Sporting Review. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1891.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 61, 24 September 1891, Page 5

Sporting Review. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1891.

Mr. E. W. Alison, chairman of the Takapuna Jockey Club undoubtedly set the “ball rolling” when he proposed at the last general meeting of the Auckland Racing Club that country clubs should have a voice at any future racing conferences held. On that occasion Mr. Alison’s motion was simply “ sat upon ” by the members of the A.R.C. committee present ; but the matter having been once introduced, it gave food for thought to numerous sporting scribes, and several Metropolitan Clubs in the South, who, taking an unbiassed view of the matter, have been discussing the point dispassionately since the date of its inception, and the general concensus of opinion seems to favour the views expressed by the Takapuna chairman to a greater or lesser extent. At a racing conference held by the invitation of the Dunedin Jockey Club, twenty-nine representatives from as many racing clubs of the Otago district, were present to meet the Metropolitan body, and various matters were discussed .for the general well being of racing. The meeting was most harmonious throughout, and the propositions submitted to the conference by the Metropolitan Club were unanimously agreed to, and while we do not agree with all the proposals which were carried at the convention, we heartily congratulate the Dunedin Jockey Club on having affirmed the principle of admitting a representative from subordinate clubs to deliberations in which they have a paramount interest. It is understood that the Auckland Racing Club committee were approached with the idea of convening a similar conference, but on this occasion they were consistent in their conservatism and did not accept the proffered suggestion. Among other questions at the Otago racing assembly was one put by Mr. W. B. Anderson, of the Gore Racing Club, to the chairman, asking if the Dunedin Club was prepared to give country clubs some representation in future, and Mr. Driver (the chairman) said he was favourable to the idea, if jealousy could be avoided and proper representation given to country clubs. It is difficult to reconcile the above remarks, however, with the energy displayed by Mr. Driver and his colleagues in their opposition to the formation of a New Zealand Jockey Club, a proposed institution having for its main object the principles of a democracy of racing which they express themselves in favour of. and one which is exactly the same on a more extended scale. In his opening remarks Mr. Driver said he was prepared to go to any extent with the Metropolitan racing conference, where matters legitimately connected with racing were concerned, but when they sought to make regulations which appeared likely to take away the power from forty or fifty racing clubs to manage their own affairs, without allowing them a voice on the question, he thought it time to take action and ask for their approval. The registration of partnership rule, which was passed by the Wellington conference, the Dunedin Jockey Club committee considered was an unnecessary obligation, as by Rule 67, all the required information could be obtained. The rule with reference to disqualification for delaying a start in the interests of the totalizator was designated as unnecessary and vexatious, it was a detail of management which individual clubs were the best judges of, neither did the D.J.C. believe in limiting the number of races in a programme, as some clubs had only one meeting in a year,

and as long as they raced fairly and kept down fraud, he thought they should have as many races as they liked. They had decided to stand aloof from the conference, to be held in Christchurch in November, for the purpose of forming the New Zealand Jockey Club, and asking for an expression of opinion. A proposition was carried unanimously approving of the attitude assumed by the Metropolitan Club on the matter,’as was also the Dunedin Jockey Club s objection to the rules mentioned above. The desirability of appointing one handicapper for the whole of Otago was approved of, and legalized consultations in the colony was favourablv discussed. The conference terminated with a vote of thanks to the Dunedin Jockey Club for giving the country clubs an opportunity of discussing the various subjects with the Metropolitan Club.

In last week’s issue we made a slight clerical error in stating that the Bentinck Memorial Fund was invested in the hands of “ Trustees,” it should have been “Committee,” chosen from members of the Jockey Club. The Newmarket Jockey Club held a meeting <on July 13th, at Newmarket. Present —Prince Sottykoff, Mr. J. H. Holdsworth, (stewards) and thirteen members being present. Sir J. D. Ashley, the Duke of Beaufort, Mr. H. J. Barclay, and Lord March were elected members of the Bentinck Fund Committee. There are a certain number of new members appointed annually, and the accounts are kept separate from the Jockey Club. The stewards of the Jockey Club, in accordance with a resolution of the Club at a meeting held April 29th, issued a circular to the Jockey Clubs of Europe, America,, and the British Colonies, inviting a formal agreement of reciprocity for preventing the following offenders, under the rules of one country from engaging in racing in another, viz.:—(1) Persons found guilty of corrupt practices on the turf. (2) Defaulters for stakes and forfeits. (3) Jockeys whose licenses have been refused or withdrawn. (4) Stable lads discharged without a character/ They have received letters of acceptance from the following:—Austrian Jockey Club, CTnion Club, Berlin, Hungarian Jockey Club, Italian Jockey Club, Calcutta Turf Club, Turf Club of Western India, Dutch Racing Association, and the Belgium Jockey. It is rather surprising that we have not heard of any of the Australian Clubs joining, as they are the most directly interested, but perhaps they are waiting until their annual meetings ; if such is the case, their replies would not have been received/

As trotting is making rapid strides in Auckland, and that toe weights are being used by some who do not know their use, the following extracts from a letter written by a well-known trainer of trotters may be interesting to some of the owners of trotters “ Never let a horse stand in toe weights, as they are termed in America, in the stable. You only fasten them on when you purpose preparing a horse for a trotting match in some, light vehicle, say a sulky (which should weigh about s°lb.), and remove them always on your return; or, to improve his general action, you endeavour to exercise your horse upon the trotting course with the weights on, and you must rely upon your own judgment to decide when it is necessary to give these trials up. There is really no specified period. You may weight the shoes with lead inside, or you may place the weight, duly protected, above the hoof, but I believe there are other methods. The weights run from 20Z. to Boz. The idea of giving the horse extra weight to raise is that he will lift his feet well off the ground, and then feel the necessity of using extra exertion to place his legs straight out, and the effort which he must make to accomplish this feat satisfactorily causes him to cover a good deal more ground ‘in his strides. It is practically what .is called < shoulder action,’ when the fore-legs are well thrown out from the shoulders, which is the animal’s natural action in his wild state, than from the knee, which looks well, but is an unnatural one; and takes it out of the beast accordingly. The hind feet of an accomplished trotter come right before and outside the front ones when in quick motion, and are a greater distance apart, measured cross ways, than in the ordinary run of horses; the near feet are moved simultaneously and so are the off feet. These two latter accomplishments are brought about by breeding out of well-known stock.” ' -