ROTORUA JOCKEY CLUB.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1244, 19 February 1914, Page 13

ROTORUA JOCKEY CLUB.

The annual meeting of the Rotorua Jockey Club was attended by upwards of two thousand people of both races, made up very largely of visitors. The day was fine and the course in very good order, but the stand and immediate enclosures were all too small for the attendance. The sum of £6520 10s. was put through the totalisators during the day by Messrs. Hayr and Co., of which sum over £715 was retained by the club and the totalisator proprietors and for the Government —not a bad afternoon’s work for a small meeting, at which only twenty-nine horses competed, or a little over half the number whose names figured as acceptors. The starting of Mr. F. W. Edwards was good, and the racing was equally so, notwithstanding that in the first five races the horses that got into the lead first were never headed, and that those that got out first in the other events were there or thereabouts at the business end. Last year there were a few more runners, but the business transacted at the totalisators was less by £lBBl 10s. than it was this year, and it was evident that the horses this time had stronger followings. The Maiden Plate was won by Mr. Ormsby’s three-year-old gelding Obdurate, who was penalised 71b. for winning at Te Kuiti the previous week. Merrimax, who was honoured with the top weight, was good enough to run second, but Master William pulled up lame. Gallupin was with difficulty controlled and got back on to the course after running off soon after the start. King of the Valley took a lot out of himself before the start, and Opotiki carried 71b. overweight. Ihapuna, a filly by Campfire', also competed. These were the only starters out of eighteen that appeared as acceptors. Positive, who won the Waimangu Handicap last year, beating Mighty Atom and eight others, again accounted for the race in a field of six, Harenoa and Ruse de Guerre filling the places. Rosea gave a lot of trouble, and she and Harenoa carried 31b. each overweight, while Marangai had 91b. over. Semoline, who won the Cup last year, was brought to the meeting, and would have been favourite again had

she started, as she was in everyone’s mouth as a good thing. Unfortunately an accident happened to her and she could not start, and Admiral Soult went out in the post of honour, tie, however, did not quite justify the support accorded him, nor did Monocle and Lady Elgiva, each of which carried 31b. overweight, while Flying Soult had 51b. and Almeida had 61b. Miss Livonia, who started at remunerative odds, led all the way, and though both Lady Elgiva and Admiral Soult closed on her in the run home and it looked as if Lady Elgiva had just beaten Admiral Soult for second place, a dead heat for that position was declared, and so the tote money was cut up into three dividends. Parawai was close up, fourth, and Almeida fifth. Zulupin, a three-year-old daughter of Lupin and that one-time useful mare Zuleika, was in receipt of no less than 311 b. from the jumper Merrimax, and so it could be said was not assessed on her breeding. She was able to lead from end to end and to stall off the attention of Merrimax, whose condition probably helped him to beat King of the Valley. There were but two starters for the Thermal Springs Handicap, Salute being more than a two to one on favourite, as indicated by the figures, but she had no chance of giving away 301 b. in weight to Kotiripo, who led from the jump and never gave the Soult mare a 100 k in. A strong favourite was made of Tinopai in the Arawa Park Handicap, but the little daughter of Stepniak failed to get away with the dash expected and was hurried to the head of affairs too fast and then failed to carry her increased poundage home. Admiral Soult, whose friends had deserted him, was made more use of and had most of the luck, and lasted longenough to beat Almeida, who made a good finishing effort and beat Lady Elgiva for second place. Sir Stroud, the second favourite, carried 71b. overweight and Almeida 41b. A penalty of 121 b. effectually settled Obdurate in the company he met in the Tourists’ Plate, but one of 111 b. did not prevent Positive from accounting for Mighty Atom, who last year beat him in the same race on 21b. worse terms. The race was run in the. same time, and Mighty Atom led until well down the straight. Miss Livonia was favourite for the Farewell Handicap, but failed to concede Kotliri'po 141|b., just as Salute had done in trying to give her 301 b. earlier in the day. Both were, however, cut down in good style by Parawai, who, with an advantage of 201 b. in weight as compared with their Rotorua Cup weights, should on figures and running have been more fancied than Miss Livonia. The advantage was due partly to penalty imposed and to an apprentice allowance that was claimed for Martin, Parawai’s rider, who looked quite disappointed when he learned that his mount had been, disqualified because it was held that he had been allowed to weigh out 11b. or thereabouts too light. The circumstances leading up to this are referred to in The Clubman columns.