WELLINGTON

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 779, 9 February 1905, Page 8

WELLINGTON

Wellington, February 5. The decision of the Wellington Racing Club to hold their Autumn Aleeting prior to the Easter Meetings will prove a very suitable arrangement for Wellington, Hawi-e’s Bay, and West Coast (N. 1. owners. The weights for the C.J.C. Easter and Autumn handicaps, and also the Auckland Easter Handicap, will have been declared prior to the Wellington Aleeting. Except that winners will be penalised, the C.J.C. and A-UChlani handicappers will be powerless to regulate the weights of those horses who show good or bad form during the Wellington Aleeting. The result will probably be that those who display poor form will be kept at home and only those who show good form sent to tal e part in the Easter Aleetings. The Wellington Club will lose nothing by racing pefore the more important Easter Aleetings, for numbers of horses will no doubt be sent to compete at Wellington if only to give their owners a public trial prior to fulfilling their more important engagements. Sporting men generally are pleased to <. nd Achilles amongst the horses nominated for the C.J.C. Easter and Au--1 umn Handicaps. I understand that the son of Medallion has progressed favourably sirJce the Wellington Aleeting, and if allotted a reasonable impost will carry his owner’s colours at Riecarton at Easter. Achilles is now 5-year-old, and during his career has never once teen given a chance to win an important handicap. Many (amongst v ho n were some associated with the i orirua stable) thought that .Achilles had the New Zealand Cup of HH'3 at his mercy, but a reference to vour files will show that I considered him overweighted ; subsequent to the race all sorts of excuses were made for his defeat, but 1 never wavered in my opinion that weight, and nothing else prevented .'chilies defeating Canteen for the N.Z. Cup. Again, for the recent Wellington Cup, I ad ised all and sundry to leave Achilles severely alone, and until I see him allotted a reasonable impost, I must advocate the same course. Some horses are given a reputation owing to their having proved easy victors in w.f.a. events, but the ordinary racegoer forgets that there is seldom more than one good horse in our New Zealand w.f.a. races, and as all are carrying equal weights the victor usually wins in such an easy manner that an impression obtains that the winner is something cut of the common. Handicanpers, influenced bv public opinion, pile the weight on and effectually stop

the ■ much-lauded animal’s winning career. Achilles was given lOst for last N.Z. Cup, and 9st 121 b for Wellington Cup, notwithstanding that his only win over a distance was the A.R.C. Century Stakes, miles. He then carried 9st 21b, and ran the distance m 2min 15sec. Scotty 4j£then only considered a very moderate animal) with Sst 111 b was second, and Spalpeen, the hurdle horse, Sst 61b, was third. Mr Stead’s mare, Cruciform, also achieved a great reputation owing to her successes in w.f.a. events, but her only handicap victory of note was her win at the Wellington Spring Meeting, 1903, when she carried Ost 71b, and defeated Halberd er, Ost 51b, in the Wellington Handicap, l-J miles. It would appear that a horse has only to win a w.f.a. race or two to be anchored with weight for the rest of his racing career. Weight-adjust ersi should realise that evew though a horse wins a w.f.a. race, it should still be given a chance in handicap events. My reading of the word handicap is that the inferior horses engaged in a handicap race should be lightly enough weighted to enable them to make some kind of showing with the best horses. I consider that I am right in assuming that racing authorities consider the stakes should be appropriated by the owners of the best horses, and not entirely by those of a medium class. Horse-racing is ostensibly conducted for the purpose of improving the breed of horses, but by encouraging the medium class, racing clubs cannot be said to be encouraging the best class of thoroughbreds.