OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 88, 31 March 1892, Page 5

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

(from OUR OWN correspondent)

[By

Wire.]

Wellington, March 29. Retina returned from her disastrous Hawke’s Bay campaign last night. Mr. Martin, her owner, is very sore over her defeat in the Hawke’s Bay Cup. There is little doubt that she ought to have won, but the good thing appears to have been thrown away. Derritt, who was through with Patsy Butler and Crown Jewel on Sunday, told me that had Crook sat still instead of riding her home she would have won easily. I hear that Tom Hill, her trainer, shouted out to Crook when the horses were in the straight to leave her alone, but the lad thought he said “Come on,” and hustled ;.her -up. accordingly, whereupon she curled up. Kingan, who rode Crown Jewel, told a friend of mine the other day that he had no idea he could catch Retina when he was half way up

the straight, but seeing her falter when Crook commenced to ride her he thought he would make a final effort. e says Retina came back to him, Crown Jewel did no go up. It is said Mr. Martin blames Hill for not having sent him word that Collelo could not ride the weight until it was too late to get another good jockey, ana Hill blames Collelo for not having told him until the day before the race. The stable backed the mare each time 'she started afterwards, but she went off terribly, and on the second day at Napier Park, when the City Stakes seemed made for her, she could not live alongside such moderates as Bay Bell and Huerfana. lam informer that she will m 4 accept for the Great Autumn Handicap. On her best form she would have a good show in this with /st nib, but on her Napier Park form she has no show. , . Owing to the wet weather Mr. Wood, the contiactor for the culverts on the Hutt course, has not been ftble to get his timber on the ground, and the stewards of the Racing Club have now decided to postpone the making of the grass gallop until after the Autumn meeting. They have let a contract for improving the people’s, or outside stand, to Mr. J. H. Meyer, the contractor who built the grandstand. The work to be done includes renovating the exterior and remodelling the accommodation in the interior, making it much more convenient. The building of a ladies’ cloak-room for the outside visitors is also part of the contract. This will remedy a defect in the Club’s arrangements which has provoked several very severe comments. . The two trotting clubs which have been formed in Wellington during the last few weeks have come into collision already. They have both taken the title “The Wellington Trotting Club,” and this morning’s New Zealand Times contained two reports, both purporting to be summaries of proceedings at meetings of the Weilington Trotting Club, one being held at the New Zealander Hotel and one at Johnsonville. Each report says that a programme has been drawn up for a meeting on the Queen’s Birthday, one at Island Bay and one at Johnsonville —the amount of added money in the former being Z 135 and in the latter ,£l3O, and the chief event in each programme being the Wellington Trotting Club Handicap of 50 sovs. The Island Bay Club have been beforehand in getting their title registered and being affiliated with the New Zealand Trotting Association, and they have applied to be constituted the Metropolitan Club of the Wellington District, so that the chances are they will become recognised as the premier Club and the bther will have to take second place. At present, however, the Johnsonville party swear they will never give way. The collision is very unfortunate, as one good trotting club would do very well here, but the fight between the two is only exciting amusement. ‘ Very good entries have been received for the Wairarapa Racing Club and Otaki Maori Club meetings on Easter Monday. The nominations for Wairarapa include -several horses*belonging to the party who threatened to leave the Club owing to the steward’s decision in the Tuhitarata case, so that it would appear the dissension is healed. , , ,1The nominations for the minor events for the W elhngton Autumn Meeting close on Monday next, and if they should happen to be as good in proportion as these for the Thompson and Autumn Handicaps the meeting should be highly successful. The appointment of a new caretaker of the Hutt racecourse and the question of endorsing the disqualification of Messrs. Yuille, Nathan, and May will be part of the business of the Wellington stewards at a meeting tomorrow evening. The following have been appointed officers of the Wellington Trotting Club No. 1 (that racing at Island Bay): —D. H. Cr.iw!c.rd, president; C. P. Skerrett and D. G. A. Cooper, vice-presidents; W Lingard, judge; T. H. Hill, starter; James King, timekeeper; Jas. Petti, clerk of scales ; Alfred King, handicapper ; and J. H. Pollock, secretary. D. M. Mackinnon is secretary of the Johnsonville combination.