SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 3777, 2 April 1875, Page 3

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

TAIERI RACES. ] Mosanm, April 2. Tfce wsathsv, although dull, kept fair. The rain that fell during the night had damped the ceurse. The stewards had the first race advertised for half-past twelve, but it took place at 1.50 p.m. Hakwcaj Ht idm Raci, 20 sots. 2 miles, ever flights of hurdles, 3ft. Oin. high. Mr H. Oourlej’s Kildare, list... (Courier) 1 Mr Fagan’s Maid of Arrow, 95t... (Cotton) S Betting t 8 to 1 on EUldare. .Kildare got over the hurdles all right, but Maid of Arrow would not jump. Time—Smin SOsee. Dmtiict Faruhm’ Ptmai, a Handicap of 2 sovs. Open only to horses the property of residents within the Electoral District of the i aieri, and being their b»na fidt property for two months prier to the day of running. If mile. ▼erbena, 7st 41b (Smith) 1 Miss Alfred, 7et , (Low) 2 Novice. Ist 81b ... ... ../(Cotton) 3 Betting ; Even agst Novice and Miss Alfred ; 5 to 1 Verbena. Verbena commenced with the lead and held It. Time, -min. 92seo. Taibbi Hasdicat, 50 save, with a Sweep of 2 sovs each ; the amount accruing from the Sweepstake to go to the second horse. Distance, 2 miles, Lad, Tst (Smith) 1 vr V 'lS n *‘i\ - - - 2 Miss Alfred, 7st (Gourley 3 Verbena, fet.. _ (Tanner) 0 Betting: 2 to 1 agst Snip, S to 1 agst Verbena and Miss Alfred, 3 to I agst Wee Lad. *tart was made, Verbena leading; Wee Lad passed her at the 1* mile post, winning easily. Time, 4min. 12Jsec. Tbe weather continued fine, and the attendance was fair. The betting fraternity were not so prominent as yesterday. Mr Bailey kindly gave us the time, while the secretary and treasurer —Mr Doyls showed every courtesy. J “PULLING" HORSES AT RACES. {From the Southern Cross. ) The disqualification of jockeys for pulling horses and suspicious riding has lately come rather too prominently before the patrons of the turf. But dropping on to jockeys, who, m nearly every ease, are merely “ riders to orders," does nob get at tbe root of tbe evil. Unless the horse be disqualified as well, the owner, who is frequently tbe principal person in fault, gets off soot free; but with tbe disqualification of the animal comes the prevention of a nominal change of owner for •ne thing, and it touches ths owner himself by rendering his horse comparatively value less for racing purposes. This had been fully illustrated in the Mabel ease. Hut there, is another side of the question, and that is when the jockey has been “got at," or, m other words, when he receives a consideration from a third party, not the owner, to pmllin ahnne. Very recently at Home i lad apprenticed to the Messrs Stevens trainers, seems to have felt that he was settine too much under their thumb, and acoordmgly made a clean breast of it to Mr ( hapUn, one of tbe stewards of the Jeckey Club and, in consequence, an investigation took the result of which was that tho lad admitted that ha hid been “pulling Iw-see all ever the eottatry.” After conid oration »f the case, tbe committe, coasting of Lord Falmouth, Lord Calthorpe (acting for A drairal Rous), and Mr Chaplin, who iad secured the services of a well-known barristor, gave this decision “ That tho

gravest suspicion attaches to T. Stevens, sen., and W. G. Stevens. And with respect to T. Stevens, jun., they have no alternative except to inflict upon him the severest penalties in their power. They therefore decide 'hat T, Stevens, jun., be warned off Newmarket Heath, and that no horses his property, er nominated or trained by him, or in any way under his eare, joint care, management, or superintendence be allowed to run at any meeting where the rules of racing as established at Newmarket are in force. ” Now, the malpractices of the turf are a* well known in New Zealand as anywhere else, and I am glad to see that there is an inclination to put them down as mnch as possible. In these days ef pewerful binoculars, a horse and its rider can be very narrowly watched, and any attempt at “ suspicieus riding " ought to be investigated by the stewards, whose pewere are, itfacU, anlimited. From their decision there is no appeal; snd it is neeesssry that such large powers should belong to them. The public have a right to expect that, in the interest of fair play, a careful watch should be exercised.