NAPIER PARK R.C. SPRING MEETING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 663, 23 October 1902, Page 14

NAPIER PARK R.C. SPRING MEETING.

FIRST DAY. y ' ' It is a most unusual thing for the above club to get good weather for their j meetings, but they had no cause for com- : plaint against the Clerk ', of the Weather i for their venture this week, as the climate | was of the -best possible sort. The atten- ; dance was good, and patrons were in a I fine betting humour, as the .figures showled when the. totals were made up for nth® two cays, the investments showing an increase of £2222 over the sum put through the automatic betters last year at a similar meeting. Mr Henrys made his first"appearance as hancicapper 'for the Clufe, and the excellent way in which he brought ! his fields together showed conclusively j that he had done good work in the pro- ! duction of the weight manifestos. Ylr T? Cameron superseded Mr Harry ' Piper with the starter’s baton, and though his efforts on the opening’ day. were of a very uneven description, his essays on the concluding afternoonll left, no cause for cavilling. The fact must be taken into consideration that he had some wayward (•ustomers to handle, and at times he appeared to have quite as much as he could do • to. get his charges straightened up, and, therefore, under the existing circumstances his efforts on the first day were not so bad as they 'appeared at the first blush. The jumper Eclair proved quite the hero of the meeting, for he turnec. up four times, and got there upon three occasions. His first start was in the First Hack Hurdles, in which he beat his two opponents, Abergeldie and Master Model pointless, for he was never at the top throughout the trip. Eight weighed out for the County Hack, a first favourite being found! in Hydrant, a three-year-old chestnut gelding by Jet-d’-Eau put of Cartouche, trained by T. Quinlivan, junr. Too much use was made of him in the early portion of .the race, and when the field got to him he surrendered without much acto. Half-a-furlong from the judge’s box there were four in it/ Aroha (who was interfered with a couple of times during, the pun), Lissa, Shackle, and Waimoe. A bit further on the first-named . got hem ed in again, and lost his chance. Waimoe seemed to have a goodi grip of the matter a few strides- from the chair, but Lissa put in a few long ones, and just hac! enough in his favour to send his number up on top ; Shackle a good third'. . The Napier Stakes attracted a pack of j eleven runpers', Orloff occupying the plaice of first favourite. Good Intent and Melo-

deon, who were coupled as both belonging to Mr E. J. Watt, came next in favour, Gold Seal beating Kamo by a sovereign for third pick. Kamo was quickest off the mark, and never gave her opponents a chance to get a word with her, winning very easily from Gold Seal, who was just clear of Orloff, Good Intent at the latter’s girths. Convoy, on thb strength of his easy win ’ in the Spring Handicap at Hastings the previous week, was sorted out as the proper thing for the Park Stakes, Fleka coming next in choice, with Menura as third selection. The favourite soon got ' settled, for he did not gallop with the vim and determination that characteris- - ed his efforts when he won at the Hawke’s Bay Meeting. A dozen lengths from the post it looked as if Menura and Fakir would be first and' second, but the surmise was soon dispelled by the appearance of Fleka on the scene, and he blew them both out without the semblance of a struggle. Reclaimer had a slightly better follow; ’ ing than Inspan! in the Welter, Mongonui being third choice. At the home bend Inspan appeared aS if he was going to justify the confictence reposed in him, but his: followers shook hands with themselves too scion, for half-way clown the straight Murmur could be seen to be hurrying along, and a dozen lengths from the line had mastered the chestnut son of Natator. A length or two further on he got a shock, for right there Jenkins put the question to Dingo, and he passed Inspan and M urmur as if they had both been tied up, and fastened up pretty tight at that. Abergeldie and The Gryphon did not take on the engagements entered into on ( their behalf in the Hurdle Race, which reduced the contestants to four- —Cobra, Pearlshot, Eclair, and Shellback. The favourite, Pearlshqll, was the first beaten, anrii Eclair, the second selection, vanquished Cobra and Shellback in a very comfortable style. Shellback fenced better than he has previously done, for he before had a habit of getting into the air too much at his fences Pantomime, a half-brother to Rangiaftea, Tiritea, Somnolent and! Co., no doubt on account of his good performances the preceding week at Otaki, was ..installed second favourite for the Ahuriri Hack, Rajah having a tenner more invested on his numbers on the machines, Witchet third choice. The punters worked the affair very nearly plumb, for Witchet won, with Pantomime second, the favourite third. The winner is a sweet turned filly by Sir Launcelot out of Elflock, who proved that she had got some of the toe that her sire was endowed with, for she carved out the five furlongs in Imin 3 2-5 tec, and the good style in which she triumphed Jed to the belief that had she been pushed the time would have been reduced somewhat. ’ . Westguard, nicely handled by Jenkins (she came to light in the. last few strides), got away with the Railway Handicap, for which she was chosen a firm first favourite, Hinetaura and Meta Macarthy being next best supported in the order in which their names are written. Hinetaura cut up badly, but Meta

*i' ' ■ • i ' ; Macarthy looked a good thing till a few lengths fr<>m the box, when the t a vounte was let loose, ana then it was all over. a s she mowed Aprcmont’s daughter down without any trouble, with ( ame.lot. an- | other of Bbr Launcelot’s tribe, third. | i ( SECOND DAY. I — j As on the opening day, another field of three faced the starter in the Second Hack Hurdles, the previous day’s winner, Eclair, being opposed by The Gryphon and Master Model. The bit of extra weight .cp.p.med to trouble the favourite. Eclair, and the stout pace that was on tap during the earlier stages of the race also acted rather detrimentally against him, for he wants the spurring to be made fast. Master Model and. The Gryphon, who were always in the front, fought out a great go from the last and as they a couple of lengths of the - box it looked .as if a dead heat would be . hung up, but Thq Gryphon, who w a s. well handled by Willis, who is a new aspirant I at the business, just gor the fiat by the ; wink of an eyelid. Andree, Comfort and Waimoe were supported in that order for the Fukietapu Hack, but at the finish there was only one in it, and that was Comfort, who, without being extended, caught rhe judge s eye by a couple of lengths. The consistent Aroha was second, and Baldie third. Bandmaster, a nice-looking young un by The Officer out of Renown’s dam Lyrebird, was dropped upon as the proper way out of the puzzle for the two-year-old flutter. He got well away, but never left the issue in doubt, though he swerved badly in the straight, and seemed to somewhat interfere with Captain Kettle, a nice cut of a horse by Captaifi Webb. The interference was not intentional, for Bandmaster was running away from the crowd, and it took Davis a second or two before he could get him strgightened. .Seagull, an Auckland-bred filly by St. Leger —Gannet, was third. A beginner at the game in Anchor, a full sister to Gold Seal and Enna, by The Officer out of Enid, made his bow in this race. la, the younger full sister to The Shannon, was accorded the most. support in the Racing Club Handicap, with Convoy second pick, and Fakir third choice. None of the fancied ones were able to take a hand in the argument at the finish, for Meta Macarthy led from the start to the -finish, Menura, who put in a wonderful run fifty yards from the line, getting second honours. Laureate, who had been Meta McCarthy’s closest attendant to the point where Menura came on the scene, was third. The favourite would not gallop, and her defeat gave her trainer a shock, for the good gallop she had put up the 1 previous morning when being tried out led him. to suppose that she would come in by herself. Convoy also cut up badly, and I fancied that he did not look as bright as he appeared at Hastings; the week before. Fakir ran well, but eased down when it was seen to be useless to try to get up to Meta Macarthy, and no doubt the solid pace she set throughout tied up the top-weights. Menura, like Bandmaster, is a half-sister tp Renown, her sire being the Musket —Agate horse Flintlock. Meta Macarthy is one of Mr S. H. Gollan’s team/ and she leaves for England shortly. Murmur was the chosen for the Cale-; donian Handicap, but the weight seemed to be gripping him in throughout, for he cid not gallop with any freedom or brilliancy. Rajah and Mongonui were at it eves out all the way in the straight run to the chair, and at the conclusion of the bout the judge could not separate them. Stepdaughter, a Stepniak—Marion mare owned by Mr George Hunter, and trained by R. Gooseman, was third. Cobra, Master Model and Pearlshot opposec'l Eclair in the Second Hurdles, the last-named being elected favourite. Pearlshot had £ll, more speculated on her prospects than Cobra. Eclair and Pearlshot singled out just.before sweeping round the home stretch for the last time round, and at i the last obstacle were running head and head. Pearlshot clouted the fence hard, and thus put her show on the shelf, for as it was ’it took McLaughlin all his time to get Eclair over the mark I first, and on that account it is only fair to contend that had not Mr Donelly’s mare made the blunder, that winning honours would have come her way. Master Model, the outsider of the quartette, was third. Good Intent, ridden by Hewitt, settied the l opposition from . the word go in the Telephone Hack. Although Davis, o n Witchet, put in a fine exhibition of horsemanship all the way up tne run home, he could not reach Captain Webb’s daughter, whose capture of the stake was easily effected. ■ Shackle got ' third berth. , The betting was a forecast of the judge’s decision, for they finished in the order in : which they were backed, which goes to prove that the public are not bad judges , when they get open play. Sport was brought to a finale with the Grandstand Handicap, in which Hinetaura was located as the real prime article, Reclaimer and Inspan respectively filling the positions of second and third favourites. Inspan and Gold Dust gave a terrible lot of trouble at the post, and the f o rmer got well away, but did not go

far before he subsided. Hinetaura got blocked when making her run in the make a recovery. Half way down the run to the chair- Reclaimer, who had always been well up, gave the impression that he would land the prize, but Mongonui, who had been under pressure from the h o me bend, got to him, and sticking to her task like a bull-dog, got his measure fifty yards from the line, and saluted the man in, the box a clever winner, with the favourite third.