Auckland Trotting Club’s Autumn Meeting.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 143, 20 April 1893, Page 6

Auckland Trotting Club’s Autumn Meeting.

Saturday, April 15. The Auckland Trotting Club were very fortunate in the matter of weather on • Saturday last, and they had a capital attendance. The fields were good in the - -the majority of the seven events on the card, but the sport was not of a particularly interesting nature, and the proceedings dragged somewhat. Mr W. ' Blomfield’s assistants —he himself being <absent in Australia —handled £2027 at the totalisators, the tickets being 10s in each race, except the April Handicap Trot, in which they were £ 1 inside and 10s out, and the Autumn Handicap, in which they were £1 all round, and two . separate dividends were paid in the case of the April Trot. ..There were but three absentees from the Maiden Trot Handicap of 40sovs, 2 ipiles, which left the big field of 17. There was not very much speculation indulged in* and several of the competitors did not carry a single farthing. Dinah, 18sec—only 6secless than the limit—was served up a warm favourite, and justified the confidence reposed in her by winning easily from The Broker, 20se, and Disappointment, IBsec. Gillie, Siwash and Retrenched were . eliminated from the Flying Handicap of 35sov.s, 5 furlongs, which left ten to go to the post. Although she had top weight oi 10.5 backers fastened on to Cupid, and she left off a slightly better favourite than Pearl 11.. 7.10, while Rodney, 8.7. was also well backed. Rodney had got through his field by the end of a quarter of a' mile, and coming on full of running he won comfortably from Venus Victrix, ! $.3, including 71b over, and Pearl 11. ; With 8.0 Rodney started favourite for 'this same race last year, but could not get a pUce behind Contempt, 7.0. " ‘The big event of the day, the April 'Handicap Trot of 130sovs. two miles and hhlf, next came up for decision. Little Ben and Otakehe were the only withdrawal, leaving a dozen starters. The 'Taranaki horse Peter, with the minimum of 60sec, and “ Jay” Russell up, was insfu'lled favourite, but Black Oats. 45sec, trod closely on his heels in the betting. Bar these two there was nothing backed with - miich spirit. There was a bit of a rush td get a peep at the Canterbury representative Black Oats, whose handicapping had been in some quarters a great bone of contention, but she looked very mean, and a lot of her would-be backers deserted her as soon as they saw her. When the word “ go” was given Peter made the most of his advantage, and by the time they passed the stand he had a good lead. Hurricane, 53sec, had got mto second place, and Martha, 60sec, Model, s'ssec, and Mount, 50sec, followed . in that order. When they had gone along the back stretch Peter was supplanted by Hurricane, who was in the van when they again passed the stand, but Peggy, 45sec, had drawn up second, and Mount, 50sec, was third, and Black Oats, 45sec, next. Hurricane kept on the even tenor of his way, and when they reached the stand before entering on the final round he had a good lead of Peggy and Mouiit, and Yum Yum (who started at scratch), had pulled up a lot of ground, but she broke several times. Mount took second place at the back of the course, but he could never place the issue in doubt, and Hurricane won by about 50 yards from him. Black Oats was a very moderate third, and Peggy headed the others. The time, 7min 9 2-ssec, was in marked contrast to last year’s 7min 48sec, when the race was won by Little Ben. 56sec. The dividend on the inside totalisator was £9 9s, and on the outside £ll 14 s'. ■ a .. The whole doiien ponies coloured on the card fbr the Autumn Handicap of 5 Oso vs, 7 furlongs, catne to the post. Gillie, who ’ carried 41b over, bringing his weight up : to 9.4, was a hot favourite, and Pearl 11., 7.11, inc. 41b over, and La Grippe, 9.3, were better supported than any of "Ifie others. The race is easily described, for Pearl 11. was very quick at beginning, and after Dove had led her for a. few yards, she came on and won easily from Gillie, 9.4; and Nigger Boy. . Balderdash, Model, and Teddy were taken ‘out of the Harness Handicap Trot of 50sovs, 2 miles, and nine thus constituted, the qtrength of the field, The bulk ofbackers’ money went to Sparrowhawk, 60sec, and Peter, 52sec, Sparrowhawk having a slight call. Passing the stand the* first time Cadiz, 60sec, was leading, with .Scotchman and Peter as his nearest attendants?, Cadiz went/on. with-the lead all, the way round, and when tihe- stand was again reached he was in front, with

Scotchman second, Peter third, and Sparrowhawk next, followed by Clyde, who had been gradually getting through and was going great guns. Scotchman took the lead from Cadiz at the back of the course, but he was moving at rather a peculiar gait, but coming on he won by abouc three lengths from Cadiz, with Clyde a close third. When they returned to scale a protest was entered against Scotchman on the ground that he had not trotted fairly. The stewards took the evidence of the three “ judges of trotting” appointed by them, and as these gentlemen. Messrs A. R. Harris, J. S. Kidd, and J. Hunter gave it as their opinion that Scotchman had not trotted fairly, the stakes were awarded to Cadiz. They also decided to caution Trubshaw, the driver of Hurricane, for not having taken a proper pull at his horse under the rules. As soon as their decision was announced, Mr G. Mcßride, the owner of Scotchman, gave notice to the stewards not to pay over the stakes or the totalisator money. However the totalisator paid out as usual, the backers of Cadiz receiving the nice dividend of £8 5s for every 10s. Half-a-dozen weighed out for the Handicap Hurdles of 40sovs, one mile and a-half, Siwash being the only defection. Butterfly, 11.0, was favourite, but Reuben, 10.7, and Little Raven, 9.10, also met with plenty of support. The favourite was responsible for most of the running till about a quarter of a mile from home, when Little Raven, who had always been omthe premises, took coipmand, \ Reuben essayed tu catch him in the last furlong, but he held his own to the end, and won by half-a-length from Reubom Venus Victrix was a moderate third.

The afternoon’s sport concluded with the Electric Handicap Trot of 50sovs, one mile, for which eight were saddled, Ladybird and Black Oats declining the contest. Most money was put on Nellie, 16sec, probably because B. Edwards was up on her, but Mount (who had the limit of 21 sec) and Yum Yum, who was at scratch, had a lot of friends. None of the others were much fancied, however. Mount kept in front all the way, and won by about three lengths from Yum Yum, who trotted a‘great mare. Neliie was a moderate third.

The various officers discharged-their duties most efficiently, and time would have been well kept up to had it not been for the protest over the Harness Trot. Mr E. D. Halstead, who generally wields the flag for the club, was present, looking bad after his severe bout of illness, and he was too unwell to assume the role of starter, but Mr E. M. Page made a most efficient substitute. The £2,027 passed through the totalisators was £222 10s less than was handled at the same meeting last year. <’ i . At the settling the sums paid to winning owners were:—W. H. jTrubshaw, ; W. J. Greenwood, ios; W. Brinsden, £4.2 15s; E. Archibald,: 15s; T. May, J. Gibbs, 5s ; H. Hughson, £ 28 10s ; B. Edwards, £9 10s ; E. G. Sandall, 15s ; E. Hoult, lss; R. Moore, £4. 15s: J. Martin, £4. 15s ; total. 3s.