SCRATCHINGS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VI, Issue 311, 9 July 1896, Page 7

SCRATCHINGS.

N.Z. Cup.—Gipsy Grand (Tuesday morning). Melbourne Cup.—Vivian, Motto. Cauleield Cup.—Screech.

“We will not do business on meetings where there is no totalisator (except by special arrangement), and if we should accept commissions by mistake, through having no knowledge that there was no machine, the commission will be null and void, and we will not pay or receive.” Such is the addition to Messrs Barnett and Grant’s advertisement this week,' which appears on page 11. “ Deleware,” of Sydney Truth, has given us some tallish stories about bush race meetings, but a friend sends him one now with plenty of fiction in it. Here it is—“ Twenty years ago a race meeting at Burrowa was a race meeting. The day before the races a representative of one of the leading families would cart a load or two of blue metal on to the course for the use of the boys if a row started. All fights in Burrowa were free in those days, and anyone could take a hand without having to be formally introduced to any of the principals. The O’Neil’s, O’Dwyers, O’Regan’s, &c., were the leaders of fashion a score of years ago. Then there were Jimmy the Boar and Peg-legged Jerry, two leading lights at every meeting. A jockey’s life would not be worth much if he rode in an orange or yellow jacket, and on one occasion a stranger came here with a grey horse named Hard Times, and a very hard and wild time he had of it. His horse started in the Maiden Plate against Limerick Lass, a horse belonging to Lambing Flat Mick, Jerry Scanlon’s Erin’s Isle, Paddy McGuire’s Jackey Morgan, and Matty Murtie’s Shamrock. The race was won by Hard Times, and his jockey wore a dark yellow jacket. This was sufficient, as Limerick Lass ran second, and the crowd went fc»r the winning jockey, tore his colours off, and kicked seven bells out of him before Moriarty, the judge, had time to weigh him in.” That good trainer and driver, Frank Starr (brother to the Christchurch trainer) —says a New York exchange —who has made Terre Haute, Ind., his headquarters, has signed a contract to go to Riis«ia and train Orloff trotters in the land of the Czar. His many friends will wish him success in his new venture.