GREYMOUTH JOCKEY CLUB ANNUAL RACES. FIRST DAY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1136, 19 March 1872, Page 2

GREYMOUTH JOCKEY CLUB ANNUAL RACES. FIRST DAY.

Greymouth made early and great preparation for a great race, meeting to be held on a great day in the district, and great expectations were entertained as to the greatness of the day and of the races in the annals of holidays and horse-racing. •Liberal subscriptions were made by the public towards j^what ■ are significantly called " the stakes," and members of the local Jockey Club devoted many early and late hours on many days to the duty of arranging the distribution of those subscriptions in the form of prizes for the best horse-flesh that could be produced in the Colony. For a single race a prize of L2OO was offered, and for other races there were provided prizes of very considerable amount. For the principal event there were eleven entries, and six acceptances. For the other races there was a sufficient number of entries or acceptances to justify the expectation that there would, in each instance, be excellent sport. The expectation was not of merely local extent. It was shared by the lovers of field sports from the northern to the southern extremity of the settlements on the West Coast. Ib was, in scarcely less active degree, shared by racing and betting men, and better men than betting men, in many other parts of the country. The consequence w*s the congregation of a very large. number of. people representing , the resident population of the district, and representing also, in almost equal numbers, visitors from other parts. There has not been in Greymouth such a gathering of people, on pleasure bent since Greymouth was Greymonth. By steamer, coach, and horse, crowds arrived, and supplemented the : influx of local population. The streets were thronged. Hotels were crowded. The circumstances were otherwise favorable to a most interesting and exciting meeting, of its • kind. The nice-course was in better condition than it had ever been. The weather, yesterday, was of the most favorable description. The approaches to the ; race-cpurse, by road or water, were in more than' a merely passable state. The road had been reformed, and, as a substitute for a costly bridge which had been carried away, by the flood, another had been subsidised by the Club. People poured out from town to the race-course by the hundred. The Grand Stand was extensively "patronised." It was filled by ladies of whom many were good-looking, and many more expensively, not to say extravagantly, dressed. They were a> companied by numerous gentlemen who associate the inspection of a horse-race with the' Wearing of a white hat/ or some other form of holiday attire. The ground in front of the Stand was thronged by people who exercised themselves by walking from the bars to the boundaries of the course, and baok again. The bar-

keepers were busy; and some of their barmaids were beautiful. So was the scecery, and the panorama from almost every point of view was superior to that presented by the surroundings of any racecourse in the Colony. The "morals of the people" were preserved by the Secretary, of the Club . clearing . the. ground of every form of small swindle, such as -are sometimes seen at races. Peccant cattle were pursued off the. tempting grazing ground by dogs, and dogs less legitimately employed were sworn at by the crowd and whipped by the Clerk of the Course. The Clerk was otherwise active, though not adorned, as his figure justified, in Jockey Club costume. The same may be said of the Starter. The Stewards were indefatigable and everywhere. The Judge was in his place till he found himself out of place at such a meeting as the meeting proved to •be.-- ■• - .-....:-- --. ■• .-.-

It proved to be, in ; favorite Victorian phraseology, a "fizzle." It was fortunately saved from utter, failure by the, apparent fairness and excellence of the race for the largest prize. It seemed to be, and is said jtb have been, a race keenly, run by the Horses, honestly ridden by their riders. But before it became the one and only event of the day which was worthy of the name, there was a race for what was appropriately called the Lottery Plate, and it revealed that there was on the ground, among the owners of the horses, or among, the jockeys, some silly swindler who, while attempting a swindle in. the faces of some thousands of : people, \ had not even the excuse of being, 'as a swindler, skilful. A most clumsy attempt to sell the race,and the hundreds interested in the result, was made by a jockey named Morgan. He rode the horse called Flying Jib,. and, either in obedience to instructions, or by mistaking his instructions, he held in the horse, while palpably the winner of the race, with all the strength he could bring to bear upon the reins, and did this as if he had been riding in tW dark, instead of before the eyes, of some thousands of excited and observant spectators. The thing was so gross in design, as well as so stupid in its execution, that there was an instant outcry. As the jockey rode back to the saddling paddock, he -was surrounded by the people, and warmly threatened with more than a " ducking," for which there were abundant facilities close at hand. Troopers and constables protected him from any assaultj abd the crowd from the scandal of committing it, but the feeling was; intense and wrathsul. It was shared in by everyone from the Judge to the juvenile vendors ofj the " correct card," who did not distinguish Morgan as deserving of that description. The horse had been; entered in the name of one of the Stewards, and there was an immediate meeting of these gentlemen. The explanations of the acceptor r and the rider were heard, and it was decided at once to disqualify the jockey from all further participation in the races. A minority of the Stewards considered that both the jockey and the horse should be disqualified, but the other decision was that which was then arrived at. The Judge (Mr Revell) refused to act in that capacity any longer, and several of the Stewards have, in consequence of the occurrence, since resigned their stewardship. The effect of the. incident, though it is an incident which may be nothing rare on race-courses, except by: its impu-. dent and barefaced character, was to damp ■the interest of everyone in the races, and to seriously .disturb the ; equanimity of betting-men and book-makers. A sermon from a Bishop could not have more thoroughly snbdued the increasing appetite for shares in sweepstakes, . and the propensity of fallen human nature to give and take " odds," The interest which was taken, by anticipation, in the Handicap, was greatly less than it would otherwise have been, and as to the other races the crowd, if not the horses or their riders, were somewhat spiritless. If the question was "What are you betiing ?"■ the ordinary answer was " Betting ! I •wouldn't bet a straw," and the virtue excited by the event was altogether beautiful to behold. There is no reason, however, while this virtuous . feeling should be preserved, thnt it should be I accompanied by indignation so as to affect the interest in the second day's programme. There are several good races to be run to-day, and if the wrath of the spectators has gone down with the sun, as it should have done, there is no reason to suppose that anyone will attempt to excite it afresh by any similar stupid, silly, swindle. ' Under all the circumstances, we should be justified in simply stating the results of the races, as regards the position of the horses. Close attention to the running in cases in which the result might have no relation to the race would be out of the question. But we append a few remarks as to the apparent nature of each race, with the names of the horses and their relative positions at the winning post : — ■ " Trial Stakes of 30 soys, open to all horses; weight for age; one mile and a half ; entrance, 3 soys Mr Maclean's b g Flying Jib, aged, 9st 71b (Morgan) 1 Mr Tonks's bk m XXX,, aged, 9st 71b (Blyth) 0 Mr Redwood's eh m Peeress, 6yrs, 9at 71b , (scratched) This proved a walk-over for Plying Jib. XXX had not gone a fourth of the distance when she became, disabled, and Flying Ji'i did the distance at a good pace without company. XXX hadj previous to the race, been in prime form, and her break-down, though not apparently anything serious, was regretted as making an. indifferent start to the day's racing. \ : ........ Lottery Plate of 25 soys, winners of public money iv any race to the amount of 50 soys to carry 71b penalty, of 100 soys ' 101 b, not accumulative;- one mile and a quarter ; . , weight i for ; age ;s entrance, 2J soys ' - : Mr M'Glashan's. ch g Roland, aged,.9st 71b ... ... • -■•-.'„ '; ;.;■• i Mr Maclean's b g Flying Jib, aged, 9st 71b — — '':.'.■ "... 2 Mr Maclean's bk m Black Bess, aged, 9st i V 71b ... „.,■ „, '3 Mr Ferguson's b g Economy, 5 yrs, Mr Touks's bk m XXX, aged (Stched) Mr John Seatonfe b m Task, 4 yrs , v __ (scratched) AAAwas, pf course, out of this race, as-were Task and Economy, though entered. Early in the running, Flying Jib kept third place, but in the second round Black Bess c fell behind, and Roland and Jib were coming up close together, the beluf that it was the: Jib's race increasing ns they came along the straight running. As < they cam© up, and while almost iv

front of the Stand, the Jib's rider made several obvious efforts to check him, and just succeeded in doing so until Roland had. passed the post, when the Jib took the front in a stride, or two, as he, no doubt, could have done sooner, if not from the very first of the race. Then ensued the scene which has been^referred to above. The statement is that it* was the rider's instructions to win, but not by such a distance as to affect the handicapping of the horse on the following^day. Morgan's statement ia that he acted by this instruction,' and did not pall at the end with any other intention, but thought that he had won the race, having mistaken .the post ! of the ' Stewards, immediately after the race, the rider was disqualified from riding again at the present meeting. '; \ Tfc.f ■ Gkeymouth ;Jockey Club Handicap^ of 200 soys ; second horse to save his stake ; nominations 3 guineas, and acceptances 7 guineas ; distance, 2£ miles. • : i Mr Richardson's oh m Misfortune, 6 yrs, Bst3lb, ... ... .(Richards) 1 Mr Redwood's chm Peeress, 6 yrs, lOst ; 71b .. !.. (M-Qlashan) 2 Mr Bales's bk g Black Eagle; aged 75t ... 3 Mr M'Glashan's eh m Lacenfeed, 6 yrs, Bstolb ... ....;. (Mason) 4 Mr Ferguson's b g Economy, 5 yrs 7st - 61b : ... ... : ; ... : .■•-■•■■ ; -. t ;. sc Mr Maloney's b g Why Not, aged, 6st ; 101 b ■... 6 ... '/.-disabled . . Why Not, entered for this race, was 1 recently disabled by an accident at Charleston, and Economy was scratched. After a false start, the four horses which ran got away well together. For two' rounds Black Eagle, and Lacenfeed. led, , racing neck and neck. After the second round, Peeress went to the front, leaving Misfortune behind. Coming towards the straight running, Peeress and Black Eagle were close together, • when Misfortune made an extraordinary effort, and, coming to the front, took the lead to the winning post, with Peeress on her flank, and Black Eagle close on the flank of Peeress.' Protests were entered by the jockeys of Lacenfeed and Black Eagle, on the ground of jostling by the rider of Peeress. It was decided that Lacenfeed's protest couldriot be entertained, and the other protest was . reserved. Black Eagle ia aHeged to have^ been much over- weighted, and it wajH evidently only by a struggle and manage^^ ment, even thus weighted, that he was kept from occupying a better place than""^ he did. . . >.■: \ ;?; * Hurdle Race, of 50 soys ; open to all horses ; over six flights of hardies; weight for age in this race only as under without allowances; 6 yrs and aged, list 31b; 5 yrs, lOst 131 b; 4 yrs, lOst 31b; 3 yrs, 9st. One and a half miles ; heats ; entrance, 5 SOYS ..;,■ ";■;"■■ .■ ' " ' ' ' - Mr Seaton's eh g Sailor Boy, 5 yrs, lOst 131bs. (Blyth) „ ... 1 Mr M'Glashan's eh g Roland, aged, llst.3lbs(M'Glasban) ... / .^V.. 0 Sailor. Boy went away with the lead, but went round the first hurdle, which Ronald cleared. Sailor . Boy took the hurdle beautifully when pat to it a second time, and took each hurdle afterwards in the same style. In taking the second hurdle Roland made the leap at an angle, and his rider's foot, striking the hurdle, was somewhat severely hurt, "and 1 nej was himself unseated. Getting into the bush before he could be caught, Roland was not brought up in time for. .the, second heat, and it was a walk-over '(diversified by jumps) for Sailor Boy. District Plate, of ?40 soys; open to all horses the property of bona fide 'residents in the Nelson South- West or Westland Gold Fields prior to the Ist . day of January, 1872 (and alsd owners from same date) of horses entered by them ; weight for. age; one mUe and three-quarters; ' entrance, 4 soys ' ; i : Mr Seaton's bm Task, 4 yrs, 9st ... 1 Mr Ferguson's b g Economy, 5 yrs, 9st 61b ... . ; ... ,,-.. ... . ; . 2 By the time this race was run many had left the course, and by doing so; they missed what seemed to be the s most " square " race of the day. It was expected to be an easy race for Economy, and understood that Task represented nothing more than an entry, but Task has friends who believe in her, and the result did riot disappoint them. She made a plucky finish, and shaken though their faith was in the honesty of racing as a whole, those who waited went awajt thing resembling a race fairly contested, whatever might be the fact "' The attendance during the day was much larger than on any previous occasion of ,a race-meeting at Greymouth, and the large crowd .assembled was altogether a most orderly, one. But | for the expression of. feeling as to the running of the second race, the day would have -been a .quiet one,; though ot~fT~ thoroughly holiday character. For their arrangements as a Club-the Jockey Club deserve credit, and the Stewardsj. Secretary, and others do so in an especial degree. The police were riot numerous, but were active and serviceable. The employes of of the Club were civil; but, if a suggestion may be permitted, it is that the gentleman who takes the tickets on the Grand Stand at the western staircase should take the trouble to post himself humbly at its foot, and ihereinform people how to procure admission, arid riot sit magnificently on a candlerbox viewing the sports, an^ informing ladies to walk down-stairs again, to fore their way through a crowd, and tq procure tickets which should be procurable with every facility possible. 6n the Grand Stand, it should be. mentioned, by the way, that there were as many as twenty instrumental performers discoursing music during the day, and it required some music yesterday "to soothe the savage breast." The following are the entries and the weights for the various events which come.off to-day : — , : ORBYMOUTH JOCKEY CLUB HUROLK ' "" ■ ■■" '"' "■'-■■ HANDICAP.^' ■■■■'- ■'■■■>-'■ } . ■■ ■ „ n Sfc lb. Mr Seaton's eh g Sailor Boy,' 5 yrs 11 0 Mr M'Glashan's eh g Roland, aged 10 0 Mr M'Millan'sbrg Brown Stout, aged 9 0 : ■ ' TOWN PIATBi ; ir r Mr Hales's bk g Black Eagle, aged, Mr Maclean's be, Flying jfb, 6 yrs Mr Redwood's eh in Peeress, 6 yrs . ;■;■■ SKiUITO STAKES.) : >; Mr Seaton's bm Task, 4 yrs :'•.?** Mr Ferguson's > g Economy, 5 yrs Mr Tonks's bk m XXX; aged Mr M'Glashan's eh m Lacenfeed, «ged hackracb/ : : \ v Post entries , ; GOLD FIELDS HANDICAP. ■■. ■• ■■'.■'.. ; ■;•> V, ; Bt Ib. tfr Redwood's oh m Peeress, 6 yrs ' 10 7 4r Richardsdu's ch mTMMfdrtune, 6 yea 9 7 dr Maclean's bg Flying Jib, 6 yrs 9 0 iv M'Glashan's chin LacenfeearG j^ 8 0 ilr Ifales's bk g Black 'Eaglei aged 8 0 Ir Ferguson's b g Economyj syrs ■■'•'■ GlO ' 5 ' #OKSOLAfI«N SIAK«S. ' ■ Post entries