WAIPUKARAU JOCKEY CLUB’S ANNUAL MEETING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 510, 3 May 1900, Page 13

WAIPUKARAU JOCKEY CLUB’S ANNUAL MEETING.

[By Our Napier Correspondent,] With a wet week previous, it did not look any too promising for the annual fixture of the above suburban club; but fortunately the Bain God took a pull in time, and Easter Monday was ushered in by a glorious morning. As the day got older, the heat was somewhat of an inconvenience, butrace goers consoled themselves by reasoning that it was better than rain. The trains, both North and South, to the trysting grounds, were heavily laden, making the attendance one of the best the club has had for years. The united efforts in the matter of speculation advanced the amount passed through the machine by £296 over that backed last season, the com parative figures being: 1899, £3,601; 1900, £3,897. All of the officials got their duties satisfactorily, though some dissatisfaction was displayed through an unfortunate mistake that occurred re the totalisator dividend in the Flying Handicap. When taking commissions for the event Mr Stock, who was in charge of the machines, had an investment ticket for £lO on Sirocco passed in to him by a well-known backer. This was promptly registered Later on the same punter passed in another £lO investment on Sirius. At a first glance Mr Stuck thought it was again cn Sirocco, as the two names, Sirius and Sirocco, are somewhat alike —more especially in the style in which they were written. I saw both of the -cards, and certainly, looking at them hastily, •they did appear alike. The second £lO was rung on Sirocco, but before the dividend was declared, Mr Stock, on going through the cards, noticed that he had made a mistake, and, upon referring the matter to the stewards, they decided to rectify the mistake by adding the £lO on to •Sirius’ number, which decreased the dividend on his former £l2 2s to £9, according to the totals that were registered on his numbers on the machines. ' Though he had a good mannered lot of horses to dismiss, Mr Hyde’s starting left room for improvement. There is one suggestion that I would place before the club, and which I hope to see them •adopt at thei next meeting, and that is to display the jockey’s names for the benefit of their .patrons. Now-a-days many a one goes to a race meeting with the intention of backing a particular jockey’s mount," and, as very often the

horsemen are not known by sight, it comes very very awkward if backers have no authentic|knowledge of who is going to ride. I know this is only a small matter item, but then, you know, “little drops of water, little grains of sand,” etc. Tony O’Neil—he, it will be remembered, rode Amoureux when she won the Thompson Handicap at Wellington last season —was the most successful horseman during the day, as he secured three wins — Sirocco, Parasite, and Sirius. J. Griffiths (Hinepare), D. Watt (Waihau), Hannon (Scallywag), McTaggat (Ulla), and McKinnon (Purimu), each had to be satisfied with a single victory apiece. Honors in the stallion class were equally divided—Turquoise, Wonderland, Hiko, St Clair, Mouequetaire or Pounamu, Torpedo, Dreadnought, and Vasco-de-Gama, each being represented by a single winner.