A COLONIAL RACE MEETING.

Evening Star, Issue 4280, 14 November 1876, Page 1

A COLONIAL RACE MEETING.

I The national sport of horse racing flourishes rigorously in New Zealand, but in a somewhat irregiOarlnMineSTTfiete-wo half-a dozen Jockey Clubs, each own race meetings,- flxing its own rules, and \ often coming to conflicting decisions yfcpon / the same question... One result of this state AtfJJSr **** but f^^rses*re sint from Attstralni to compete, wd-that the various raoe meetings are less attractive thanAhey would be under proper organisation and indeed is bestowed' evoryyearih 3h£*li*os of prises, but it is given in small or comparatively small amounts, and at meet. Ims occurring other, so that owners to brmg thefr; horses;frobi any*£ tanoe; whereas a Judicious ainaWkatloii of enable mee^ags^of -a finjt-olass character to be held. -fliwS Canterbury Jookey,Club 3id constitute a genuine metropolitan meetinff by offering ftj thousand gmoeaS'Sfcakej but tunes grew dull, funds fell ahort,-anA*h« Canterbury o¥p ; :sbra** &*> Wprev^ dimensions. What wa should like see an--2? a me 9ting for ..each, island: that for the Soutlrta be held, alternately^ at 'ChristhabiWkpf bf.the Magi tfteal mterest &; thf •&&&s** for the present; for>veu;sp>rtM mefr would llid edm to Aualdiri& whereas"it t 4roWbe«as> enough to tttiVei%m Chrislcn.urch to Dunfacihties will be given 1 whin *the riilUy between the. tw£ places'.ia oomplefed.! -»is the, sympathy of fee public shOuld ; be enlisted in tbo matter. It, is already accorded >'Jn' Canterbury i but the ,I)nnedin Jockej Cflub, al&Augh' it has made considerable advances" in -that direotion lately, has not yet r euoeeeaea in rendering its meetings thoroughly pbbulaY. jSemething, is perhaps attributable to the temper of the oommunity j but a' little £f Ihe blame must be laid. upqn_the shoulderfof the club itself, whioh does *oVixerlßt§elf; sufficiently to attraot ladies to the course, and when ladies are absent from a race meeting it is apt to degenera& T ih many ways. We oommend this matter W the attention of the olub. There is no reason to suppose that fche ladies "of Otago arc different in their tastes f»>tthc£e of Canterbury or Aubfcand, wieje : they muster in great splendor onjfoe race days, and their-present ccyness would probably yield to suitable persuasion. Stakes of a proper amount are, however, but one means of ensuring the success of turf pursuits in the Colony. Uniformity of rules is essential; andtte Christchurchoonfer. ence, in suggesting she appointment of one handicapper for the whole of N ew Zealand, has hit a blot in the present system which every racing, man will recognise. Xh© expense will be heavy, but it can be* borne, if, too, a New Zealand Jookey Club is formed,: ang a opfimion oode;of adapted by the local olubvit will oe, if apt tual preventative, at least improper practices on the turf. It cannot be fairjy said that such praotioee have been very prevalent in hntstill they have ocourred, and would be likely to increase as time rolled on, unless a check were placed upon them, tt would be Utopian toexpeotthe extirpation of betting >but it can be kept within;.reasonable lUmits/ and the occupation is gone; and if this• M««a. plished, the motive,, of horses wouldjbe removed. OaVneighbo™ 1 * J? e^ Sonfch Waleß » nnder.theguidMße of of Sir Bercules Bobinsdn, are said s&liava already seoured .comparative puritw of the turf; and we do not see why the noble amusement of horse-racing should be unable to flourish in this Colony without the degrading accompaniments which have brought m into disrepute elsewhere. -rOonv mumoated.] i