THE TANGAHOE CASE.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 452, 23 March 1899, Page 16

THE TANGAHOE CASE.

The disqualification of Tangahoe by the Egmont Club has been a subject of interest to the racing community for some weeks. The disqualification was appealed against by Mr W. Ryan, and on Friday last the Taranaki Metropolitan Club, upheld the appeal, and declined to endorse the disqualification of Tangahoe, jockey, and owner. Such cases as the inquiry held by the Egmont stewards into the running of Tangahoe we have hitherto advocated should be open to the Press as public servants, and therefore publish the official document ? which was placed before the Taranaki Club on Friday last Meeting of stewards, held on February 9,1899, to consider the running of Tangahoe in the Second Hack Hurdles. Present—Messrs Nolan (chairman), Davidson, Brewer, Hicks, Riddiford, Budge, Adamson, Tonks, and VVestenra. W. Butler, trainer: As far as I know the horse was going for the money There was £5O wired away for him for this race. I was satisfied with -his running, as he knocked his knee in Stratford, and 1 had to ease him in his work in consequence. He has only done one gallop since. He did not start yesterday. I am satisfied with the riding, and think I had a fair run for the money. He knocked the fence about the six furlong post; and this interfered with his running. By Mr Budge : 1 cannot account for his falling, back, unless caused by his hitting the hurdle as stated. He knocked his knee originally at Taranaki, and was so lame at Stratford that he could hardly walk off the course. By Mr Riddiford: Have no proof as to wiring away the money, but have no doubt it could be obtained at the post- office. W. Ryan wired away the money. George Laing: I rode Tangahoe in the Second Hack Hurdles. I was told by Mr Butler to ride i my own race, and keep with the field. He was going well until the hurdle at the six furlong post, which he hit, and. stopped dead. He jumped 1 the next hurdle well. He got to his field at the last hurdle, and made a faulty jump at that, and they (Nayborn, Fox, and Foudroyant) got away from him- Since the Stratford races the horse has been lame, and has done no work. I backed the horse in this race for £2 I had nothing on the other horses. Mr Ryan put the money on for me. By Mr Hicks : I was doing my best at the second last hurdle, and was right behind the field, and getting up to him. I finished third. W. Ryan, owner of Tangahoe : I gave no instructions to the trainer and jockey, allowing • them to do as they thought proper. Am quite satisfied vyith the riding of the last race. I had £9O on him. I can give you an order to get the wires out of the telegraph office. I had £2O even money with McLeod, £2O on the machine, and two £2s’s in Auckland and Dunedin. H. I. Bingham : I was in charge of the hurdle at the six furlong post. No horses fell, but some ~ of them struck. 1 did not notice any particular horse It was not the .leading horse The three next struck pretty he*avily the second time round. One horse made a particularly wide jump. It was a bay horse. lhe rider was Jackson, I think, no'iced the rider of Tangahoe’s colors. He was in-the bunch. He was not the horse that went wide. [The totalizator cards were produced, and found satisfactory ] Jackson, rider of Fox in Second Hack Hurdles, said: Tangahoe and foudroyant led over the first fence at the three-quarter mile post. Tangahoe, Fox, and Foudroyant jumped together at the next fence. At the next fence Tangohoe led, Fox close alongside, Tangohoe on the inside. Fox led over the jump at the'stand. Was run right to the outside ot the course by coming to the six-furlong jump. 1 jumped on the outside *of Tangahoe. Fox struck his fence. Three or four of us in a bunch, Tangahoe being next to outside, about two or three hurdles out. I went to the front after jumping the fence. I got on the inside. At the half-mile fence Nayborn and Fox jumped together Tangahoe might have struck the six-furlong fence, I not knowing it. After he got over the six-furlong jump I heard Laing sing out, “Go on.” Do not know who he said it to, but looked round and saw Nayborn coming up on me. Never saw any more cf Tangahoe. By Mr Hicks: I think Laing said, “Go on, Atwood.” -■p- Mr Budge : At six-furlong fence Tangahoe was pulling of th© saddle. By Mr Nolan : Noticed Tanganoo n £to r going over six-furlong jump going strong. About twenty or thirty yards from jump. It was then I race my mare and got away from him. I had

to push the mare to get away. He (Tangahoe) seemed then to be going well. Mr Budge, steward Egmont Racing Club, said : I was on the stewards’ stand and watched the race very closely through a pair of good glasses At the flight of hurdles near the six-furlong post 1 remarked to the stewards, “ What a splendid jump Tangohoe has made ” Soon after jumping the hurdle I noticed Tangahoe falling back, and consequently watched him particularly for the balance of the race. The horse gradually dropped back, and about the distance-post Lang made a semblance of riding his horse, and eventually finished third. From the way in which the race was run I feel sure thatTangahoe was not intended to win. Mr Tonka,. st< ward Egmont Racing Club, said : I was on the ste- ards’ stand during the running of the Second B ack Hurdle Race. I watched the race very clotely. <1 he s< cond time round 1 noticed Tangahoe jump the hurdles about the sixlurlong poit, and it marked that it was a mag-

niflcent jump, gaining quite half a length on the inside horse. After that did not notice him particularly until he got over the hurdles at the half mile post when Mr Henry handed me his glasses and said ‘’Look at Tangahoe.” I then noticed the rider sitting still on the horse, and he appeared to be hanging on to him. He did not appear to make an effort until he got over the last hurdle, when he appeared to let his head go, and the horse ran into third place.., The opinion I formed was that he was watching Fox, and that if anything had happened to Nayborn Tangahoe would have won. Mr Hicks, steward Egmont Racing Club, said : I was at the Egmont Racing Club’s Summer Meeting on the Bth and 9th February, 1899. As a steward of the club I was placed at’the hurdles between the three and four-furlong posts to watch the running in the. Second Hack Hurdle Race. Shortly after the horses landed over the six furlong hurdles in the second round I noticed that Fox took the lead, and led to close to where I was standing, when Nayborn overhauled her, and led over that hurdle. All the horses, with ane exception, were then being hard ridden. This was a big bay horse, and at the time I thought it was Tangahoe. I looked at my race card and found the colors did not correspond with the colors in the card that Tangahoe was supposed to carry. Made a mental note of the colors the horse was carrying, as I could find no colors in that race to correspond with them. This horse when he passed me was being kept wide on the outside of the course, and the rider was sitting perfectly still on him. Making no effort to improve his position, which was last but one, and he continued in that position as far as my view extended, some way inside the distance post. On my arrival at the stewards’ committeeroom I found that the stewards were holding an enquiry into the running of Tangahoe. I made enquiry from Mr Nolan (president) if Tangahoe’s colors had been changed. Before he had time to answer me the rider of Tangahoe was called into the room; and I immediately identified the colors as those on the particular horse I had noticed in the race. On coming out of ,the committee-room I then noticed that the .colors of Tangahoe had been altered on the public noticeboard, and then had not the slightest doubt that the horse I noticed in the race was Tangahoe. From what I saw I am quite confident that the horse was not ridden to win. Mr Mcßae said: I was in the judge’s box during the funning of the Second Hack Hurdle Race, taking the third horse with Mr Brewer, the judge. I watched the race closely from the start up to the hurdle in front of the stand, which Tangahoe jumped abreast with Fox, in front of the others. They then ran on to the six furlong hurdle, which they also jumped together. Afterwards Tangahoe dropped back, and Nayborn went up. From that out I watched the leaders until they came into the straight, not noticing Tangahoe’s position until nearing the judge’s box, when he appeared to be coming faster than anything else in the race, and he beat the other horse for third place on the post. Mr Brewer said: 1 have heard the statement made by Mr Mcßae, and corroborate the same in every particular. The following resolution was carried : —“ That the horse'l angahoe, the owner (W. Ryan), the trainer (W. Butler), and the rider (G. Laing) b» disqualified for twelve months for fraudulent running and liding the said horse in lhe second Handicap Hack Hurdles at the Summer Meeting, February 9, 1899.”

In connection with the above case, a correspondent from Tangahoe writes, under date of March 19: —The Tangahoe disqualification came on for hearing last night before the Taranaki Club. Mr Marshall, solicitor, from Wanganui, appeared for the appellants, and in opening the case pointed out the contradictory evidence of the stewards, some of whom had faid that Tangahoe was running wide, while the evidence of others was contrary to that. The stewards, Mr Marshall averred, were judges, accusers, and witnesses. They were all present to hear what each, other said, and after giving evidence to corroborate one another went back on the bench to deliver judgment. The evidence in support of the appeal consisted chiefly of affidavits sworn before a justice of the peace. Testimony was given by Mr Pardy (handicapper for the West Coast), W. Ryan (owner of Tangahoe), Butler (trainer), several jockeys in the race, and a veterinary surgeon (who had attended and examined iangahoe). Their testimony was to the effect that Tangahoe had hit the six-furlong fence hard; that the horse, when he returned to the paddock, was lame. After hearing the evidence the following resolution was agreed Ito : “That upon the evidence adduced before thie committee, there is not sufficient evidence to support the decision of the stewards of the Egmont Racing Club disqualifying for twelve months the horse Tangahoe, his owner and jock»y, <~ud therefore tliat the Ulbqualifica*ian he not endorsed.” Mr R. Nolan had charge of the case for the Egnont Club.