THE AVONDALE J.C’s. SPRING MEETING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 917, 3 October 1907, Page 5

THE AVONDALE J.C’s. SPRING MEETING.

A fine day, with a strong, blustering westerly wind blowing across the course ushered in the second day’s racing of the Avondale J.C’s. Spring Meeting. There was a large attendance, and the totalisator was kept busy all day; £8211% being passed through the machines, as against £7650 on the same day last year, being an increase, of £561%. The arrangements were perfect, and the sport splendid. The Hurdle Race opened the ball, and Lady Hune, the top weight, was sent out favourite. She was beaten a long way from home, and old Sol, coming with a rattle over the last fence, beat Cinque very easily. The lenientlytreated Lochbuhie made no mistake in the President’s Handicap, which he won in first-class style from Frederick. The Avondale Guineas furnished a race worth going a long way to see. The favourite Maheno was never in it. Cadence hopped off from the barrier like a bird, and led all the way into the straight, it looked all over, when Pohutu put in a strenuous challenge, and wearing the filly down, won a magnificent race by a long neck. It was a splendid victory for Taylor, who fairly lifted his mount over the last twenty yards. Both the first and second horses as well as the fourth (Maheno) are trained by McManemin, at Ellerslie. Miss Gorrie decorated Pohutu, after the race, with the usual ribbon. Glenvar (Menschikoff —St. Mary) led soon after the start of the Nursery Handicap and won easily from Talepitcher, who was well ahead of Rimlock. Uranium had no difficulty in annexing the Plumpton Handicap from Peregrine and Te Aroha. The Waikato mare is a cut above the ordinary and made hacks of her opponents. Lady Regel put in a slashing run down the straight, in the Kingsland Haandicap, and beat Pear lie by a length; Henry Havelock finishing third. Waihou was made a hot favourite for the Pony Handicap, and she led till well into the straight, where Hughie took charge and won handily by a length; Manapouri third. The Mount Albert Handicap was a well thought out thing for Golden Eagle, who upset a strong thing in Mignon (who was going for the Waikato stable double) by a length; Engraver third. The concluding day, Saturday, was luckily fine, an odd shower or so making little difference to the attendance, which was very large. £8750% was passed through the totalisator, as against £9286 on the third day of the Spring Meeting last year. The total for the meeting was £24,889%, as against £24,902 of last year. The meeting was carried out without a hitch, and the officials one and all deserve the greatest praise for their work. A field of six sallied out Ifor the Maiden Hurdle Race, and Lady Lanta was made favourite. She never flattered her backers at any part of the contest. The lightly weighted Tarakihi took command, and leading all the way, won easily by lengths from Vizier. Catch’em fell at the last fence. For the New Lynn Handicap the punters selected Castadrift, but the Castor gelding was never prominent. It was the softest of soft things for Dogger Bank, who led from end to end, and won hard held by four lengths from the dead-heaters for second place, Dardanus and Cyreniac. Another soft thing came to light in the Welter Handicap in Gay Paris, who was heavily backed, 322 tickets being bumped on to the son of Merry Kate. The issue was never in doubt, the consistent Pearlie getting to within a length and a-half of the favourite, Delegate third. Again the punters

found the pea in the Steeplechase, Cinque being sent out a hot favourite, Loch Fyne being next in demand. This pair made it merry from the start, and racing side by side, led all the way. In the run home Cinque outlasted the brown gelding and won by a length; the gallant old Nor’West running on into third place. The Grandstand Handicap saw Lochbuhie sent out. a piping hot pot, with Perigrine second favourite. The favourite and Tui Cakobau led a bunched field to the turn for home. Here Lord Seaton, Peregrine, Lady Regel, and Haldane all put in chailanges, and a desperate finish resulted. Lord Seaton was coming fast when he stumbled in the straight and lost a length, Peregrine forging ahead. But Pell drove the Seaton Delaval gelding along on the rails and caught Peregrine just as Lady Regel put in a lightning flash finish, and looked to mow down everything in front of her. The first four horses finished in a bunch; Lady Regel wide outside, Peregrine and Lochbuhie in the centre, and Lord Seaton on the rails. The judge’s- verdict was Lord Seaton a head in front of Lady Regel, who was a head in front of Peregrine. There was a hostile demonstration made against the judge, who was greeted with cries of “Lady Regel,” “Get another judge, etc.” It is impossible to judge from the press stand, and although it appeared as if Lady Regel just got up in time to win, yet the man in the box could only be the best judge of that. The Electric Handicap saw one of the biggest boils over of the meeting. Mignon was made favourite, with Golden Eagle, Celerity, Frederick, Turbine, and Ney all well backed. But the outsiders Lucrece and Engraver, finished well ahead of Golden Eagle, locked together, and made a dead heat of it. Lucrece paying £lO 2s and Engraver £8 19s. Punters went down in the Pony Handicap, in which they made Fraulein a hot favourite. The Seaton Delaval mare finished absolutely last out of five starters; the consistent Waihou having no difficulty in defeating Manapouri by two lengths; Octoroon third. The concluding race of the day was reduced to a field of four, owing to the free use of the scratching pen. Waihuku had nothing to beat, as Golden Eagle had had a hard race two events before. The surprising feature of the race was that there were 455 tickets invested on Golden Eagle. This, with the hundred and twenty odd apiece invested on Carmania and Cyrettus, enabled the backers of Waihuku to draw a dividend of £2 4s after their favourite had won, hard held, by a length from Golden Eagle. Carmania was a bad third. Altogether the meeting was a most enjoyable one, both from a sporting and a spectacular standpoint; and the officials of the Club deserve the very heartiest congratulations.