Sporting Review AND WEEKLY STANDARD. Thursday, January 24, 1895.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume V, Issue 235, 24 January 1895, Page 4

Sporting Review AND WEEKLY STANDARD. Thursday, January 24, 1895.

The Committee of the Auckland Racing Club held an investigation last week into the matter of the Recovery Stakes run at the ’Xmas Meeting, in which it will be remembered one of the pony hurdles was left up instead of being removed from the course. As usual the inquiry was conducted with closed doors, but in addition to denying admission to Pressmen the Committeemen refused to admit their caretaker who was virtually on his trial! He was merely called in, asked a few questions, and then retired to learn later on that he had been adjudged wanting in the performance of his duty and discharged from his position. Whether the Committee were right or wrong in their conclusion, it is very certain they were decidedly at fault in refusing to let Ruddy hear the evidence on which he was convicted. We understand that Jackson, the employe whose duty it was to remove the hurdle in question, wrote a letter to the Club admitting his error and after tendering his resignation informed them that it was through no fault on the part of the caretaker that the mishap occurred. He (Jackson) was alone to blame, and he was prepared to forfeit his situation in recognition of his erroy. But the Committee apparently thought the public would demand some action on their part, and as Jackson’s resignation baulked them of action in his direction, they decided to dismiss the caretaker and clerk of the course as an indication to the public that they w r ere alive to the necessity of punishing action on their part. But we venture to think that the public when fully seized of the facts -of the case would have been better pleased had the A.R.C. refrained from attaching to Ruddy the stigma of a blunder of which he was entirely innocent. The employe Jackson was sent by the caretaker to remove the hurdles, and he returned to the paddock and informed Ruddy that the course was clear. Unless such intimation has been made to him it has always been Ruddy’s custom in. the past to ask one of the troopers on duty

to ride round the course, but in view of Jackson’s statement, and as the trooper was not about, he did not make further inquiry in the matter. Considering the multifarious duties the caretaker has to perform on race days he may well be excused for having taken the statement.of his underling as sufficient. But according to the decision of the A.R.C. Committee, it appears he should have got the trooper to ride round and see whether Jackson was not lying, then got the clerk of the course to ascertain that the trooper was not lying, then he should have walked round himself to see that there was no prevarication on the part of the clerk of the course, and finally Mr Percival should have walked round to see that the four of them —Jackson, the trooper, clerk of course, and caretaker — were not telling taradiddles. We understand petitions are being signed asking the Club to reconsider Ruddy’s case, and trust that the A.R.C. will give the request the consideration it deserves.

News was received by cable early in the week that another thoroughbred sire has been secured for Auckland, Mr N. A. Nathan having received a cablegram announcing that his brother, Mr L. D. Nathan, : had purchased Seaton Delavel for the Sylvia Park stud. The horse in question is of the right age for a sire, viz., six years old, and is by the famous Melton, from Rosedale. Melton, who is by Master Kildare from Vjolet Melrose, was sold a short time back to the Italian Government for £16,000, and though efforts were made to bring him back to England his new owners thought too highly of the horse to part with him. As a yearling Seaton Delavel brought 760 guineas, and opened his two-year-old career by running twice unplaced. Then he scored a win in the Monument Stakes at the Great Yarmouth Meeting, beating a good field in clever fashion. During his three-year-old career he secured three good stakes, these being the Gosforth Park Spring Handicap. Plate of 250 so vs when he scored under. 6 8 in the straight mile; the Great Northern Handicap Plate of 500 sovs at the York Spring Meeting, in which he weighted at 6.10; and the Thirsk Autumn Handicap Plate of 135 sovs, in which his burden was the respectable one of 9.2. When four years of age he had two good wins, viz., the Great West Riding Plate of 300 sovs at the Pontefract Summer Meeting, under 8.13 ; and the Northumberland Plate of 1000 sovs, under 7.5, at the Newcastse Summer Meeting. With such a famously bred sire the Sylvia Park studmasters will be independent of neighbouring stud in the matter of service, and no doubt the fine breeding lines of Seaton Delavel will secure for him a large measure of outside patronage.