Sporting Review. THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1891.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 46, 11 June 1891, Page 3

Sporting Review. THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1891.

We do not like finding fault with the A.R.C. Committee, but when they make gross mistakes, and do not see them, we feel that it is our duty to.the public to point them out. The A.R.C. "Winter Meeting was fixed for June 3rd, the handicaps were published on Tuesday, May 26th, acceptances Friday May 29th. This was

practically giving owners at a distance no chance of attending the meeting, especially those in the Hawke’s Bay District, as.they could not arrive before the Monday previous, or; perhaps only the day before the race, if the steamer was delayed. It was also following too close on thb Wanganui meeting—this was the first mistake. When they saw the error that they had made in fixing that date—the same as all racing men did —they should, before the entries were made haye altered the dates, as there was nothing to interfere with it being made Saturday June 13th, or even Saturday June 6th, the day that the races were actually held on, this would even have given outside owners a better chance.

On Tuesday night June 2nd it rained heavily, but ceased early the following morning. At 10.30 o’clock, at the request of the secretary, (who appeared to be the principal person, and as far as we can learn, was the only person who had seen the course) called a meeting of the stewards at the A.R.C. rooms.in Durham-street, when a quorum assembled, and they decided to postpone the races until the following Saturday. Rule 19 of the Rules of Racing as adopted by the Metropolitan Clubs, says : “ The stewards, in case of urgent necessity, may from time to time, put off any races from day to day, or for such time as they may deem expedient, notwithstanding a Sunday intervening.” We should like to know the true meaning of “ urgent necessity ” as it is constructed in different ways by some racing officials. The decision arrived at was both unfair and unjust. The day was fine and for the greater part of the time the sun shone brightly, only one slight shower falling late in the afternoon. In the morning there were a few puddles on the course, but they had all disappeared before one o’clock. The going was certainly heavy, but when is it otherwise on the Ellerslie course at this time of the year. Let us ask any practical racing men did they ever know of a Steeplechase being put off on account of a little rain and mud ? Fancy the stewards of the Liverpool Grand National, or in fact any Steeplechase postponing their meeting for such a reason. How our Australian brethren will laugh at us, they would much prefer a little mud instead of the amount of dust they generally have to contend with. Steeplechasing in the old country, which is the home of the sport, never takes place in the summer.

The decision was unfair to owners and trainers who had their horses on the spot. Some of them were backed simply on account of the heavy going, as it is well known that some horses like to hear their feet rattle, while others are just the reverse. It is also unfair to the jockeys, as every one who has ridden in Steeplechases must know there is less risk when the ground is soft than when it is hard. It was unjust, as many persons had come from the Wiakato on purpose for the races ; therefore, they spent their money and wasted time, while others came from Gisborne and the East Coast, intending to return by the Thursday’s boat; therefore, through the postponement of the races they had to remain in Auckland another week. What was gained by the postponement ? Last Saturday, as might have been anticipated from the weather forecast, was a miserable day, a cold southerly wind blew across the course with constant squalls. ' The going was considerably worse, and the attendance not a bit better than it would have been on Wednesday. It appears to us that the Auckland races are fast becoming “ gate meetings,” and that the A.R.C. Committee only I look after “ number one,” ignoring the interests of owners and the general public. We venture to say that in no part of the world where Steeplechases are run, would a meeting have been put off for such paltry reasons as were given on June 3rd. The A.R.C. Committee’s mouthpiece, who writes what he is told, stated in a contemporary that the public in general were well satisfied with the decision arrived at. If some of the stewards or committee had strolled about Queen-street, or visited the haunts of racehorse owners and sporting men on Wednesday afternoon, they would have been highly flattered at the anathemas both loud and deep that where hurled at fthem for their folly in postponing the races. t'One thing more we must bring before our readers : that the secretary was greatly to blame for the postponement of the races, and that he neglected his Tuesday afternoon the weather was bad, and there was every indication of a dirty night. He should therefore have sent notice to all the stewards, informing them that there would be a meeting next day, instead of relying on two or three he could pick up in the morning. We are quite convinced that had 1 there been a full meeting of the stewards, the postponement would never have taken place, g It is to be hoped that at the next annual meeting of the A.R.C. that some new blood will be infused into the committee.

In our last issue we published the annual report of the Canterbury Jockey Club ; also Mr. Stead’s (the treasurer’s) remarks on the same. The report must be most satisfactory to the

members, and shows what a good committee can do when they work well together. Some people will say that it is the oldest club in the colony, and that is the reason that it is so successful. That is neither here nor there. A club cannot succeed unless the committee work together, each individual member taking an interest in it, and have a system which in Christchurch used to be (there is no reason to believe that it has been altered) having a subcommittee who superintended the working of the whole thing, even to the issuing of passes, etc., the secretary being a secretary pure et simple, having no authority of his own, but simply doing what he is told. This is the cause of their success, and it would be well if some other clubs were to follow the example of the C.J.C. Committee.

It is with Mr. Stead’s remarks that we intend more especially to deal with. He says: “It will be in your recollection that at our last annual meeting it was decided to alter the date of the midsummer races so as not to clash with the Auckland Summer Meeting, and it was hoped that the Auckland Racing Club would see their way to alter the date of their Spring Meeting so as not to clash with ours. So far our Northern friends have not as yet made the desired alteration; but it is to be hoped that they will see their way to alter the date of their Spring Meeting so as not to

clash with others.” Mr. Stead put's it, as he does other things, in a very nice way; but it does not take much penetration to see the reason why the date of the C.J.C. Midsummer Meeting was altered, for in reality the meetings do not clash. The A.R.C., at their summer meeting, gives the most money. Naturally, owners like the Canterbury ones, send their best horses to compete at it, keeping their second and third-class horses for meetings nearer home. Mr. Stead and Southern owners naturally like to see all their horses run; so to enable them do so the C.J.C. Committee altered the date of their Midsummer Meeting, which has never been a success. This, we have little doubt, is the real facts of the case. With regard to the A.R.C. and C.J.C. Spring Meetings

interfering with each other, we fail to see that they do. The added money at the former meeting is small, therefore no horse from the South Island would be likely to compete at it, while, on the other hand, if any Auckland, or in fact North Island owner, had a good or even a fair horse, he would most certainly, if he had any pluck, send him either to the C.J C. Meeting or across to Sydney, were the stakes are much more valuable, and more money could be won. The A.R.C. Spring Meeting can only be looked upon as a local meeting, to enable owners in the neighbourhood to find out what they have got in their stables, and also to enable them to try and pick up a little towards paying their winter expenses. With the remarks made by Mr. Stead regarding the rapid increase of private clubs and the great number of trotting races, that are not beneficial to the iriiprovement of the breed of trotting horses, we entirely coincide, and trust that the letter sent round to the presidents of the different metropolitan clubs will be signed without any hesitation, and when forwarded to Wellington that the Colonial Secretary will act on the suggestions made to him.

At the Pakuranga Hunt Club Races, which took place on the Ellerslie course some little time back, attention was drawn to the committee that the starting post for the two and a-half mile steeplechase should be from the five furlong post, and not just before the double in front of the stand. The committee consulted the Secretary of the A.R.C., .who said that was the proper place, and that he had never seen a steeplechase of this distance start from the five furlong, post. On his “decision” the stewards decided that in front of the double was the proper place, so from that point the horses were despatched. durable dictu. At the A.R.C. Winter Meeting, held last Saturday, the Maiden Steeplechase,' two and a-half miles (exactly the same distance as the Hunt Club Steeplechase) was started from the five furlong post. Why? We leave our readers to draw their own conclusion.

Mr. W. Douglas, of Napier, has become the owner of that good cross-country horse Chemist, the price paid for him being £3OO. His destination will be Australia.