WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 207, 12 July 1894, Page 6

WELLINGTON.

July 7The Wairarapa Hunt Club Steeplechase Meeting came off near Featherston on Thursday, when there was a fair attendance, and the result of the gathering will be that the Club will about come out square. Mr R. Roake gave every satisfaction with the flag, and the officials generally, and Mr McKenzie, the secretary, in particular, worked hard to make the gathering pass off smoothly. The first race was the Trial Steeplechase, which was won by Kaika, Frisco being second, and Wangamoana Jthird. The other starters were Mako Mako, Konini, Titus, Otokura, |Debut, Kaitapi Nalato, Judas and Ballyhooley. Wangaimona carried 241 b over, Nalato 8, Ballyhooley 13, Judas 4, and Otokura 6. Kaika won easily. He is by The Admiral. Most of the field nevei got round. Dividend, is. Dainty (by Ahua) was made a great pot for the Wairarapa Steeplechase, but he was put out of it at the first obstacle. The race was won by Austral (by The Australian), who came at the finish and easily disposed of Cyrus 11. and Canute. Lord John was the only other starter that finished, Gladstone pulling. Dromedary and Iroquois were scratched. Dividend, /4 17s. H. Peters rode the winner, who recently won a race in Hawke’s Bay. Springtime and Matarikiwero scratched for the Hack Handicap, for which there were only three starters, Fresh Deal,, Merryman and Mermaid. Fresh Deal (Puriri —Misdeal) led from start to finish and won in a canter. Dividend, £1 15s. At a later stage Fresh Deal also got home in the Hack Hurdles, in which he had 9.3 and Makomako, who ran second, 11.9. Waikato, the only other starter, fell at the first jump. Nuts and Kaika did not start. Fresh Deal won comfortably. Dividend, £2 3s. Kaika also placed another bracket to his credit by winning the Ladies’ Bracelet Steeple, of two miles, in which he was not troubled at the finish. Playboy and Frisco were his nearest attendants. Dromedary was scratched. The other starters were Cyrus 11., Mero, Titus, Otokura, Debut, Try Again and Kaitapi, but most of them came to grief. Dividend, £3 17s. Lord John had no difficulty in accounting for the Hunt Club Steeple, easily beating Iroquois at the finish. Nuts, Judas, and Try Again were the other starters, but came to grief. Dividend, £2 19s,

There were four starters for the Hunters’ Flat Handicap, which fell to Makomako, j 2.13, Nuts and Wangaimoana being in the places. Masterstroke also ran. Dividend, 19s. At a meeting of the United Hunt Club the other night the following resolutions were adopted : —.. 1. That the stewards are of opinion that the rider of Timothy in the Open Steeplechase Handicap on May 5, 1894, weighed out for the race correctly. 2. That the stewards are satisfied that the rider of Timothy, in the race referred to in the previous resolution, weighed in short weight after the said race. 3. That the evidence shows that no weights were accidentally lost during the race. 4. That in view of the facts set forth in resolutions 1 and 2, the stewards are ot opinion that Kenneth McKenzie, the trainer, and John Grave-.' stock, the rider, are guilty of a fraudulent practice under Rule 111 of the Rules of Racing. 5. It is further resolved that Kenneth McKenzie, trainer, be disqualified for six months, John Gravestock, jockey, be disqualified for three months, and that the horse Timothy be disqualified for three months, the disqualifications to date from July 4th, 1894. 6. That the stewards entirely exonerate Mr W. Henry, the owner of the horse. On the following morning, at halfpast nine o’clock, the stewards of the Metropolitan Club met, Mr H. D. Bell, M.H.R., in the chair. The disqualifications were endorsed, but a resolution was passed to the affect that they were totally inadequate, and the meeting was adjourned for further consideration. A telegram was at once despatched to Wairarapa Hunt Club’s gathering, giving the result of the meeting, and as a consequence Dromedary could not start in any of the races. Now, let me review the action of the United Hunt Club. They disqualify the trainer, K. McKenzie, for six months, Gravestock, the jockey, for three months, and the horse Timothy for three months, ’ but not the owner “ Mr W. Henry.” This is an assumed name, although it is not every one that knows it, the person interested being the son of a well-known Hawke’s Bay squatter. They entirely exonerated him, but still they disqualified the "horse. Where does the consistency come in ? Of course the evidence waB taken in private, and is not to be published, so that I am unaware of the full facts adduced. However, the Metropolitan stewards are reconsidering the matter, and from the tone of their last meeting they will no doubt see that the sentences are made a trifle more severe. It was shown, I believe, that the weights could not possibly drop out of the lead bag, on account of its construction, and it was suggested that perhaps the clerk of the scales made a mistake, but the Hunt Club stewards stuck to their clerk, believing quite the opposite. Clause 3 reads that there was no evidence to show that the weights were accidentally lost during the race. Of course emphasis is laid on the word accidentally. As a matter of fact leads were found on the course subsequently, but it has been pretty well shown that they were not those carried by Timothy in his saddle lead bag. This opens up rather a new question. Who did those leads belong to ? Perhaps there was some other perculiar business worked that day or at the racing club’s meeting, of which we shall never hear anything. Mr Macfarlane worked the totalisator at the Wairarapa Hunt Club’s Meeting. Austral is a greatly improving horse. Roscius, winner of the Hurdles at Gisborne, is related to Mo’rag. The number of steeplechase horses on the sick or temporarily retired list this season is amazing. A dice-throwing punter who backed the first and second horses in a race at the Hunt Club Meeting, remarked as the pair came over the last hurdle that he had “ two shows for a six.”

Kaika, winner of a double at the meeting, did not, if I remember rightly, win a race last year. Master Stroke, who ran unplaced, is out of an old draught mare, but he claims Master Agnes as his sire. Judas is fairly well named, having been got by Traitor. The winning sires at the meeting were; —Admiral three, Puriri two, Hippocampus and The Australian one each.