WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 943, 2 April 1908, Page 8

WELLINGTON.

WELLINGTON, April i. The executive of the Masterton Racing Club were quite recently bewailing the .fact that no rains had fallen in the neighbourhood of their racecourse for several months and in consequence the course was reported caked and as hard as a macadamised road. The wails of the droughty officials were evidently given heed to, as prior to and on the first day of their autumn meeting, rain fell in torrents. This had the desired effect, so far as equines were concerned, but it sadly interfered with the attendance which on the first day, was of the most limited description. The bookmakers, however, came to the sescue, their contributions amounting to 10s on the first day and. on the second, making a total of ios. This sum will more than make the totalisator deficit, and the c’uo (thanks to the metallicians) will come out of the meeting very well indeed. The racing was interesting and in t-e majority of instances exciting, Mr Har* - gill’s verdict in the hurdles, cup, and bracelet, being “won by a short head.” The. fields on the second day were also good and the races verp open, the Club handicapper, Mr Pollock, being complimented upon the manner in which he had concealed the winner in the principal events, the Autumn and Telephone Handicaps. The Foxton owned gelding, Waitapu was the hero of the meeting. He carried Bs't 131 b and ran a good honest race on the first day, finishing close to the placed horses. His effort on the second day was full of merit. He lost quite three lengths when the tapes flew up, and although burdened with Bst nib, the task of getting to his field was within his powers, and after a determined finish with Tangimoana, Waitapu won by ha]f a length in imin qqsec. Waitapu was only third favourite and in consequence his backers had a really good win.

Tangimoana and Chatterer each ran well and consistently during the meeting. Chatterer, however, . had some difficulty in shaking off the attentions of Merrie Rose in the Cup, and up to the last stride, the issue was in doubt. Merrie Rose was again solidly supported on the second day, ■■ but she ran much below her first day’s rorm and Chatterer easily defeated her for third place, although meeting Mr Knox’s mare on worse terms. Full Rate was a class by himself amongst the sprinters and his party were sanguine that he could annex the March Handicap on the first day. Sunbonnet, trained by the veteran trainer M. McGrath, was sent to the post in nice trim and when the business end of the seven furlongs was reached, the iqlb which Full Ra'.e was conceding her, enabled the Seaton Delaval mare to draw away and win without much of an effort. The result was a turn up for the bookmakers as the owner and trainer had allowed the mare to run unbacked. Sunbonnet, although asked to carry an extra iqlb on the second day, put up a capital performance by finishing within a length of the winner, Platypus, after getting hopelessly (as it appeared) left. The winner, ridden by R. Hatch, got smartly away and under other circumstances would have had to be content with second honours. Another good performance during the meeting was that of tne Conqueror gelding Nuamai who (although not quite wound up) displayed great pace, and completely paralysed his opponents in the early stages of the two sprint hack events. Gold Crest’s half-sister Ikon was runner up on the first day; whilst Conquor, a smart three-year-old gelding (by Conqueror—Blue and White) owned by the president of the Club (Mr C. F. Vallance) was the only one to make a race of it with Naumai for the concluding event of the meeting. Had R. Hatch been as smart out of the tapes with Conquer as he was earlier in the afternoon with Platypus, the stake would probably have gone to the credit of Mr Vallance. The minor events were not of sufficient interest to warrant them being chronicled at length in your columns further than to mention that Gaelic, Kelso, Ikon, Commander, Strathcona and Consolation, were stripped in good trim and will do their owner good service if properly placed during the balance of the season. Mon Ami was taken to Masterton, but the heavy state of the “going” influenced her owner (Mr R. W. Paterson) not to run her at the meeting. All going well Mon Ami will be given a run in the Champion Hack Plate at the Manawatu Autumn meeting. Mr Paterson, during his visit to Masterton purchased the Sou’-wester gelding Snip. The latter ran second in the first hurdles and should jnn • i useful during the winter racing. Mr Bidwill, owner of Elevation, was present at Master ton t > see his filly Consolat’on run in th • D i-n Hack Handicap. The daughter of i”: kenhead was slow to begin and although galloping on at the finish could do no better than race third to Nuamia and Ikon. While at Masterton Mr Bidwill mentioned that his 2-year-old colt, Gravitation, had met with an injury which would prevent his being again started during his z-year-old career. 11 transpires that during a gallop (whilst the track was somewhat slippy), Gravitate . . ricked one of his joints, which subsi lantly fi! lo d, and his owner at once deck. 1 to cancel his autumn engagements wit. the view of seeing him alright for nex: season’s 3-year-old classis races.