THE TURF.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 405, 14 January 1909, Page 7

THE TURF.

RACING FIXTURES,

January 16, and 21.—Wellington Pony and Galloway R.C. ■' ' January 19 and 20. —Wairoa County R.C. Annual. January 20 and 21.—Goro R.C. Summer.' January 20, 22, and , 23—Wellington R.C. . Summer. . .. •• * January 22 and 23.—Foxton R.C. Annual. January 27 and 28.—Pahiatua R.C. Annual. February .4.—Karioi J.C.' Hack. -'■ ' :;i ' February 4 arid s.—Gisborno <R.C. Summer. February 4 and 6.—Canterbury J.C. Summer: February 10 aiid 11.—Egniont R;C; Summer; February 11.and 12. ; —Poverty Bay.Turf Club.. : - Annual., . p , ' :■ February 13 and 20.—'Wellington Pony and. Galloway R.C. ,•. 1. ■ • February 17 and 18.—Woodville Distriot 'J.C. \ • Autumn. • ■ .. February ; 24, 25, and . 27.—Dunedin J.C. • Autumn. ,■ .March. 4 .and s.—Wanganui.' J.C. Autumn: /' March 17 and 18.—Napier ;Park R.C. Autumn. - ■ - - - - ~ j REMINDERS. '■ In\ connection. with. : tlid annual meeting, of' the Pahiatua'- 1 Racing; Club, owners are. reminded,that 'acceptances for the first day's: handicap event!! and. entries for - the " Trial, Hack- Plate, and the Maiden'Hack'Scurry, close at 9 p.m. to-morrow (Friday), with the secretary, Mr. G; L. Hawley Drew, P.O. 80v:33, Pahiatua.' The Telegraph Office at : Pahiatua; clqsd sat 8 p.m. , "'-V; ' \,, -• ■ • • ' i,' PAHIATUA RACING CLUB. . (or' TELEaiirH~-special. 'cbannsroNpENT.) , • • ' ' Pahiatua, January 13. ; At a,meeting of the Pahiatua Racing Club, held; last night, Messrs. E. B. Hare;, L. Joli^nsen,. and W. Yule were. appointed to lead in houses; Mr. P. ;E., : Debreceney, • blackhoard steward;': Mr. 'B. ,B. Hare, -totalisator; Mr.. W. M'Cardle, starter steward;! Messrs. fj.' Sullivan .and J. 'M'Cardle,. hurdle stew-, ards; Messrs. ]5. B. Haro and G. L. Hawley Drew, handieappers -for Trial Plate; Messrs., W. M'Cardle, 1 V. Rodney; and.-E.-Sullivan, bo.urse stewards; -. Messrs'. \V. : ' .Owen, .H. M'Sberry, and K. Sullivan, committee for. disposal of privileges; and Mr. W. M'Cardle,; gate; Steward. - > For thd ■ forthcoming meeting it 'was' decided that the sale, of. cards i -be retained by tho club, and'that the othef priyif. leges -'.be' sold 'on Tuesday, ynext. Mr. J; Walden.'i was. appointed detective. . ,V. ;V ''', A" new clause : was hdded to! the regulationsfor bookmakers;^.'-Anyone failing to-meet'-his liabilities on :any race have his license. cancelled.' 1 immediately,' arid his ;fee' 'will be estreated, 'f -'Messrs. I 'A.M'Farlane' :and J. ;M , ards.;' It' '.was decided that bookmakers! applications fpr-v. licenses: m'ust, .lie 1; in ' by, iTues-* day; Januaryf26, advertised iiii 'I>ie i'DosnwoN andi "Stand-' ,ard." Other .'conditions-are' unaltered! ■ ' ' ! The 'conditions; relating: ; '-to . vehicle : traffio other ' than thbse 'plying for hire : are to "bo; the s'ame as la^-^car.r'Messrs.; A."-E. : Gosling: 'arid-TV. .'Duiinirig were elected "members,';. The secretary:is..to.,open ; .the,cluh's offloe i)i : town!; duririg/ .the. afternoons',.:for.: ono. ■' week before, the/i race dat'e^.;, Mr.. G. .Moore's tender • for.! cards, and' . ticket: printing l was accepted. . ' . v..-.: P PONYAND CALLOWAY R.C. |. f .For, the .two ,pTincipal;.6vents:on :tlio second i'day.-of tlie Wellington ■ Pony and-'Gallowayj Racing -Club's January Meeting the following! acceptances havo :bcen jeoeived . 1 Anniversary handicap, seven furlongs.—Miretta,.; 12st! ;■''.Ve'rdnidue, - Ml&t;.-: •81b.;' ;Moata,. : ,11st. 51b.; Inspiration,. lOs'ti; ; !Firell'y,. 9st. l -121b;Kauhoe,;'9st.;Recovery (lato'- St. Charlk) ' Bst. 61b.; - arid Bluebell.', •Bstv ~ ;v vvr'r;;i:;' v-. ;- : ':x :-:V'v BOROUGH HANDICAP Four fuilongs !.an|i ;'of j'All: ;Work,. 10st?;31b; : ;,; laspiratiori,'losi; : ;' : ilytret; 1 9stV. Ost.-.j#?rrimanu,v. :Bst.;121b.-;: Recovery, : Bsti;:.. 10lb.";*'and San Tor.• Bst.; 81b. . t ,-- -v vt'! ' MR. WATT AND MR. HENRYS. ' -. THE HANDICAPPING TROUBLE. STATEMENT BY THE-COMPLAINANT. Mr. E. J .'Watt, writes from Hastings-at', some: length ili torihectioiiavitli the- complaint made; by him -oyer the, handicapping :of -cer-, .tain of i his - horses by Mr. :"Henry's. at' ; the ! Palmerstqn North Meeting; „He encloses tho official- report of tho inquiry held by - tho club,}in consequence :oi: liis,-complaint that ;his horses were 'unfairly, treated; by - th'e handi'Capper,' and iri'i connectioiiMtfi ithe'Y'repor'lj °f ;.nis eyidenco , supplies"immbar of cor.reotioiis'.". ; These v correctidhs >' 'ara'-iiiaihly.;.'iii'; i f'olation to .. tho reasons' advanced by, him ;for , considering' ' his horses , unfairly ' handi--ic'a'ppedj ''-'aild/inclridoi details--'of ;tho!'porforniances of. tho horses,' sonio of. which ' are .omitted, 'from; tbo ofneial , report; '■: Wo liavo Aot .space' to publish'. the ':wl;ol6 of .-the "efidence,' but-we publish .Mri''Watt's'.cominerits; which;speak ( for as: to th 6 view lie takes ,'of x th'e iiosition:', (TO'THK Editoh.)* ' -j,. , . Sir,—L, enclose you for .publication all tho; particulars I have' in : the' inquiry held at Palmerston North, by the Manawatußacing Club,,'. and of;: which" a' report, issued by the' secrota'ry of"that 'cluh, appears - in- the ''New'"Zealand 'Times'' '■ of Monday, January 11. On tho 9th tho Manawatu Racing Club forwarded' nib; the. letter ;aHached/ : .'andva- : odpyvof'-iho;:rcpo'rt.''<)f'tho" 'meeting, , hut..as .l only received 1 ; it at'- ir ,p.m. : .on', Saturday , night' I had no - possible cjiance ,of ; replying to that' club! befori the report,-was, in :print; I think It would: have been wiser and fairer if they ,had .awaited any ro'ply ;I; might ; wish to ,:make to 1 ' them' 'befpre; .they'v.published their: report. : I; should hardly, call their report .."Scrupulously, fair,!', but I leave.;the public to judge .on"- 'this .question' from what I 'actually said at that : Meeting, which I,have set .out side by side with the official report below. • ; h ■ i Presumably,the; Jlanawatu Committee have assumed,■ from'.the-fact, that and Moriarty were-accepted for and ran on the first-day"of--their'meeting, tljat. I'was satisfied 'with':-' their ..weights - and = the;' handicaps ' made by Mr.' Henrys in •those; races. 1,, said absolutely .nothing about' the treatment, of , those horses on the iirst : day; nor was I 1 ashed any. question , with; regard -to their .weights that day. .Had, I been satisfied with !'the'. weight, given. • toVMbriarty, - it - is .hardly likely, that I should have accqsed MK* Henrys of over-weighting, that" liorse. It is' quite probable that, Mr. Henrys m!his!*;arg'anients did presume that I was-'satisfied'withi the handicaps for the first .'day,, and. I did' not contradict his statements. ■ Early ou I saw that the, feeling of the meeting was with Mr: Henrys,- and I. did. not'see tho use of., prolonging'!'the agony. " Many:, of Mr. Henrys' statements appeared to. mo to" be half truths, .and . to be" , begging . the actual ; qtiestion. I; was'. asked , about ■, the' weight' \given. to -Muskorry-in tho Cup, and expressed myself satisfied ; I was not v asked about: the weight given to Truganini in this race, ''nor did 1 make any mention of .it. Also, :.I. think 1 it is clear that I did -not say Muskorry had a bad lot of horses .her ,when she won at Feilding, since. I bad just 'previously said Tangimoana was a good mare. . ,1-did describe Hiro as a. bad horse, but-that could -hardly' be ' construed into the state-ment-that Mr.; Henrys would infer I mado use of and based his argument upon. .' [Here follows tho report of the ovidence ; and finding with Mr. Watt's corrections.] V • .-.- •; Possibly .tho . finding of , the . Manawatu •Oommiiteq-'is'right;-' and I was wrongvin mv contentions, :but I ain still not convinced, that the-running; of . Separator., and EcJoguc oil the first ann second .'day at: Manawatu, under .the conditions .and. tho-circumstances ! 'of those, races, was sufficient!, reason for the . -vcrJi "different handicaps mado'.fqr. Ashliurst - aiid the third day at-Manawatu.' In discussing the form of Moriarty and Truganini I: certainly;-mado a mistake as to tho weights.,given thoso horses in 'the Summer. Handicap "the • first ■ da'yV ;but Mr. Henryti iijjoiated out that-'ho"had given them level

weights,-and - that -that jvas . his . estimate.;! of their form. I had overlooked:the!handicap for the :Grandstand (Handicap, one .mile;;! tho second day; and I only remembered-this I handicap after returning, to Hastings;. .Apparently Mr.. Henrys overlooked it also; as therein' are■ the .weights- Moriarty 7st. .IMb., Truganini 7st. 71b. lii the race Eclogue won at Manawatu he-was giving -Osiris .exactly lib. moro.-weight than he gavo him at Woodville,: . where, .'.according ..'to ; .-'the . papers; j Ecloguowoivby, two. lengths. ... ■'■ . I arii glad that!? the question of handicap-1 ■ping will now haver a chance of being , (lis-.-cussed by the public. Mr...Henrys, sftyß 1 have systematically .complained' of his handicapping. Perhaps I have been a nuisance, but 1 think I have always been fair to Mr. Henrys and- I have always • considered that Jio could make- good- handicaps if he; liked. It is, I admit, . difficult to raco under his handicapping, .because often, if'one, scratches; a'horse when he is the handicappcr, he takes no weight off;, also, if oiio runs a horse and lie is ; .beaten, Mr: Henrys, often says: "Well; that is hot his form.". I consider that Mr. Henrys ha* liot been doing his work very well latterly, the mos|; glaring case probably being when'at.Feildirig in.tho St. Andrews'Handicap he set the! Hawko's'Bay Guineas winn<er,:Kopu, to-give tho Canterbury Derby winner, Husbandman, 41b. over, one mile, and a half. This is only one instance,;' Mr. Henrys . himself up .as the premier handicappcr of the Dominion, - in fact, one 1 might , almost say he .tried to makq a monopoly of the handicapping in! this country, and he has hold that, no one. should criticise his w.ork. Now;,.any man in a public position must expect criticism, .and ms work' isi good and fair lie need not fear. it. Thanking you in anticipation^—l am, etc., .

! E. J. WATT. •Hastings, January 12.. \ • . /