THE CLUBMAN

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1570, 27 May 1920, Page 8

THE CLUBMAN

The visit of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales to New Zealand came to an end on Saturday last, when the H.M.S. Renown took her departure at an early hour for the Commonwealth, where it can be taken for granted his receptions will be in keeping with the spirit of the people of the Dominion, only on a larger scale, in the leading cities, where the population is greater and can be more readily transported. The Prince has shown himself to be a good sportsman, and has won his way to the hearts of the people, young and old, by whom he will never be forgotten. What a reception he will meet with at the hands of racegoers generally at Randwick on the occasion of the

special meeting to be tendered in his honour by the Australian Jockey Club on June 10. The splendid accommodation there has been taxed to the utmost at the great spring meetings, which extend over four days, but a record crowd for the two days set aside for the Royal meeting is fully anticipated.

The Wanganui Jockey Club’s winter meeting was as largely attended as any of its predecessors from all accounts, and there were plenty of horses to furnish interesting racing, only one or two it was intended to start not being got to the scene owing to detention in Canterbury as the result *of the action of the Seamen’s Union. On the first day the weather was good, but on the second it was showery, while on both days the going was heavy, and as a consequence no fast times were registered, most of the races being the slowest run for some seasons past. As usual, there was plenty of money available for speculating on the chances of the horses, which, taken as a whole, were of good average class, a number of improved and promising horses being seen out in different departments of the game. The sum of £79,430 was handled during the two days of the fixture at the totalisators, as against £83,936 for the meeting last year, and £71.939 in 1918. With the Egmont and Wanganui winter meetings over, it can be said that the jumping season is well under way, that is to say, the steeplechasing season. We have hurdle races throughout the year, and a few steeplechase events in the autumn and early spring of each racing season, but more valuable races over brushed hurdles and fences could well be arranged. Some of the clubs in different parts of the North Island would be doing a real service to racing by having winter meetings at which welter races, hunters’ races over hurdles and country and races for maiden .’chasers could be encouraged. We have so many horses whose owners keep trying to win flat races with light weights up, but which are not quite class enough in the hands of boys, which would be found better suited in races in which they would not be at their top from start to finish.

Race meetings in the Auckland province at which useful sorts for the jumping business are always to be «een in the hack races and sometimes in the open races are many. These horses are brilliant enough for a few furlongs, but lack the class and sometimes the breeding to carry them through, whereas in jumping races they would be more at home than would be those of lighter frame that beat them on the flat. The tendency has too long been in one direction, the multiplication of races in which the weights are so arranged and with such an absurd minimum that riders cannot be got at the weights allotted. It is not often that over-weights are in evidence in jumping races or in flat races where the minimum is fixed at 8.0 or over, or even at 7.7. In the month of May there should be no race with a minimum of less than 7.7. In June, July and August, when the minimums are raised, horsemen can be had without difficulty. We have racing events which are very popular in the autumn and winter months, and none more so than the welter flats, which are payable to the clubs as well. We are racing on to

the end of the season, and are hoping to find the question of minimum weight again brought up at the Racing Conference.

The death of Mr. Owen Curran McGee, one of the pioneers of racing in Auckland, took place at his residence, known as the “Poet’s Corner,” Otahuhu, Auckland, on Friday, and his funeral followed on Sunday. There was a large assemblage of friends to pay their last tribute of respect to the memory of the deceased sportsman, who had reached the age of 83 years, and had up to a comparatively recent date attended the Auckland Racing Club and Auckland and Ota-

huhu Trotting Clubs’ meetings. Though he had not been racing horses for a considerable time, several winners during the first decade of the present century were bred by him. Prior to that time, and going back between fifty and sixty years, the names of blood horses and racing stock with which the deceased was associated as owner or part owner are recalled. The late Mr. McGee came to Auckland at a very early age with his parents, and soon identified himself with racing, and during his long residence at Otaliuhu had seldom been long without a horse to carry his colours. It was the custom in the early days to do the rounds of the country and goldfields meetings, and the well-known figure of Owen Curran McGee was always looked for. On occasions Mr. McGee extended his visits to Wanganui and Taranaki and bought horses in those parts to race in the north, though with some of his purchases he revisited the districts where he had purchased them. He was particularly fond of jumping horses and was a prominent supporter of steeplechasing and hurdle racing, and there were Aery few of hs flat racers which had pretentions to fencing that he did not give the opportunty of proving themselves over hurdles or between the flags. He had some performers of note, too. Perfume was his best ’chaser, and was a mare were very few of his flat racers which country. Auckland Kate was another, and a great jumper.

The Ellerslie Steeplechase course was a very trying one in Perfume’s day and she was usually well laden with weight. May Moon was another and a smaller daughter of Dainty Ariel, and besides winning over hurdles, as did Perfume, also won on the flat. Before their time, however, the late Mr. McG'ee had a good mare called Creeping Jenny and steeplechasers called Quicksilver and Boy in Blue, and later Elsa, who won the Easter and Autumn Handicaps at Ellerslie, became his property and won for him over hurdles also. May Moon and Elsa left their marks later as brood mares, though Mr. McGee had parted with them. He bred a

number of good and useful horses which he raced himself or sold to others. The best perhaps was Don Hanibal, by Explosion, who was sold to go to Australia. Mr. McGee was a great believer in the Riddlesworth blood, like many early settlers, and was interested in Due an Dhurras, the full-brother to Dainty Ariel, who died on the way to Australia, where he was expected to race. The late Mr. Tom Rogers, of Otahuhu, and the brothers Richard and Owen McGee were great friends, but the last-named was the keenest on racing, and it can be said did a good deal for the sport in various ways. He had several stud horses of note through his hands, Ake Ake and the imported horse Pacific being two notable ones of their time, the last-named leaving his mark in different parts of the North Island prior to Mr. McGee getting him, finally ending his days .in Hawke’s Bay. Before the days of trotting clubs the late Mr. McGee took ah’ interest in and played his part in connection with road matches, which were all the vogue, but he was a member of each of the local trotting clubs up to the last.

Few men who raced in the early days of the province met with such experiences during their travels from one part to the other while doing the rounds of the goldfields and country meetings racing for small prizes as did the subject of this notice. On all kinds of courses in backblock

districts he was ever welcome. As an owner he became known everywhere. It would be impossible to do full justice in so short a space to his career, but Owen Curran McGee was a very remarkable man; in deed, one of many parts, and his “poems” dealing with notable sporting events and the actors therein were also characteristic of the author, as was one particular literary effort of his when defending himself against a verdict of the committee of the Auckland Racing Club, who had disqualified him, his horse Falcon, and rider, who, after running a dead-heat in a selling race .which it was thought by the stewards he should have won outright, came out and won in the deciding heat. Owen McGee took the verdict sorely and challenged the methods of those days of holding meetings of stewards “in an obscure recluse, report said, with barred doors and no reporters, in a blind ally.” Many press criticisms were passed on the decison at the time, Falcon having won the race. As the disqualification was not for any defined term it would probably have been removed before it was but for the strictures passed on the stewards. It did not take effect long and Owen with his horsefe won races afterwards, and it can be said that he has gone down in the memories of those who knew him best as an enthusiastic and remarkable exponent of sport, all branches of racing and hunting combined.