WANGANUI.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 386, 16 December 1897, Page 11

WANGANUI.

George Price invalided—Novelty—Mr M. Baird’s bad luck—The Artist at the illegitimate game—Rossall turned out —Small entries — The Patea Racing Club’s troubles—The Loss of Garrison. Wanganui, Dec. 13. It is hard luck for that much-in-demand little horseman, George Price, to be placed on the retired list during the present busy time of the year, when so many leading fixtures are coming on. George, but for having his collar-bone broken when Sedgebrook fell with him at Feilding on the second day, was to have visited Masterton for the 9th and 10th inst., having been engaged to ride the Blenheim owned Tupu, and would doubtless have secured other good mounts. Novelty (Puriri —Deadshot mare), who has given no encouragement of late to Mr George Williams, of Man-o’-War connection, has been mated with Lakeshell. Mr Martin Baird, of Hawera, who bred Pokomoka, had bad luck last week in losing a promising yearling colt by Gipsy King out of Deadshot mare, the dam of Novelty and Jack Rae’s recent purchase, Pohutukawa. The youngster was running in a paddock with some polo ponies, and they had evidently fallen out, the Gipsy King yearling getting the worst of the deal. Trask has not yet had a turn of fortune with the once speedy son of Lady Artist. By the nominations for the big hurdles at Manawatu on Boxing Day I notice Trask has decided to put The Artist at the illegitimate game, and if he can be made proficient at the lepping business he should get away with some hurdle events during the coming season. Harry Alexander has been reluctantly compelled to again send back to the paddock that good hurdler Rossall, a cast-off of Tommy Scott’s. Fast work quickly found out the weak spot, rendering persevering any further with the horse out of question. Most nominations received on this coast for hurdle events have so far this season been on the small side, iam pleased to notice a better state of things for Manawatu on Boxing Day, where eighteen will occupy the attention of the weightadjusters, including some very decent performers. '.!he Patea Racing Club is apparently in trouble. The Stevens disqualification in a hurdle event run at this club’s meeting will be fresh in the minds of most of Review readers. The Metropolitan Club (Taranaki) has seen fit to remove the disqualification, but the Patea Club has refused to allow Stevens to ride on its course or recompense him for loss sustained by his disqualification. Result, the Metropolitan Club declines to approve of the Patea programme for Easter Monday. The club is, I understand, taking legal advice on the matter. Messrs. King and Lett have had the misfortune to lose their Volunteer gelding, Garrison, who was found in his paddock recently with his near hind leg badly broken. As Garrison had the paddock all to himself it is somewhat difficult to account for his fate. Speculation (dam of Monte Carlo, the defunct Ngatuere and his full sister Lady Spec, in the well-known Raugitikei stable presided over by W. Holmes) was found drowned near Feilding the other day. Speculation was at the time of decease on a visit to Gold Reef. Speculation was a good performer, and annexed the Wanganui Cup of 1885.