THE EASTER RACES.

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 114, 19 March 1891, Page 2

THE EASTER RACES.

TO THE KDITOR OP THE STAR. Sik,— My attention has been drawn to what I consider is a great injustice to owners of horses entered at our Easter race meeting. There is a stipulation in the Jockey Club's advertised programme instructing the Handicapper to declare the weights for two of the hack races at 9.30 on Easter Monday morning, so that the horses may be handicapped on their Palmerston running on the Saturday previous. All I can say is that whoeyer framed this rule should be pensioned oft, and the absurdity of such a rule I will now endeavor to prove. For example: An owner enters his horse for a certain hack race (the stakes of which are not large), and is expected to bring it to Feilding, going to a deal of expense in providing loose boxes, railway charges, &c, without any idea whatever of what weight the Handicapper will allot his horse. If I were a horse-owner I would not, for one, take a horse to a meeting on the off chance of receiving a justifiable weight. The only way out of the blunder is either to frame the handicaps on {Saturday after the Palmerston races are completed, post them up in the hotels, &c, and send a copy of the allotments to the owners of horses entered (in ease some of them are not present at the Palmerston races, but most of them I dare say will be in attendance) ; or to declare the • adjustments before the Palmerston meeting, and any horses winning at that meeting, to carry penalties. The local Club should- study the owners' interests a little more, and not be so independent. If this had been done, I am of opinion that the entries for the hack events would have been at least doubled. "Itis no use crying over spilt milk," but I warn the Committee of the Club that unless an alteration in the date of declaring the weights is forthcoming, very meagre acceptances will be received. The entries are small enough, and even if all those who are entered go to the post the fields will only be moderate. I may also state that the owners of seyeral horses have notified their intention of not competing at the meeting, owing to the glaring errors I have pointed out, and I dare say others have refrained from nominating their horses for the same reason. Hoping the Secretary will call a meeting of the Committee to consider the same, I am, &c, Qui Vive.