THE PAST MEETING.

Evening Star, Issue 3773, 29 March 1875, Page 2

THE PAST MEETING.

By PegasDs. The annual race meeting of 1875 may be considered to have been a great success, whether we look at the fields of horses for the various events, the racing itself, the weather, or the attendance. For months past the chief items on the programme were look'd upon as very open races, no one being able to *pota horse that would-be likely to monopolise the principal prizes as Lurlbie di 1 last year; but an imitation of that co-ehrated mire sprang up unexpectedly in Mr Delamams hue horse Templeton, who won the t up so hollowly as to take all interest away fr-'m the Publicans’ Handicap, H.J 0. Hauvr C - a ?\ Tnwn a^e Haines had got all Mr Dclamain’s horses into grand condition, and as a natural result they landed a large proportion of the stakes—so large, indeed, that we have Iv ard many express their surprise that Hercules should have been entered tor the Consolation Stakes v -snatching even that from six owners of hors* s which had not won a race at the meeting. However, the-e’s nothing like grabbing all one can, and oiir sportsmen ha < better do their b st to imitate dr Delamain at l the ensuing Christchurch meeting. Great credit is due to the stewards for the punctuality which was observed iu starting nearly every race, everything being ready in many instances a quarter of an.hour before tb© advertised time. The course was Iu rac ’ n 8 order, but was dull, owing to the heavy rain which fell on the three days previous to the 23rd ; still it could not have been very bad when Sonnambula c mid do her mile in 2aiin. 50aecs., and Lyn on the same distance in 2tnin. 49secs. On : the Onp day the number of people on the ground was about 6,5-0. on the second day 4,500. and on the third 3 500 ; but if the w eachcr n vd been less boisterous on the first day 1 expea fully 9,000 people wi uld have visited he hj or bury, that being a general holiday. As it is I understand that tho-e wh * purchased the gates, grand stand, and saddling paddock made money out of their speculaions; while the retailers of spirituous liquors must have done well, the booths being bought for such small prices The list-men were turned out of their snug corner at the entrance to the saddling paddock, thus giving plenty of room just where it was wanted, and took up positions against th-i rails and just opposite the stand. There was great variety in the way of games of skill and mild swindles on the ground, and the managers of these appeared to do a roaring trade, ihe crowd was order'y throughou , and the average of fistic encounters was ?i j °i!i. e PPer, er The grandees who like to do the heavy” in the saddling paddock received a severe shock on the third day. an enterprising individual desecrating the sacred precincts by “chucking up” two coins, at the same time uttering the mystic words “ A pound i ead em.” This was discovered to be an offer on the tosser’s part to back his coins to turn up heads on the grass for the sum of twenty .-hillings a time, and as he was taken at his word and lost L3O in about five minutes, it is probable that he will not introduce this pleasing game on a future occasion. Speaking ©f things which belong to thestewarda’ department particularly, I must remark that the accommodation for re'iresen—tafcives of the Press is poor in the extreme. There is only one table on which to write and at this only three persons can sit at one time, so that when, as at this meeting, reporters from newspapers published in the neighboring Province are present, great inconvenience is caused. The offici Is of the club .also suffer, for weighing-ont and everything else has to be got throu *h in this roorn—a place about 12ft. by 6ft. The stewards them .-elves were very attentive and always ready to give any required information, and Mr R. H. Bailey, timekeeper, kindly furnished us with the time for every race. Some plan, such as a front, most be devised to prevent the official scratching board from being tampered with, as on the third day much confusion was caused by an owner of horses writing his horse’s mm** under the list of soratebiogs for the Forbury Handicap, and a few minutes later some one erasing it. I previously made mention of the absurdity of turning reporters out of the weighing-out room when the stewards are discussing a question of disqualification, as it causes much loss of valuable time, especially to an evening piper; a l l that the stewards need say is that the proceedings a r e private, and then they may rely on secrecy being observed. Reporters are generally allowed to remain at meeting- even when more iinpr.rtaut matters than the deliberations of a few members of a Jockey Club a 1 o belli.; carried on. With the exception of tbe Steeplechase we have heard no hhP of anything like foul riding during t.ho meet ing, and the recent cases of d'squabficatinnwill doubtless cont-nue to have effect. With reference to the racing itself, the Maiden Plate went, as expected, to Captain Hutchison's King Philip, and this was the only event pulled off by the Anderson’s Bay stable Hercules, to whom 1 gave the preference, ran a good colt, but will never bo t >e horse that the winner is. The two-% earold, Daniel O’Rourke wont well for a mile, but was, I think, a little tab fat.' The Cup ivvc i resu'ted in a surprise, for although Temp'eion came to mort edcls b fare the start, not one person in a hundred really anticipated that he would win it, with the excep-

tion of his own party—and even they cannot have felt very certain, for two days before the race offers of 800 to f-0 or any part of it against him were repeatedly given. Condition won the race—not alone the good condition of the winner, but the very bad condition of those that were behind him. Traitor was manifestly unfit, and was bleed* ing at the nose when he came in ; Atlas was suffering from some affection in the mouth, and had been off his feed for three or fo;r days; Castaway was as fat as a bullock ; Ngaro, who was a great disappointment, wanted two or three weeks’ more work ; the Sari of Lynne I need say nothing about, ex* cept that it is pity he was not shot before he broke his rider’s leg in the Consolation >takes. My lip for the Cup was all abroad ; but if the race were run again within three m- nths’ time, so that all might be got fit, I should still place Castaway and Traitor and perhaps Ngaro and Atlas, before Tern’* pleton ; for what sort of a performance was it, after nil? The time was 4min LOJsec, or 7|sec slower than Lurline’s time last year, and she won much more easily than did Mr Delamain’s horse. Both Traitor and Castaway will yet have their revenge ; but Atlas will soon he getting too old and Ngaro I am doui.tful about—she is at present very clumsy and , heavy. The Right Bower . I have purposely not mentioned till now. A great number imagine that because he ran second in the Cup (beating a lot of sick horses), and beat Tadmor for the Forburj Handicap, he must be a grand little horse, but I think it easy to pi ove that he is only the mediocre animal I opined he was. Hi was in the Cup 231b batter than Templeton. 18lb than Traitor, 211b than Castaway, and 241b than Ngaro ; added to which he was fit. and they were the reverse. When be beat Tadmor, the latter (only a three-year-od) was giving him 2lib, so the Bower wouh have been a rank duffer to have been de feated. Klfin King kept up the stable’s form by winning the Newmatket Stakes, beating Spritsail and Sonnambula, but the resul might have been different had not the last nam d stuck at the post. King Philip ano Tadmor could not keep Templeton out o the Pub-leans’ Handicap, in which he carrie his weight for age, and the other two withi21b each of their weight for age. Old Bar won pluckily cut out the running in this race but soon had to succumb The eking Rac . won by Kathleen, wound up the first day’racing. Weduesday was a day of surprise Sir Tatton, a hot favorite for the HurdU Race, fell at the first jump, and was not placed; Mr Gourley’s Kildare, who wa scarcely backed for a shining, winning eaaily Tem.leton, of courre, pulled off the D.J.C. Handicap ; King Philip second, and Game cock, who carried the lightest weight, and ran well, third. Traitor and Right Bowei were not placed in this. Far th Rous Stakes, hi tin King w ; >s the favbriti. and win cleverly ; and old Lyndon liore ou the good opinion I bad of him for a mb. race by winning the Novel Race in 2miu 49jec. l ui the third <3 ay another '‘pot” Medora for the Steeplechase—boiled ov, r resulting in a-emendation by the stewards and the cU-rquaHticCiou of W. jvt'Kay Ivanhoe winning the race the Town Plat, was a walk-over for Templeton and Cer cities; and tne two-year-old race was won by Mr Blatch’s colt. ; admor was plunged oa for the Forbury Handicap, but as I sai above right Bower won it. as he ought, Castaway also ran in ih a race, bnt is entirely out o» racing condition. The Flying Handicap was well won by Sonnambula. a ter a good race with invy ami Elfin King ; Lyndon was again to the fore in the Benevolent Hurry Scurry ; and the Cong' - lation Handicap was won by Hercules (Set), beating h'uvy. Wild Manx Boy, Unknown, Ngaro, and Spiitsai), giving them all weight! Mr Delamain’s horses were in good condition ; but Mr Nosworihy’s, with the exception of Sonnambula, were anything but tit. and the tidy is capable of greater improver meut. Bob Reay’s string had been looked upon as very dangerous, and a 1< t of money was dropped by persistent backers otriUav. stable, altogether, the meeting was nos a good one for the bookmakers, some of whom were remarkably hard hit, while very few of them have made money. Saturday was settling day, and the uietallicians showed up well, every one being present, and “ parting” freely. We believe that only one of . them was unable to meet his liabilities io full, and this speaks well for the “talent,” but, on the other hand, large numbers of the public were conspicuous by their absence. Tnis is not as it should be, for If bookmakers do not receive what is duo to them, how are they to pay their debts ? There was onlv one scene throughout the evening, that being a disgraceful squabble betwe-u a losing bookmaker and a trainer of horses. These two t .ok a cab and adjourned to the cricket ground, where a brutal fight took place, resulting in the betting man breaking one ol his opponent’s ribs. The amounts of the various ‘stakes won by the owners of horses are as follows: -Mr Delaraain 1945; Mr Coembea L 20 0; Mr "osworthy 1200; Capt Hutchison L 177 : Mr Barton L 12 0; Mr White LIOO ; Mr Gourlay LBO ; Mr Goodman L7O; Mr Cotton L 42 ; Mr M'Kay L 35 ; Mr Blatch Lll, and the Master Rowe silver cup presented by Mr E Pritchard • Mr Keenan Lid, the total amount bein--’ L 1,990. e