WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 939, 5 March 1908, Page 8

WELLINGTON.

WELLINGTON, March 5.

The result of the Newmarket Handicap was looked forward to with considerable interest by numerous local sports, and the fact that amongst the runners this year there were several New Zealand bred horses whose form was familiar to followers of racing, in some measure tended to attract the attention of Maorilanders. Munjeet, however, appeared to be the only animal whose prospects of winning were seriously entertained, and the daughter of Stepniak received a moderate amount of support from local followers of form. Dusky Morn’s newspaper reputation had apparently so intimidated the Commonwealth anti-post bettors, that when some intrepid followers of Mr Moore’s gelding cabled for quotations, the Australian metallicians, anticipating another Solution, replied offering to lay absurd odds against Dusky Morn. Needless to add, no business resulted and the gelding’s admirers have reason to thank more turf scribes who exaggerated his few moderate performances and thereby instigated the Australian layers to offer such prohibitive odds. Past form and track work pointed to the Victorian horse Scotland as an animal that would be hard to beat in the big Flemington sprint event. The weight adjuster had thrown him in to the handicap . with Bst 41b (only one pound more than he awarded our hack racer Dusky Morn). Scotland’s followers were in conseuence not slow to step in and back him heavily. A local sport received advice from a leading member of. the Australian ring that “ should Scotland keep right he was sure to win the Newmarket.” This information reached several Wellington backers with the result that Scotland was a very bad horse for local starting price men operating on Saturday last. The Porirua trainer, J. Prosser, has left for Wanganui with Marguerite, Gold Crest, Swimming Belt, Taitoki, Kurawaka, and the hurdlers Maui and Ataahua. All these horses are reported in excellent hea’th and should play a prominent part in the events for which they claim engagements.

W. Davis’s pair Ballarat and Yosami have been brushed along during the week and have also left for Wanganui. A Sydney metallician, who assisted at the recent Dunedin race meeting refers somewhat disparagingly to the “ canny Scotchmen ” he met on the Wingatui racecourse. According to him they stood and stared at the layers like people viewing monkeys at the zoo; but it apparently never entered their heads to ask the odds or make a bet with the licensed bookmakers.

Metallicians operating at Dunedin got hit up pretty badly over the victory of Armamento in the Cup. His owners, a couple of layers, took all the odds on offer. That they won a fair stake is evident from the fact that when Armamento subsequently finished amongst the also starters on the concluding day, his party did not even trouble to ask for quotations. Probably they won enough over the Cup. Apparently the prohibitive license fee imposed by the Woodville Racing Club was resented by the metallicians with the result that co-operation was resorted to. and a syndicate appointed to do business on the Commonwealth basis. It is reported that upwards of was devided after the close of the meeting amongst those who pooled. The President of the Wellington Racing Club, Mr J. B. Harcourt, leaves for Europe shortly. His Wellington friends

met at Trentham on Saturday last and entertained him at a “ send off ” lunch. Mr Harcourt will be absent for seven or eight months.