SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 3679, 7 December 1874, Page 3

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

DISQUALIFICATION OF MABEL. A special meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club was held at the Empire Hotel on Saturday evening, to con sides the portion of the protest lodged by Henry Goodman against Captain Hutchison, “For pulling, or causing to be pulled, the said mare Mabel in the St. Andrew’s Handicap.” There were nresent — The President (Mr Stephenson), in the chair, and Messrs Driver, Marshall, Scott, Meenan, Taggart, Reancy, Dowse, and Cutten. It was agreed to accept the resignation of Capt. Hutchison as Vice-President of the Club. The jockey Goodman was called into the room and asked if he had any fresh evidence, and replied in the negative : he had not thought about getting any since the last meeting.—The Chairman : 1 should have thought you would have tried to get all you could, as I considered from what Captain Hutchison said there is a little slur on yourself, and that you would have endeavored to get more evidence if it could be got.—Goodman : I did not think any more of it, or that I would he called up any more, and thought it was done with so far as I was concerned. —The Chairman : Captain Hutchison makes it out that you and the disqualified jockey were friends, and that the hffair might be between yourselves. —Goodman: AH I know of Mitchellson is that I lived in Dowling’s stables in Melbourne after he left tihore, and have seen him at race meetings there. Captain Hutchison was next called, arid asked by the Chairman if he had any further evidence to give, to which he replied as follows:—The only thing I can tell-though I can hardly tell it because I have lost sight of jfche man who volunteered the statement—is that Pollock saw the mar e do exactly the same faring at: the ' Cluthhi As ' for myself I saw it from stewards’ ; stand, and did not think it even a start. But you are a bit short-sighted at times ? It was a good glass I had.—Mr Driver: Do you wi.'h to mention as a still fur ther line of excuse, as it were, that you believed the race was perfectly honestly rim?—l can’t find any reason for the boy Do you mention this as a further fact that yon think the race was honest, for in your evidence, as I read it, you were strong in the opinion that the lad had ridden the race perfectly honestly ? —I have no reason to suppose the boy had any intention of not winning the race. I can prove, and perhaps it will be in the recollection of some present that, in starting for the selling race at the last meeting, the mare was exceedingly fractious and had to be led to the post and kept there until pressed against the fence by' Sweetlips. The mare lost the race by 100 yards, and if there had been a great deal of money on it, no doubt there would have been a protest then as now. Did you watch the race after the mare started ?—I cannot tell you. Did you look at her ? —I may not have done so the whole way round. Was not the mars in the Birthday Handicap being positively held when she passed the stand, and going “ proppy ” on her knees ? I don’t think so. I certainly thought she was going badly, and it was quite useless to send her along when she was out of the race. If I could have stopped her then I would have had her pulled up. I did not think she had the ghost of a chance.—Well, my opinion is that she could have won as she liked, if she had been let go.—At any rate, I candidly state I would have stopped her at the stand if I could have done so,—There is no doubt you would have saved a great deal if you had stopped her before the start; it would have been wiser to have scratched her.—lf it had been my object not to run her, it would have been very easy to have scratched her. My instructions to the boy were not to be away from the horses at the turn, because all the races I have won in this course were won at the turn. The course is so short that it is very had to make up ground again if it is lost at the back. I cannot give any more evidence. And in answer to other questions Captain Hutchison said he selected Mitcellson at the suggestion'of Mr Reany, who said “ What is the use of putting on so much weight when you have a boy that will ride 10 half an ounce;” also, that "he saved 20 per cent, commission, amounting to L 9, which would have to be given to the trainer if he rode. He retained Mitchellson in his employ unless somebody brought proof that he had done wrong. Besides he was under a six months’ engagement. Previously Malone had ridden the mare, but he dismissed him after the last handicap some months ago for pulling the colt after he (the captain) had declared to win with him. On that occasion the mare was put in to force the running, but all his money was on the colt. He could have had the mare pulled up in the first hundred yards—there was nothing to force him ito run a second horse out in any race. It was stated that Mr Asher, butcher, had something to say, but when called on he declined to appear. In answer to Mr Meenan, Mr Reany said no one had u bigger down on the Captain after the race than he. That was because Captain Hutchison did not speak to the man after the race. He know that Captain Hutchison stood to win LSO from himself and Ll5O in other bets had the mare won, besides any other bets he tnight have got on the course. Ho was the cause of Captain Hutchison getting Mitchellson to ride. , Mr Driver enquired the reason of Mr Reaney so,materially altering his opinion, because on the stand, after the race, he had stated it was as big a swindle as ever hh had looked at on a racecourse. Mr Reaney: I was regularly wild because he did not come over and rebuke the man. Mr Driver : Then you would allow yourself to be swindled if he rebuked the man. Mr Reaney : I thought it was a false start, pud when 1 heard it was not a false start I got

quite savage. There is no mistake about th at The Chairman : You did not lose your temper at eight or nine in the evening, when you expressed the same opinion in town. It then had had time to cool down.

Mr Scott: There is no doubt that the pulling is a very disgraceful affair. I believe that every steward regretted that it should have happened. AVhether it is only the jockey working in collusion with the bookmakers, or whether the owner is also implicated, is what we have to find. That is the point that I should like to get at. Mr Driver moved that the racing mare Mabel be for ever disqualified from running on any course under the control of the Jockey Club. He did not propose to extend that disqualification to Captain Hutchison, for reasons which he would give, though he was not sure that it could not be extended with justice to him. In the meantime it would be sufficient punishment to disqualifiy the mare. The Club, in deciding upon this, had to take former circumstances into consideration, and he thought they were all perfectly well aware that this was not the first case of the kind with the same parties that had come before the Club, been a public scandal, and done the Club a great deal of harm in public estimation throughout the Colony. Now it was very well known about the streets that Mabel was not to win the handicap, and the betting was kept up that the public might not be thrown off their guard, but nothing could be got on her. In fact he (Mr Driver) satisfied himself on the point by offering to go LIOO. The offer would not be taken. Then he got down to a guinea hat, but it was the same. This was with a person who knew things pretty well. This convinced him thoroughly, and he watched the mare very carefully from the stand with two or three friends at the starting. The mare was looking in every direction. She passed the stand hard held and quite “ proppy,” and he believed she could have won at any time had she been allowed. Captain Hutchison should have acted openly and candidly in seeking all the information he possibly could get, and fall with the public and the Club, and have turned the boy out of his employ. Instead of taking that course he browbeats the public, calls them curs, and says he will keep the boy in his employ. If action were not taken in the matter they had better go to their business and leave club matters alone, as respectable people would have nothing to do with tnem. He hoped the stewards would mark their sense of the pro ceedings which had characterised several meetings past. Mr Taggart seconded the motion. Mr Scott suggested that the mare be disqualified “ during the pleasure of the Club. ’’ Mr Driver opposed this, as it would lead to the matter being opened up again. It was a very mild get-off for Captain Hutchison. It was a disgraceful performance, .and was slovenly and badly done— that was the worst of it. Mr Scott said that if he saw proof of intention on the part of Captain Hutchison he would support the motion. Mr Driver remarked that they could not here go by strict rules of evidence. Captain Hutchison was inclined to have horses, and spent a good deal of money in racing, and he was a man who, if checked a little, would likely be a very estimable member of the racing community. But if they did not give him a check they would be laughed at all over the country. Mr Meenan intended to vote against the motion, ou the ground that there was not sufficient evidence before them to disqualify the mare. It might have been altogether the act of the jockey. There was evidence also that Captain Hutchison was a heavy loser. Mr Driver : Only probable evidence. Mr Meenan : Substantial evidence that he is a lose) I —probable evidence that he is a winner. Until it is shown to the contrary, no matter what public opinion says, I will not do an injustice to Captain Hutchison or his horse. Mr Driver : The bets show him to be a loser. It was bungled enough, but it would be worse still if his betting-book, the thing that would be first asked for to be produced, showed him to be a winner. Besides, he has not discharged the groom. We would very soon hear the whole of it if he did. Mr Meenan : I don’t believe in convicting a man upon suspicion. It would be unjust. . Mr - Driver : I deny that Captain Hutchison is a heavy loser ; and, move than that, I deny that we have any evidence to show he is. Ihe Chairman : The whole world believes it is a sell, and done by either man or master. Would you not, if this was believed, have sacked tl e boy, even if you had to pay him his six months’ wages; would you keep him in spite ol all that? Mr Meenan : There is no proof of intention. Mr Driver : You can never get evidence, because a thing of this sort is planned to keep you from getting Mr Driver then stated that lie knew of certain sham bets taken on the race that were never meant to be paid. Mr Marshall said without hesitation there had been foul play. He voted for the disqualification of the jockey, and ho would carry out his previous act to the full, and vote for the disqualification of the mare. Mr Cutten would vote against the motion, considering there was no evidence against Captain Hutchison. I*’ ol ' the disqualification there voted : Messrs Marshall, Driver, Taggart, and Scott; against: Messrs i utten, Meenan, ami Reaiiy. Mr Dowse did not vote. Mr Driver: I have acted from a sense of duty to the public, and I think that wc have let Captain Hutchison off very leniently ; and I hope it will act as a warning, and that he will keep jockey s in his employ that the public have confidence in. Mr Meenan was surprised at the change thdt hud come over members. Last meeting he thought they considered there was no evidence r ®S a V (iin 8 Captain Hutchison. Ihe Chairman ; I believe there are some of the stewards, myself for instance, that would have disqualified the whole three of them—rider, horse, and owner.