SCENE AT THE WAIKANAE RACES

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1015, 3 January 1911, Page 5

SCENE AT THE WAIKANAE RACES

y .EEPUNpED, ' : ; A somewhat disorderly; scene occurred ht.tho-Waikanne races yesterday attho conclusion of .the.' third event. The WaiItaflno :Eacing' Club lias, an annual riieet'irig on .New- Year's Day, but does, not enjoy the privilege of. a totalisator pertmit. ;• Yesterday the fixture was'hold as usnal,. and tHero -was nit attendance of 'about'2ooo people, including . a large number of'visitors -from -Wellington. For 'the Parata Memorial Handicap there wero four competitors, nam-sly, ' St. 'AmeWaihola, and Inveran. The first two-torses, ridden 'respectively, by 11. Carmout and B. Gray, ran -in the nomination of Mh H; W. -Parata,' Eongomni being a warm favourite, while a good .price Could .be obtained about St. Amelia. fs. Some of the speetators ;had evidently'formed; certain opinions early, as .the/Start of the:race in front of the enclosure was: closely watched; and, when ' St.. Amelia sliot away about half-a-dozen ; lengths ahead,-there was an outburst of hooting;- All.,the.,\vay down the , back and. on to-the last.turn, St. Amelia led, but then' Inveran and Rongoinai cltised .lip,- whilq WaiKola ivas hopelessly. beaten. Negotiating' the.home-turn, Eongoinai was seen to run very wide,'with Inveran . on the outside .. of him. 'Eventually v .St. Amelia passed the post, first, 'with very little' to spare' from ■ Rongomai, whose jockey was. enjoined to "let go his head" and'"cut the reins," etc. . ■ "' 1 : ' :r ' ' ' When the"horses returned''t.6"-the' en-, closure, the •jockeys -were, greeted', with ironical'cheers and loud hooting, and the borses. were: struck and -jostled. -A'tookr ..maker then, addressed the crowd,-and informed them ho, did not come .up. there to;be robbed, and did not intend-to pay out.. -His speech;.was greeted with applause, and, gaining courage thereby, lie expressed wonder -that the crowd did not 'stop...the proceedings., :ds was done, recentlyiii Auckland. There ivas further cheering, and then, a bell rang to call, the stewards together. . .- After some' minutes' deliberations,' the .'stewards,..having examined the owner of the first two horses-arid some of the jockeys, announced that E. Gray, rider of Rongomai, wns'Vdisqualificd* for ... six months, arid that,all .bets on-the race were to bo refunded.' -This decision, was announced to tha public, and ■ the book- . makers -and the majority of ..backers . Beemed'to be well .enough pleased with the turn which' affairs had .taken, - .