Pakuranga Hunt Club’s Spring Meeting.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 119, 3 November 1892, Page 7

Pakuranga Hunt Club’s Spring Meeting.

A RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE.

[By

"SIR LAUNCELOT. "

The Paruranga Hunt Club signalised the finish of their hunting season by a race meeting held on October 22nd on the Auckland Pacing Club’s course at Ellerslie, and it was a fitting finale to such a successful season as they have had that their gathering should have been most thoroughly successful from first to to last. The presence of His Excellency the Governor and Lady Glasgow and suite lent additional eclat to the proceedings, and no doubt conduced to the very large attendance of the fair sex who thronged the lawn enclosure. The day was beautifully fine, and £2BBO was invested in the machines. The stewards and officials, with Messrs. W. Percival, the Master, and H. H. Hayr, the secretary, in the front rank did their best to render the meeting the success it deserved and proved to be. For the Members’ Hurdle Handicap, two miles, with which the fun of the afternoon commenced, Nero —who looked very well and had performed meritoriously in the Waikato a fortnight previously, when he won the Hunt Club Hurdles and Farmers’ Steeplechase~was made an odds on chance. Carronade made play till the home turn was reached, when Nero supplanted him, and though Carronade struggled on gamely to the end, Nero beat him very comfortably, Yarraman gaining the barren honours of third place. His Worship and Minnie were the only eliminations from the Open Handicap (on the flat, one mile) —for which,by the way, a more distinctive title might in future be adopted. The field of a dozen thus left in was headed in order of weight by Yatraghan, who looked well enough, but was backed with very little spirit. Decidedly the best conditioned horses were the three that subsequently filled the places, Lottie, Ida, and Warrior. Glaucus looked well to the eye, and so did Te Kooti, but I could hardly understand why the public made the latter second favourite I could well understand, though, Lottie being backed down to the position of first favourite for last season she was as a two-year-old above the average, and Kean now had her looking particularly well. When the flag fell after some delay, Yattaghan and Tuna were first to get to work, but when they had gone a little less than half the journey, Lottie came through, and from thence out had all the best of it, and won by a length and a half from Ida. It was no disgrace to Mr. Lennard’s mare (who ran a great race) to be beaten, for she was giving Lottie 201 b. Warrior finished a good third, but several of those behind him were eased when pursuit of Lottie was seen to be hopeless. The winner had to undergo the ordeal of a protest, it being alleged that while returning to scale her jockey had his cap, which had blown off his head, handed to him by a boy. The evidence adduced went to show that the cap in question had been picked up by a small boy, who threw it at Lottie’s jockey, and he unthinkingly caught it, and the stewards seeing no wilful intent in the act, and taking into consideration the fact that the cap was not an article of any weight, considered themselves justified in dismissing the protest, and I think they were quite right from the point of view of equity. Lottie is by Muskapeer (son of Musket and Venus Transit), out of Ladybird by Feve —Polish by Day and Martin— Marchioness (dam of the dual Great Autumn Handicap winner Longlands). She belongs to the popular Waikato sportsman who races under the nom de course of Mr. “ J. Malcolm,” and she was trained by James Kean, who turned her out with his best polish on, and we all know how good that is. The Hunt Club Cup, which is always looked forward to with a great relish by the members of the P.H.C., was this year marred by a fiasco. There cannot be any reasonable doubt that last year’s winner Jim would have again proved victorious but for his rider, Mr. Seager Buckland, mistaking the course when the horse had the race in hand. Jim, who at 12.0 had 211 b more than he carried in last year’s race when he won, took command a mile from home and increased his advantage up the hill, down to the flat and over the stone wall. He had the race in hand at the last stone wall but his rider made a mistake about entering the course proper on the road home, and Jim went into a wire fence and hurt himself severely. By the time the mishap occurred Car-

ronade had got into second place, and he came on and won as he liked from Defamer. Everybody sympathised with Mr. Percival in his bad luck with Jim, for he had 1 acked him well, added to which the old horse is almost a popular idol with hunting people, and Mr. Seager Buckland is about the most accomplished amateur horseman we have here. But even the best of them make mistakes at times.

Nero and Te Ata declined the contest for the Open Hurdles, one mile and three-quarters, leaving the good field of eleven to go to the post. When I say “ good field ” I do not wish to infer that the competitors were of good quality, for the majority of them were not, and it was a wonder to me how some owners had the temerity to pay up and back their horses against the opposition of Marquis of Tewkesbury, Fishmonger, and Ika Vuka, not to mention others. Bae had got the Marquis very well, and when he was seen donning the colours, it was evident that business was meant with the chestnut and that his connections were quite willing to risk incurring a 71b penalty for the Christchurch Spring Hurdles. With the exception of Fishmonger, Ika Vuka, and New Chum, nothing else was backed with any spirit. The Marquis soon demonstrated that his victory in the Hurdles at the A.R.C. September gathering was no fluke,for though he now carried 241 b more than on that occasion he simply waltzed home, and not content with this Rae pushed him along for another half-mile despite the presence of several accomplished clockists. This was about as good a public trial as I think I have ever seen. Fishmonger once more ran the game honest horse he generally does, and as usual will I suppose have to suffer therefor with the weight adjusters, but there was really only one in it at the finish, and that one the winner. The Tallyho Steeplechase of about three miles saw a field of five come out. But little else was backed with spirit but Nero, and in the inside totalisator he was an odds-on chance at flag fall. After Maritana had made all the running Nero collared her a few strides from the post, and mainly owing to Mr. Storey’s horsemanship, beat the grey mare by a head. A field of 10 weighed out for the fivefurlongs Flying Handicap, and most money was laid out for Lottie’s stable companion Florence. Those behind Welcome staunchly befriended her, and the connections of Warrior were quietly confident. Welcome got away badly and never fairly flattered her backers, and Warrior won by half a length with a bit up his sleeve from Florence, whom ninetenths of the spectators thought was second, though the judge awarded Transit that position. With Jim and Defamer hors de combat after their previous exertions only a quartette contested the Ladies’ Bracelet, and the odds laid on Hinemoa were very easily landed, but there was a great setto between Larry and Blue Ribbon for the second bracelet, Larry just gaining it for his fair nominator Thus concluded a most enjoyable afternoon’s sport. May the Pakuranga Hunt Club enjoy many similar good days. [The above had to be held over last week owing to pressure on space.—Ed.]