OTAGO.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 462, 1 June 1899, Page 13

OTAGO.

Visionary — Zephyr — Nihilist — The Oamaru Baces—The late meeting at Dunedin.

Dunedin, May 30. Visionary has been sold to an up-country sport. Zephyr has been bought by Mr W. Crossan, of Berwick, and joins Occident’s harem. Nihilist has been disposed of, his new owner being Mr James McEwan. The Oamaru races will be run to-morrow and Thursday, and there is every prospect of a really good meeting, better horses being engaged than have been there for some years. Djin Djin was to have had a cut in for the principal event, but he has hurt himself. A feature of this meeting is that all concerned are giving their services gratuitously Messrs Mason and Roberts, who have always been to the fore on occasions like this, are working their totalisators free. The Oamaru Club is too good to be allowed to drift to leeward, hence the kindly action. Our meeting last week was a big success, and it is pleasing to record a change from occurrences of the last few seasons. I reckon it has established the Wingatui course, leaving an indelible mark. There were more people there, notwithstanding the bad weather, than we have had at Forbury for the last five years. On off days the attendance may suffer with the new course, but all holidays will make that up, for people like an outing, and there are few places under the canopy of Heaven better blessed than the Taieri Plains, with its beaut ful scenery, prolific soil, and far better climate than dear old Forbury. So why should the public not go out ? The railway arrangements are not yet as perfect as they may be, but the authorities will soon, report says, remedy any failings. The club is to be congratulated on the success of the meeting, especially battling against such unfavorable weather, and it is astonishing that on the new course they should .have put through nearly a thousand pounds more than was handled at Forbury in fine weather at last year’s corresponding gathering. Mr Harry Piper’s starting was really good and gave backers confidence. The racing, considering everything, was interesting, and no very big dividends were paid. Starshot Very gamely plodded through the heavy going in the Birthday Handicap, beating Skirmisher, which is real bad luck for young Bob Reay, as, after selling her, she just beat Sequin last year and meted out the eime punishment to his newly-acquired Skirmisher in this gear’s event. Double Event is evidently too heavily topped to excel in very heavy going, and Djin Djin was a dismal failure. The meeting unearthed one good horse—a real game ’un —in Jupiter. The D.J.C. have made about £3OO over the meeting.