THE LATE GREYMOUTH HANDICAPS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1450, 25 March 1873, Page 2

THE LATE GREYMOUTH HANDICAPS.

[to the editor.] Sir — In your issue of the 12th instant, I noticed a letter from " Old Sport" and one from " Observer," ridiculing in evei/ possible way my opinion on the weights for the Greymouth Jockey Club Handicap. I should have written sooner, but, as it is ray belief that '.'Old Sport" and #< Observer" are one and the same person, I thought it was better to let the outside public have a look at what the combined talent of these Siamese twins can do before interfering with them. In the letter alluded to, the ." twins " begin by snubbing me for letting the public know' the miserable acceptances that were to hand for the big handicap, all through the inconsistency of this great foreign handicapper. I predicted through your issue of the 11th inst. that there was nothing , in it at the finish but Gossip and Yatterina. This race wound up exactly as I surmised ; independent of the manner in which Master French brought the good old mare up the strait, she was beaten out of sight. I had 3 good look at this race from the Stand, and I must say that it was the worst race for the big money that ever came off m Greymouth. Master Hughes, at the finish ; could not hold this enemy of the " Twins" hard enough to made a race of it. It was really amusing to see the. Rear-Adm'-al, when Gossip was puling double past the post, waive his hat and ciy out Christchurch, and nothing else. If this is not encouragement for Auckland, Nelson, and the " Twins' " friends, local owners, I will take it all back. The " Twins" tried, in the letters alluded to, to be v«»ry hard on about Envy putting in an appearance at Greymouth, as I stated through your columns a few weeks back that Mr Nosworthy was handicapped completely out of it. Certainly the owner of this good little mare was foolhardy enough to send her. The result was she won nothing, and did not start for the Consolation. The "Twins" say that the Traducer family run themselves into form at ah early age, I dispute that, for the two best that ever this good old horse could lay claim to are Slander and Backbiter, and neither of them could race a yard until they were aged. I am inclined to think that these Siamese gentlemen are suffering from the effects, of burgundy, they are rambling so on the Westland Hurdle Handicap. The "Twins" say that I have been tolerably silent, and I can assure them I will remain so when there is timber to, surmount, for in this case flukea count,. The Bighty^yißW that my friends could not put any faith in went and won it. As I have done with the handicaps of the first day, I will just explain to you how matters were arranged at the Albion for the races of the second day. The runaway in the big handicap was not sufficient for some of the Club to dismiss Mr Hustler. No. They must have more of it. For the Gold Fields Handicap \ there were nine nominations, and out of this lot. only thr§e g,pcepte.d. When these weights were posted there was some talk every person joined in, from the "]£ing" Club had got his money for the last-time. The handicapper had the effrontery to offer to lay 100 to 5 against some, : while he would not lay more than level against others ; but there was a stop put to this would-be bookmaker, by a gentleman of some American experience, named Walsh, who offered to lay him " New- York -'to a bark hut" that six of the team jrould never accept. This gentleman, thai; the *' Twins" have been championing, made a bolt of it, no doubt thinking that this society was rather sultry for him. j The Club being disgusted with this kind of handicapping and bookmaking on the part of the foreigner, dispensed with his services for a time ; with all his cleverness, the pot boiled over, for Slander beat Gossip by a short head, for the jGold Fields. Master French deserves 'great credit for the manner in which he won this race on the post; the rush he came with would not disgrace a Chaloner. The members of the Club handicapped the horses themselves for the Hurdle Race, the result . of which gave general satisfaction. Some said' that Septimus should have been allowed a few pounds j others contended that if he had not met with the accident, he would have won the race of the first day. The Club took the latter view of it, and sent them away on the same terms as they raced on the day before. However, Dick was too good for the gallant grey, and won it as he liked' at the §hisn. ' ' The time having now arrived to fix the weights for the Stewards' Handicap, the Club were in a mess, for they had advertised Mr Hustler their handicapper, and some owner might look at it from a legal point of view, so they spliced him to a gentleman named Tabart, who succeeded in keeping him straight and making a good race of it. One would imagine that these Siamese gentlemen had suffered from the tip by wire a few weeks since. They are so fond of local handicappers, it is really amazing to read their recommendation of me as a handicapper to the Club. They seem to forget that the resignations of last year debar any person' outside the charmed circle from entering therein, unless it was to lay the foundation stone of a new Club. I had a chat with a member of the Ahaura Race Committee, and in the course of conversation I mentioned the offer made by " Old Sport," that they could have with pleasure Messrs Payne and Jones to ride at the next meeting if they were willing to risk prosecution under Martin's Act, He informed- me that that was not the greatest difljculty-^the Inspector of Nuisances and Board of Health people had to be consulted, for in the event of one of these parties getting a " buster " there no doubt would be a plague in the country. I will finish by saying " Bannathlath '' to you " Old Sport," and there is . no telling but that, like theTraducerfamily, you will improve with age, and be able to name the winner of next year's G.J.C. Handicap, when, your friend, the foreigner, has pencilled the weights.rr-J am, $c, ■ 1 BANNATIfIiAP?.