HELENSVILLE RACES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 89, 7 April 1892, Page 2

HELENSVILLE RACES.

About joo people left Auckland by the special train at g. 25 a.m. on Saturday to attend the annual race meeting of the Helensville Jockey Club. The day was magnificently fine, tempered with a nice light breeze, and everything bid fair for a good day’s racing ; and so it proved to be, although the fields were small when compared with the large acceptances. The course is a splendid one and was in firstclass order, and the stewards and other officials performed their various duties satisfactorily. One want was felt—there was no band to enliven the proceedings, but the distance from town is so great that the expense of bringing one up would perhaps be greater than circumstances warranted. Mr. E. D. Halstead succeeded in making some very close finishes by his handicapping. Mr. W. Blomfield worked a totalisator on the ground, but very little business was done, only £449 being passed through in ten-shilling tickets. Games of chance and the spieling fraternity were there in large numbers, plying their several avocations with vigour and evident success to themselves. The first race was the Maiden Plate, which brought out a field of nine, eight on the card being absentees. Assassin, by Badsworth

—Jet, Bst, was made favourite, and justified the confidence reposed in him by winning in a canter from Potentate, 7St jibs, and Kate, 7st lolbs. The Hack Race proved somewhat of a boil-over, there being seven contestants. Success, 7st olbs, and Fusilier, 7st 4-lbs, were made warm favourites. Mr. J. L. Stewart’s ch m Spot, 6st 1 olbs., won with the greatest of ease, Fusilier second and Success third, the nice little dividend of 17s. for 10s. being the result. Ingorina was served up very warmly for the Helensville Cup, but after a splendid race, in which the Ingomar—Hipporina horse was never dangerous, Ida was beaten on the post by a neck by the unreliable Brigade, who was well ridden by Gallagher, Ingorina third. Miss Sly, who by the way is a full sister to the Auckland Derby winner Morion, was the only other starter. The Novel Race was fourth on the card, and this time five out of the eight came to the post. Spot, by her running in the Hack Race, was greatly fancied for this event, and she did not disappoint her backers, for she won easily, doing the mile in imin. 52 j-jth sec. On being submitted to the hammer she was knocked down to Mr. D. McLeod for The Hurdles was reckoned a good thing for Assassin, but the winner unexpectedly turned up in Potentate, who beat the favourite by a neck after a good race, Cloth of Gold being third. The concluding event of the day proved a most exciting finish between Ida and Brigade, the former reversing the Cup verdict by a head, Kildare third. There were two other starters. This brought the meeting to a close in ample time to catch the train, for town visitors got back about g p.m. after an enjoyable day’s outing.