WAIPURURAU JOCKEY CLUB’S ANNUAL MEETING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 455, 13 April 1899, Page 13

WAIPURURAU JOCKEY CLUB’S ANNUAL MEETING.

[by OUR NAPIER CORRESPONDENT.]

This club’s fixture is always a popular one with country residents, who roll up well when the yearly fixture takes place. Napier and Hastings sports also patronise the affair liberally by their presence, and when the ball was set rolling on Easter Monday, which was gloriously fine for the day’s pleasure, just as big a crowd were there as was on many previous occasions. Speculation was got so brisk as upon the occasion of last season’s gathering, the total for 1898 being £4514, while upon this occasion only £3BOl went through the machines. The slackness of betting may be attributed to the result of the first race, in which Schnapps was declared the victor, Kuby running last in a field of four, Gorse and Tomonoa filling the places. Immediately upon the horses returning to the enclosure Mr Ellingham, owner of Kuby, entered a protest against the three placed horses on the grounds that their riders, Hannon, Mitchell, and Turiroa, had ridden in Maori oat meetings, at which an equalisator had been used, and as no permit had been accorded to these clubs by the metropolitan body they came under the heading of unregistered meetings. Mitchell and Turiroa, the riders of Gorse and Tomonoa respectively, admitted that they had ridden at Maori oat meetings, and the stewards disqualified them. Hannon stated that a couple of years previous he had ridden at a similar meeting, but he produced an 1898 99 jockey’s license from the Hawke’s Buy Jockey Club, and this being so, the stewards did not upset the judge’s verdict, giving orders to pay out on Schnapps. Ruby’s owner is not satisfied with the stewards’ ruling, and intends placing the matter before the Racing Conference, his contention being that the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club had placed all horses, riders, and owners under the ban for taking part in the meeting at which Hannon rode, and as they had never removed that disqualification they had no right to issue a license to Hannon. Sirocco,

Mystify, Chance, and Tomonoa, who claimed engagements during the day, were scratched for the races when the stewards’ fiat was issued. Daphne’s owner, Mr J. T. Blake, was placed in a peculiar position, as his mare had, about a year ago, won at oat meetings, and although she has been returned a winner in the interim, both at metropolitan and suburban meetings, he did not know how Daphne would get on if she won. Jadoo’s owner was also said to have had a ropresentativo racing for him at the meetings which were the cause of all the trouble. They both determined, however, tp risk and start their horses, and after Daphne had won the big money and no protest went in matters seemed to trim up. The Easter Handicap, seven furlongs, which followed the hurdle race, only attracted a trio of runners, Amoureux, Daring, and Lady Lome, the first named having £5B more invested on her than the latter. The issue was never in doubt, for Torpedo’s daughter easily pulled to the front after five furlongs had been cut out, winning without an effort. Daring, who could not act in the heavy going and it was decidedly holding all the way, got second, Lady Lorne had a strange horseman up, as her owner’s son, L. Robinson, who usually presides in the saddle, had in company with numbers of other jockeys who were on the ground, been guilty of riding at recent Maori meetings, and consequently his services could not be made use of on Lady Lorne. Amoureux paid £2 which must be considered a fair price when the numerical strength of the field was taken into consideration.

Cossack and Derry were the only participants for the Trial Handicap, four of the others being struck out for reasons before detailed. Atlas White who rode Cossack could not hold him slow enough at any portion of the trip, and had he been so inclined could have distanced his solitary opponent. The winner, who is a good looking well set up son of Renata, who is a full brother to Oudeis, Disowned, and other celebrities, paid £1 7s.

The four acceptors for the Waipukurau Handicap proceeded to the post for the discussion of eventualities, Whitirea having a good pull over the opposition in the betting, Daphne, probably because it was thought that matters might be made unpleasant if she won, being the outsider of the quartette. When full steam ahead was turned on at the home bend Daphne could be seen easily holding her own, and though Jadoo’s rider was pressing her hard for an effort she could never respond well enough to make the subject interesting for her half sister, who proved that galloping in soft going is her lurk, Ja J oo on the other hand was beaten by the elate of the ground, the distance was a bit to far I ween for Whitirea, and Scotia belied her aristocratic lineage by the poor showing she treated her fancier, to, finishing as she did a very bad fourth. Daphne paid £6 3s. Two pair, in Coolgardie, Uila, Minnehaha, and Baccarat, proceeded to argue out the one and ahalf mile Hack Race. Vila heading off Coolgardie by a few pounds in public estimation, ar d the punters sized it off in a brace of tries as the pair finished first and second, Coolgardie winning comfortably from the Torpedo mare, who was not able to display her best form from the state of the track. Ido not on any account wish to detract from the winner’s performance, but had the going been sounder, 1 have no doubt a more exciting contest would have taken place, for it must be undoubtedly admitted that the formation of Uila’s feet are not suitable for soft ground. Coolsardie returned his partisans £2 12s for each pound invested on his chance. Baccarat, who shaped well for three parts of the distance, was third, but Minnehaha was never at any stage of the game in it.

According to the slipulations of the programme any winner of a flat race after the declaration of weights had to carry a 71b penalty, but according to the rules of the Club any horse engaged in the Welter, s ould they be ridden by a gentleman rider, could claim a 71b allowar ce. As Mr Harley piloted Daphne her weight on the card, 12.7, remained as it was, for reasons before mentioned and even at this big impost she was selected a= the first favourite, Jewel Gu r , a nice appearanced chestnut son of Nerdl? Gun, being next choice. Barbarossa, who had the assistance of Mr Hyde and who therefore had his weight allotment reduced by 71b, Te Ori, and Jerry made up the competing contingent. Daphne never gave her field a chance for she was always handy, and fairly revelling in the soft going had no difficulty in annexing, Te Ori second. When going round the back Barbarossa, who ran into third place, slipped about a bit and nearly came down, but I do not think it made any difference to his chance of success, for the winner never had to exert herself in the slightest. Holders of tickets on her received £2 15s each.

Amoureux’s win in the Easter Handicap brought her weight up to 9.3 in the Flying Handicap, of six furlongs, for which half a dozen lined up, but although she carried this load she was elected favorite, Whitirea, with £lO4 lees on his name on tie machine, filling the position of second choice, the well-bred Mistra (by Apremont—Nautilus) being third fancy. After going about a couple of furlongs she unfortunately slipped, unseating her rider, and her partisans were consequently left lamenting. Amoureux was in charge for five furlongs, when Whitirea, going as strong as a lion, came at her, and he was soon on terms with her, though at the distance post lie seemed to hang in a lot when Jones gave him the whip, and. upon Whitaker, who rode Amoureux, returning to scale he entered a protest against him for boring and interfering. The stewards, after hearing evidence, decided to dismiss the protest, as it was evidently quite accidental, and it did not in any way alter the decision of the affair, for they were of the opinion that at the time of the alleged cross Amoureux was beaten. They, however, considered that Jones was not as careful as he should have been, and cauti< ned him to be more judicious in the future. Whitirea paid £3 15s. He is a notoriously gross doer, and the gallop iu the big handicap did him a power of good, for racing is what he wants to sharpen him

up. J. Docherty, who trains him, has not been long at the training game as the master hand, but he has had rather a unique experience for all that, as he has trained but three winners, Nukurau and Whitirea twice, and each time he has had to go through the bother and worry of a protest before he was certain that victory rested with the contestants that he had educated.

The biggest field of the day, eight, ranged up for dismissal in the concluding item on the card, the Final Hack, The Frenchman’s friends rallying round him in great style, and shoving him along far in advance of the rest of the’field in betting quotations, Daphne and Coolgardie coming next in estimation. The favorite never flattered his adherents, Coolgardie, who carried 9.12, including 71b penalty, and Daphne, 10.0, including 141 b penalty, fighting out the finish of the meeting, Coolgardie triumphing at the finish, the biggest dividend of the meeting, £6 9s being paid over on his account. Baccarat was a bad third. I cannot close my comments on the meeting without awarding great praise to Mr C. Ohavannes for his admirable starting, the fields moving off with a clockwork-like mechanism in each and every contest. The officials of the club were strenuous in their efforts to make the meeting a success, and there is no gainsaying the fact that had not the nnlucky protest business been in force a regular good payable meeting would have eventuated.