OTAGO

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 670, 8 January 1903, Page 13

OTAGO

Dunedin, January 7. Your Otago correspondent journeyed South for the New • Year meetings at Wyndham and ■ Invercargill,—and -each- whtb held a two days’ meeting, but the pleasure of the sport was considerably marred bv continuous bad weather.

The Wyndham Meeting passed off without anything very noteworthy transpiring, except the disgraceful start that was made in the Shorts Handicap, four furlongs. On the second day of the meeting Picket was allowed to get away with a flying start and none of the rest of the field, who got away one at a time, had the ghost of a chance of catching the unsexed son or Vanguard. A section of the crowd clamored for another start, but without meeting with success.

Amongst tire winners at the meeting is a good cut of a gelding named Avenue, a recent arrival from the North Island. He is by Drury Lane, and has apparently a lan amount of pace.

Despite the bad weather which was prevalent on both days of the Invercargill Meeting, a good attendance was on hand each day, and there is no doubt that the sport is growing in favor with our Southern friends. Sirius, the North Is-land-bred son of Dreadnought and Planet, captured a double on the first day in good style, but meeting Glenelg on 21 lbs worse terms on the second day he succumbed to the son of Ike and Enchantress. The wins of Sirius in the colours of Mr H. Goodman were popular, and a round of applause was bestowed after each race.. Tugela, better known up North as First Light, the bay daughter of Manawanui, won a couple of races at Invercargill, and a race at Wyndham in good style, and is in really good form at present.

Hairtrigger struck winning form at Wyndham, but went down at Invercargill somewhat easily, on the first day to Pantoon, and on the second to Southerly Buster. The latter is the son of Sou’wester, who formerly raced in the North Island, and has now developed into a useful sort of a hurdler.

The most promising horse who sported silk at the Invercargill meeting without earning a winning, bracket was Anticer, an upstanding half-brother to Glenelg, whom he strongly resembles. Pellet, a compact-ly-built half-sister to Ardnarff, is another who raced creditably, and will be seen to better advantage with a little more time. Mr G. Dowse, who has occupied the position of handicapper to the Dunedin J.C. for the past eighteen years, has resigned on account of ill-health, and the weights for the balance of the club’s meetings this season will be compiled by Mr J. *E. Henrys. Mr Dowse until recently handicapped for almost every club of note south of Canterbury, and a proverbial generosity has not left him as well off as he might otherwise have been. A subscription is to be made. The DUnedin J.C. have headed a list with £5O, and Mr J. E. Henrys has donated £lO. Several others have promised subscriptions, and a meeting is to be held in the near future to take the matter in hand. There is no doubt that Sportsmen, with their characteristic generosity, will make a liberal response when the lists are opened.

An American speedway waggon will be seen shortly in Invercargill. It is being imported by Mr F. Kett from America, and is expected to land in the near future.

The vagaries of. handicapping were forcibly illustrated at Invercargill in a seven furlongs race. Phaetonitis was set to give Avenue 21bs, and over six furlongs under welter weights on the same day the. latter was asked to concede 161bs' to the former, which made a difference of 181bs for a furlong. Avenue’s form suggests thathe is a sprinter, and after winning the seven furlongs event he took up a lOlbs penalty in the Welter (malting ai difference of 281bs). and then beat Phaetonitis. The query is, What was the latter’s chance in the seven furlongs race ? Whilst Orloff and King Log were competing in the chief events at the Auckland Meeting, their relative, Vulcan, was endeavouring to earn his oats in small stakes in Southland. Vulcan is a half-bro-ther, by Artillery, to King Log and Sortie. The dam of Orloff is out of Fairy Maid, the dam of King Log and A ulcan. The racing at the Southland R.C. and Wyndham Meetings, with the exception of two or three cases, bore the appearance of a very healthy character. In the races at both places the impudence of some of the riders was truly colossal. At the start, when given the word to “ go,’ ti ey would calmlv take hold of their mounts and allow the “right” to get a u-eak on. and then go after him. Turning itio the straight, when catching tl.e leader was hopelessly out of the question, the riders would pretend to vigorously belabour and ride the horses thev had so clumsily disgraced. The writer did not notice a blir.L on either the stewards’ or the ;\);keys’ faces after the races.

Evening Wonder’s name may be found amongst the entries l for the Onkaparinga Steeplechase (S.A.), which is run a t ter in the sister colony. Thisi year the stake is £lOO, and it costs! £6 6s to start a horse in the race.

Owing to the fact, that Tugela was not entered as late First Light in the. Southland race books', quite a number of punters who did not back her" winning-essays at Invercargill-were very wroth ‘ with 1 themselves when they discovered that, she was none other than the wtdl-known mare First Light.