OUR NAPIER LETTER.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 94, 12 May 1892, Page 8

OUR NAPIER LETTER.

(from our own correspondent.)

May 7. Seraph (Albany —Helena) has been turned out for a soell, which she badly needed, her late running being of a very poor description. Tambourine, who has won a couple of hurdle races, is again in work, Fred Collins having taken him in hand. This is the horse they tried to break into harness, but unsuccessfully. Waterfall will never race again, but he should prove a splendid horse at the stud, being a Musket horse out of Cascade. Couranto and Somnambulist go to Wanganui, and from thence to Auckland. Wally Clifford has been rather bad in health lately, the after effects of influenza, contracted in Melbourne, being the cause. The plans submitted to the committe of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club by Mr. T. R. Cooper, architect, for alterations and additions to the club’s stand, have been approved, and tenders are to be called for the work. The additions will include press-stand, balcony, etc. A full brother to Pasha (Mute— Rose d’Amour) will shortly be broken in by D. Munn. The youngster is at present cavorting round the paddocks at Te Mahanga. A diamond cluster bracelet has been selected by the Jockey Club for the lady’s race at the next steeplechase meeting. Hardy Bros., of Sydney, supply the article. The two-year old gelding by Turquoise— Seylla, for whom I suggested the name of Minos, is a good cut of a horse, and should not prove a bad one. He will be three years old in August. . The idea of taxing stallions finds favour with some and not with others. The matter will be considered at a conference of delegates of the various agricultural and pastoral societies to be held in Christchurch at the end of the present month. The Hawke’s Bay Society some time ago passed a resolution favouring a tax of per year on all stallions over two years old, the date of age to be November instead of August, in order to give owners an opportunity of deciding whether, or not they would geld their animals. Kupenga and Claude have been shifted to Joyce’s stables at the Waverley, but Boyle still trains the pair. It is intended to give Swivel a good spell, in order that his heels might get better before racing him again. The filling in and levelling work on the swampy portion of ground on the Jockey Club’s course cost over £l OO. Andy Robinson has shifted his string of horses into Mr. Rathbone’s stables at Hastings, and has received a few additions from Mr. Rathbone’s stud farm at Waipawa. The Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club being now in a very satisfactory financial position their bank guarantee has been cancelled. It will be remembered that at the last Woodville races Roger ran second to Kaika in the hurdle race, but nearly everybody thought he could have won had the rider so chosen. This was the view taken of the matter by the stewards who disqualified the animal and rider. The other day the Woodville Club forwarded a copy of the evidence taken on the subject to the Metropolitan Club, which, after due consideration, decided that they could not endorse the disqualification, being of opinion that the horse was ridden out. Unless other evidence of a more convincing character is produced thev won’t endorse either. This places the club in a nice fix. One cannot be too careful in delicate matters of this sort. The fractious hurdle horse Prospect (by Opawa) has been sold out of Ellingham’s stable, but is still in the district. Young Wright, who rode Kupenga at Rangitikei when he won the big handicaps at those places, is a brother of George Wright, of Auckland. He apparently knows how to ride a race. The bot fly will be the subject of a discussion at the Agricultural and Pastoral Conference this month, when some means will be proposed of getting rid of the undesirable pest. Como, who broke down atone of the country meetings, is now getting well again. Waterbury will be a certain starter in the Wanganui Steeplechase. Last year he baulked, but this was caused through a horse baulking in front of him.

Jack Maher has recovered from his late illness. Aidershot, who is entered for the V.R.C. Derby, is a full brother to Merganser. Sternchaser, by Nordenfeldt —Crinoline, is now doing long steady work at Caulfield, and they say he revels in it. The sum of was offered for Bay Bell, by Hiko—Black Bell, at Wellington, but was refused. An Auckland sport has bought the hack Mark, by Mute —Scratch, and the animal, who won the Maiden at the Town and Suburban Meeting, has been taken to Auckland by Jim Munn, an old Hawke’s Bay trainer, is over on Sydney side battling with a few horses. The Bide-a-wee, who ran at Wellington, is by Javelin, and is the same horse as raced here some time ago. There are a dozen New Zealand horses entered for the next Victoria Blue Ribband, a few of them belonging to this district. I believe it is unlikely that Claude will start for the Hurdles at the Town and Suburban Races on the 24th inst. About twenty youngsters by Torpedo and Hiko will be weaned on Mr. Douglas’ station this week. Mr. L. Binnie, of Puketapu, has offered a prize of £5 to the best yearling, colt, gelding, or filly by Trickster shown at the next A. and P. show. The offer has been accepted by the committee of the society with thanks. The hunting season was opened at Danevirke the other day, when about twenty horsemen had a good ride. There was some amusement at the start caused through some of the nags refusing to take the fences. The consignment of paint has been sent Home for by the Committee of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club. It is a special preparation which cannot be procured here, and which will be used on the stands and fences that adorn the course. Some time ago races were held at Rissington and a horse named Hawikorangi (or something like that name) won the Hurdles. He was disqualified, however, on the ground that his rider was a professional. No professionals were allowed to ride that day according to private regulations made by the stewards. But they never advertised those private regulations in the papers and never submitted them with the conditions to. the Metropolitan Club for approval with their programme. There’s the rub; that’s where they did wrong, and when the matter came before the Metropolitan Club the committee decided that their Rissington neighbours had erred. The other day a deputation consisting of Messrs. Crighton, Lowry, and Winter waited on the committee, explained their position, and asked that the decision come to by the committee previously, be revoked. After consideration, however, the committee decided that they could do nothing of the kind, so this left the Rissington Club in somewhat of a hole. I believe that the owner ' of the disqualified horse intends suing for the amount of the stake, and I don’t see what’s to prevent him getting it. At the same meeting of the Jockey Club a request from the Herbertville Club to have a previous decision revoked was not acceded to. A vast amount of good has been done here by the Hawke’s Bay Sports Protection Society since its inauguration, and the result of its labours were visible on Saturday last when the first local football match of the season was played. A great many of the best players in the district were standing looking on, simply because they were posted as defaulters by the Association at the request of subscribing Club’s, and are debarred from taking part in any kind of athletics whatever until they pay up. A good many young fellows figure on the defaulter’s list to their shame, and some of them could pay if they liked. The Maori-Pakeha football match last Saturday was a very poor display of football. All the men on both sides didn’t turn up and the game was a trifle slow. The Pakeha’s won by a goal to a try. The Sports protection Association have ruled on a very knotty point, viz : If a man is posted as a defaulter and is debarred from playing at anything until he pays up, is the disqualification removed if he files his schedule. The Association decided that as far as they were concerned bankruptcy had nothing to do with the matter,

and the disqualification will not. be removed until the amount due is paid. The sand track put down on the Recreation Ground some time ago is being covered up with sand in order that the track will be protected from injury during the football season. Somehow or other I think the Wanganui Steeplechase will come to Hawke’s Bay this year. Waterbury will take a power of beat-ing,-as also will Maher’s pair. [By Wire.] In consequence of the adverse decision of the Metropolitan Club Committe on Rissington Club’s action in reference to disqualifying Hawikaorangi, -winner of the Hurdles at their last meeting, owing to his rider being a professional jockey, the Club have now (under paid the stakes over to the owner of Hawikaorangi to-day. The rider of the horse (McKay), who was prevented from riding the animal in two other races that day by the stewards, sued them in court for £4 125., which would have been his riding fees whether he lost or won, as he had been paid £2 by the owner of the horse for riding the first race, the item of 12s. was abandoned. The case was defended by the Club, but the R.M. gave judgement for £4, with costs £3 Is. Sir William Wasteneys appeared for the plaintiff and Logan for the defendant.