The Turf.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 76, 7 January 1892, Page 7

The Turf.

[by

OLD TURFITE.]

£ will now take a retrospect of the Auckland / Racing (Slub’s Summer Meeting. It will long / be remembered by racing men and the general / public for the disgraceful starting and wonderful alteration in the form of several horses, the majority of them coming from one stable. I know very well that I shall be called a “ grumbler,” “ fault-finder,” and a few other nice names by the clique, but I do not mind. It is now forty six years since I first stood upon a racecourse. It has been to me, like it is to most Englishmen, a hobby closely verging on a passion, therefore it does aggravate me to see races thrown away through mismanagement and rules broken. Every one who takes an interest in racing knows very well that never mind how you stick to the rules of racing there are plenty of openings for fraud which it is almost impossible to detect and prevent. That the A.R.C. meetings are falling off in the estimation of Southern owners there is no doubt, ' as now you only see one or two owners bring their horses up, when years gone by, when the stakes were not so valuable, there would be at least half a dozen. Then those owners that do bring up their horses are chiefly attracted here by the yearling sales, so think that they might as well bring a horse or two in hopes of picking up expenses. These will soon fall off as the interest in the sales decrease. In confirmation of what I say you have only to read some of the Southern newspapers, those that have none of the petty jealousies that some of the Wellington papers have, which may well be called “grab all,” but those conducted by independent men, who are not afraid to write what they mean. In conversation with a Southern owner, who used for years to bring up horses, but this time has come alone for the purpose of picking up a good yearling or two, I asked him why Auckland races were not so popular as they used to be. His answer was what has for a long time been the complaint. “ At this time of the year your ground is dreadfully hard, and your made gallops, especially the tan one, is not fit to gallop a jack ass on ; secondly, . 4 your meetings are not properly managed. Look at the starting. Mr. Driver, at Dunedin, is bad enough, but he can give your man twenty-one pound and beat him in a canter.” Not having had a look at the tan gallop (which I believe cost £\2oo) for a long time, and having plenty of time to spare, I walked across, and met an old Newmarket man. On telling him my business he said, “You need not go far; I can show you the fault all through.” And he soon did. Before the tan gallop is fit to work upon a lot of money must be expended. On speaking to the caretaker he told me what he thought ought to be done, and I quite coincide with him, and trust that

the fides achatus of the A.R.C. will {soon see fit to do it.

Now let us first of all take up the starting, which was the very worst that was ever seen on a racecourse, even in Japan. China or Borneo, you would have seen better. Mr. Buckland was tried here some years ago, and proved a lamentable failure. Since then he has been in Queensland. He is therefore unknown to the jockeys, and he at the same time does not know them, therefore there is mutual distrust. That he does know the rudiments of starting is obvious. He stands right on the post, and expects the horses to either toe the line or walk up. Now this, with two-year-olds, especially if you have a fractious one like Whakawatea, is impossible. In the Midsummer Stakes the horses were three-quarters of an hour at the post, during which there were sixty-two breaks away and false starts. When the flag did fall there was at least a dozen lengths between the first and last horse. Even then he walked back to the paddock with his usual smile on his face as if he had done a smart thing. In fact there was not a decent start during the whole meeting, while for the short races it was simply disgraceful, and hundreds of pounds were lost through it. No wonder owners and backers were indignant. It is bad enough to lose your money through backing the wrong horse, but it is past a joke when you lose it through the starting. I was asked a great many times how it was that he got appointed starter after his previous failures. That was a question hard to answer. At the annual meeting George Cutts was appointed starter, but went over to Sydney, and has not started this year. Mr. Halstead has filled his place with every satisfaction ; he has also given satisfaction at country meetings. I do not intend for one moment to say that he is a Hibberd or McGeorge, but he is by far the best in Auckland, and do not know why Mr. Buckland was selected instead of Mr. Halstead, seeing how the latter gentleman fulfilled his duties at the Spring Meeting.

We now come to the difference of form that was never taken notice of by the stewards. When speaking to one of them he said “It is not our duty, therefore we cannot take cognizance of the running of horses at other meetings ; we have only to look after what occurs here on our own course.” This is an erroneous idea, and goes far to prove that they do not know their own powers. If they want a precedent they have not far to look back at the last Houghton Meeting. Comedy won the Cambridgeshire. Several objections were made against her. One was that she was not the proper age ; secondly, that she partly belonged to 0. Wood and another man who had been warned off the turf, but the stewards dismissed them, but had up the jockey Ibbett to explain his riding and the running of Comedy in the Perevil of the Peak Handicap at Derby six weeks previously, (he just escaped having his licensed cancelled, the heavy going being his excuse), thus proving that the stewards of the metropolitan clubs have the power to refer back to other meetings. We had enough of Lonely last meeting, so will leave him alone.

In the New Year’s Handicap Try Fluke, if he had not made a blunder at the last hurdle, would just about have beat Fishmonger, as he was going the faster and stronger of the two at the finish. On Boxing Day he could not get near the front; in fact he was last all the way, a great improvement during a week. We now come to the Derby winner Morion, out of John Rae’s stable. He makes nearly all the running in the Derby, and wins easily from Clanranald, Fraternite, Flinders, and The Workman. This running makes him about the best three-year-old, with the exception of Florrie, in New Zealand over a distance of ground It is true that his easy win was greatly due to the way Wally Clifford rode him, as twice he tried to cut it, but still it is in the horse. The following are Morion’s performances First Spring Meeting, second in September Handicap, 6st ylb, won by the Dreamer yst; Second Spring Meeting, nowhere in the Flying Stakes, yst lolb; Onehunga Spring Meeting, Maiden Plate zosovs, Bst 51b, ran a bad second to Tulloch, yst 31b; Avondale Meeting, Maiden Plate 25SOVS, Bst 51b, beat the pony Antic, yst 51b, and four hacks ; A.R.C. Summer Meeting (Boxing Day), Christmas Handicap, yst sib, beaten a head by Fiesole, Bst. These are the performances of the winner of the Great Northern Derby. Verb. sap. Quad-

rant, Bst ylb, out of the same stable, won the Victoria Handicap from a large field in a canter. Look at his performances both this season and last When the acceptances first came out for the principal races it looked a “ moral” that the bulk of the money would go to the Southern stables, but such honour, owing to ill luck, has not been the case. Lebel and British Lion both going amiss. Owing to the bad starting it is hard to judge of the two-year-olds ; but my opinion is that Whakawatea is a good colt, but he has the temper which belongs to most of the Apremont stock. Stepniak, if his hocks stand, may make a useful three-year old, North Atlantic is only moderate, while the Auckland trained ones, with the exception of Puwerewere and St. Hippo, who wants a lot of time, are very poor. The former is growing into a slashing fine filly that should make a name for herself. Of the three-year-olds Lebel was amiss. Clanranald is a fast one over a mile, but cannot stay. Fraternite is greatly overrated. Flinders has a temper of his own, besides, I think, being a “cur,” while ths others, with the exception of Morion, are hardly worth keeping in training. Morion, though being messed about, shows that he has a will of his own, therefore, unless carefully handled, will become a troublesome customer, With regard to the other horses that ran. at the meeting I do not think any of them will pay to take away from home, while the jumpers are nothing better than a lot of old croaks. Sentinel was lucky in getting home first for the Steeplechase, as if it had not been for the acr. cident he would have had a poor chance. .

It is currently reported that Satyr fell whilst running iu the second Hurdle Race at Randwick on Monday, 28th inst. Messrs. Adams and Andrews successfully put the sum of £1,676 through their totalisators at Manaia in £1 tickets on Boxing Day. Flinders (Parnell). — Flinders was not scratched for the New Zealand Cup. He started first favourite and finished absolutely last.—Pegasus. A well-known Auckland merchant, and brother-in-law of a well - known Auckland horseowner, is the fortunate drawer of Trieste, the winner of the Carrington Stakes, in Tattersail’s Sweep, Sydney, the prize for which is £5,000. It appears that no time was specified forclosing entries for a country meeting in Hawke’s Bay. The secretary himself appointed 6 p.m., and complaints are rife on account of this action. An appeal has been made to the Metropolitan Club, but Rule 54 of racing should settle the matter. At a meeting of the A.R.C stewards held yesterday to inquire into Mr. T. W. Hungerford’s complaint as to the questionable riding of Gallagher on his gelding Wakawateain the Musket Stakes on the third day’s racing, it was decided, after full evidence and mature consideration, to dismiss Gallagher with a caution. At the same meeting it was decided to call upon certain owners for an explanation of their horses running in the Selling Race. We beg to remind our readers that the Auckland Trotting" s Club’s second day’s racing takes place on Saturday next, and judging by the great success of their first day’s gathering, there should be a large attendance, with fine weather. The same excellent arrangements for the second day have been made by the worthy secretary, Mr. 0. F. Mark, and the President’s Handicap Trot and Pony Steeplechase should in themselves be worth the journey to Potter’s, which is cheap and always easily accessible. Benedicts and bachelors met in a friendly match recently. The sides hardly represented the strength of either division, but a good and pleasant game gratified both players and spectators. Benedicts hit merrily to the tune of ziy, to which H. B. Lusk contributed 69, Rev. J. Richards 50, C. E. McCormick zy, J. Y’oung 24, and C. Z. Clayton 17. The single-taxers were a lump off both in bowling and fielding. In their venture the bachelors made lyi, A. O’Brien and J. Ball playing well for 56 a-piece. Lieut. Abdy and Arthur Rees with 11 each were the other double-figure scorers, but Mr. Extras ran up 18. Lawson got 4 wickets, and W. L. Rees and his son-in-law, H. B. Lusk, 3 each. Benedicts therefore won by 46 runs,