SPORTING DISPUTE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1313, 12 August 1886, Page 3

SPORTING DISPUTE.

The Lyttelton Times of thia morning, referring to a dispntr between the Committee of the Ashburton facing Club and Mr H. Hammond, say:—Many of the readers of these columns wll recollect that at the last Spring Meeting of the Aahburtm Pacing Club a somewha* peculiar incident occurred in connection with the race for the Flying Handicap • but for the information of those who were not present at the meeting, and those who have allowed the circumstances to escape their recollection, we will briefly recite the fact For the Flying Handicap the lest race on the first day’s programme, four horses were weighed out aul ware committed to the hands of the starter By soma extraordinary blunder, the starter, a Steward of the Club, despatched the horses fro n the two-mile post, and tha distance run was about 133 va r ds short of the six furlongs prescribed by the conditions of the rare. This rocs, if it may be so termed, was won by Talebearer, with Rocket second and Jack third ; but several watchesrevealedtho fnc' tl at someone had blundere 1, and the enquiries iust ; - tuted by the Stewards nude it evident that thatsomeone was the starter. The Stewards first attempted to bring ab m: an agreement between the owners interested, but filling in t'ris dfirt, they ruled, under rule 31. clause 8, of the UJ 0 rifles then in fo ca. that the start was void, and tint the horses must be started again. In the meantime, the jockeys engaged in the race dismounted and welghed-in, and the horses, with the except on of Rocket, were led away. When the order was made for a fresh start, Rocket’s j ickey again weighed out, and took bis horse to the post, but none of the other horses engaged In the race put id an appearance, j and Rockit cantered over the course and was declared the winner. It should be mentioned, as having some remote bearing on the case, and showing that the subsequent action of the Stewards was not dictated by an entirely mercenary disposition, that the thorny in the totalisalor, amounting to a considerable aura, was returned to investors without doiuction. When settling day arrived the Treasurer of the Club offered Mr H. Hammond, the owner of Rocket, one-half the amount of the sta' o won by his horse, submitting that the race was a walk-over and that the sum offered was the correct amount due to the owner of the winner. Mr Hnnraond demurred, and urged lh«t the r.‘ce was n:t a wik-ovir in the legal or sporting acceptation of the term, and that ha was entitled to the full amount of the stake. After a prolonged correspondence between the O.'ub and Mr Hammond, the latter agreed to accept the amount tendered without prejudice, and leave the dispute for aubrequent settlement. Thrse are tin bare facte of this pecuflar case—a case, so far as we are awero, without a precedent in the racing history of the Colony-and It may now be of some Interest to briefly revi w the arguments by which the disputants attempt to support their respective posi i >rs The Cub relies on rule 31, clause 8 and tu'o 33 of the CJ C old ru’es. The former p evidol, “If the at’-it.-r allow a start to take place in front of the starting poet the start la void, end the horses must be started again, and the star er shall forfeit a mm not exceeding £50"; and the latter, “If a race has been run by all the horses at wrong weights, or a wrong distance, or when the Judge is not in tbe box, tha Stewards shall order it to bo run again after the advertised time of the last race of the same day.” The Stewards contend that Jby these rules the first race was uull and void, and that Rocket was the only horse, that started and took part la the actual race. Mr Hammond, on the other hand, strongly dissents from this interpretation, and, replying ma’nly upon the provisions of the ra’es quoted by the Suwards, claims the full amount of the s ake, It is evident that the proceedings were absolutely correct and formal up to the t me the horses were weighed out and placod in the hands of the starter the first time, and under the rules, none of the horses could be released from their engagements In the race unless withdrawn by the owners or others, in strict confo. m’ty with the regulations provided. It is not contended by the Club that any of the hoisea were scraiched, and as a matter of fact, they were all returned as starters, in rccordauce with rules 30 and 31. Under these circumstances, Mr Hammond submits that the first race was simply from a false start, and that any or all of the horses engaged in the race might have appeared at the starting post at the time appointed for the adj mruod start, and demanded to be smarted, and to have started ; and the whole of the numbers of the horses should havo been displayed as starters, as they had not been strqck out of their engagements In the race as directed by the Club rules. Mr Hammer 1 suggested that the matter should be submitted to the Committee of the 0 interim, y Jocky Club for arbitration, but the Ashburton Stewards determined to act upon their own judgment, and after a very exhaustive examination ot tbo question at issue, ruled that Mr Hammond’s claim for the whole stake could not be entertiined At a meeting of the Committee of the Clab held on Saturday last, the la*e Secretary, officiating as an amicus curia-, attempted to reopen the matter, but the Committee was obdurate, and decline to review tha action of the Stewards. There can be little doubt that the great weight of authoritative opinion will be with Mr Hammond, and it is t) be regretted that the Club, with an independence which on more opportune oc aslons does it a deal of credit should have rejected the mediation of the Me'ropolitan Club. The question is one admitting of very wide diligences of opinion, and as the Stewards were more or leas interested in the issue, they c&n hardly *be regarded as constituting an entirely Independent tribunal. Jt would qleatly be mote satisfactory tr all concerned if the ruling of an unprejudiced body were obtained, and even were the decision opposed to tha opinion and tmmod a e ip orost of the Stewards, they would at lei rt be ab’e to take credit to themselves for haying acted in a candid and sportmanlilfo rmnnor.