WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 150, 8 June 1893, Page 5

WELLINGTON.

May 30th. The weather on the Queen’s Birthday, was atrocious, and completely spoiled both the Otaki Maori Race Meeting and the Wellington Trotting Club’s Meeting at Miramar.

The Otaki Maori Meeting, though held under the disadvantages of rain and cold, was yet financially a success. Mr Joseph Ames, who worked the totalisator, put through which is the record for these meetings, but there is no doubt that if the weather had been more favorable the results would have been even better than they were. Mr H. M. Lyon, the secretary of the Wellington Racing Club, was present, and gave valuable assistance to the committee. The fields were large and the racing very interesting. Details of the racing for publication in your ‘Turf Record’ column I send you with this. Owing to the wet and dirt no times were taken in the principal races.

At Miramar the Wellington Trotting Club had the cruelest of luck. Running on a new ground the heavy rain played the deuce with their course, which by the middle of the afternoon was reduced to a quagmire. Under favorable circumstances the meeting would have- been a success, for the acceptances were good, and a lot of difference of opinion was expressed as to the probable winners. As it was the weather kept away hundreds who meant to be present, and public form in the racing was completely upset. The only animal who seemed to revel in the dirt was the Christchurch pony Billy Buttons, who with his short quick stride got through the mud as if he liked it, and left his opponents standing still. He trotted in three races and won them all, though in the Miramar Park Handicap there is no doubt Spreydon Lad was the intended one. He led by a hundred yards half a mile from home, but then from some unaccountable cause suddenly collapsed, and Billy had to win. In the Trotting Club Handicap the grey pony gave an awful hiding to the great guns Clyde, Dakota, and Conway, and won by more than his start from the scratch horses. The defeat of Conway was a great blow to his supporters, who thought they had amoral. Only p 595 was Putthrough the totalisator by Mr F. N. Jones, of Nelson, and the club will lose a considerable amount over the meeting. [This was held over last week owing to pressure on space.— Ed.] June 5. Mr C. Tates’ trotter Conway and his three-year-old colt Itch, by The Mute— Scratch, which the former bought at Mr Douglas’ sale, have left Wellington for New Plymouth, where Mr Tate now resides. They wait under charge of H. Peters. Most of the Wellington bookmakers have reduced the starting price limit to One of them, I hear, still offers £ls, and if he sticks to that determination the others will have to extend their odds again. Adam McMorran. the well - known cross-country jockey, has severed his connection with the Maori horseowner Hira Parata. I understand' that the astute Maori did not like Adam leaving his horses to attend steeplechase meetings, to which he attributes the recent non-success of Primus. Mr J. Prosser’s very promising hurdler Pumau, which won one of the Hack Hurdle races at the Wellington: R.O.

Autumn Meeting, rendered himself hors decMat on the eve of the Otaki Meet*;sing by getting into a wire fence and damaging his stifle. He is reported to be getting all right again. y Mr A. W. Cave’s speedy three-year-old hack Sea Serpent has gone into retirement for the winter. Next season he will run in racehorse company, and from his performances and breeding (Piscatorius —Rumour) he should be able to "take his own part. Mr Cave, whose stables and breeding establishment are near Masterton, is thinking of sending Rumour to Dreadnought next season. He has a well-grown two-year-old sister to Sea Serpent, who has not raced yet, but is expected to shine in hack races in the spring. It . is Mr T. Shaw, of Carterton, who has purchased Countess 11., the trotting mare, from Mr Smart. He intended to trot at the Wairarapa meeting, but missed the day of acceptance. Horse-owners will bear in mind that nominations for the Wellington R.C. < Steeplechase Meeting close on Tuesday next, the 13th inst.