fauuy for the Maiden iVlate, and would probably have won ha<i she managed to geb through on her first attempt.. As it; was, Miss George secured an easy victory, and rewarded her party with a handscme dividend. The hour and a quarter interval lil'lowed hetween tho Maiden and the Cup/ was extended to a couple of hour 3 befxie tbo nine starters for tho latter were Marshalled at tho post. Scots Grey, TVakatipu and Masthead were all more or less lamc^/but thi3 fact did not prevent the publi.6 making the firstnamed a strong favourite. Occident, - Cynieca and Walcatipu looked the besfc- ! conditioned hor/se3 in the race, but. there was nc,{; much fault to find, (with any of the othere. The race needs lit Ho deGcripti'c/h. Scots Grey was the first beaten, for/neither ltecluse nor Foxfcon was ever in it; and when lie retired Occident} was. .'Able to go to the front just when he pleased, and win in a canter. Pygmalion w 23 really never fairly extended in the Divu.edin Stakca, and Francotte Eccured aKo/tiier eRS y victory in the Car-: nival Hara'/ieap. Little Shamrock. was in front all the way in the Selling Eace, I and his owner was lucky to get ttie goading back by the expenditure i of only £30. Thanks mainly to White's j deterryiined horsemanship, Tempest got j home, in tho Selling Two-year-old race, • but uo one was inclined to advance on his owner's estimation of her value. Y/aJiatipii was a strong fancy for the We/lter Hand-cap, but one race a day ia | enough for this delicate customer, and he fe/Jed to get a place behind the muchir/aproved Dispute. Messrs Mason and Egberts managed to put ,£12,983 through the new totalieatora without any eerious : hitch, hut thia sum fell far shoit of the /auticipfttiona of] the .executiveJ ,