News of the Day.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 355, 5 March 1866, Page 2

News of the Day.

NAPIER RACES.—March 1 & 2,1866. Thursday last, Ist March, was the first day of the Napier Animal Race Meeting, and I will proceed to give you a few jottings of how the different events passed off—of which horses won, and which didn’t win j and, in doing this, it is a source of gratification to myself (as well as to those, no doubt, who made up their betting hooks according to my list) to have here' to note that those horses I referred to ihyburlast as likely: to prove victorious, hatej with very few exceptions, fulfilled my most sanguine expectations. But to proceed. The morning of the first day broke cloudy, and gave every appearance of a soaking wet day; but we were soon undeceived. Before it was very advanced in the day, the sun shone out in brilliant splendour, and had the effect of dispersing the: dark, sombre-looking clouds with which the sky had been overcast", as well as of dispelling the fears which many (myself among the number) had entertained regarding what sort of a day wo. were going to have. It is needless for me to enter into a long rambling statement of how many vehicles were “ called into requisition—from the. tandem and four-horse coach to the ancient trap”; or of how many “ hundreds took the opportunity of refreshing their horses in the limpid stream of the Tutaekuri.” Such an account might do well enough when you have nothing else better to fill up with, but I am doubtful if it would prove acceptable to the majority of your readers. Therefore I will content myself with writing a “round unvarnish’d tale” of the Napier Annual Races,. sans superfluous introduction. FIRST DAY. The day (Thursday) was excessively warm, and the road to the race-course, as well as the course itself, was exceedingly dusty. There were three licensed-to-sell-spirituous-liquo’r-booths on the course, kept by Messrs Johnson, Jefiares, and Maney 5 and one or two other places where one could he supplied with ginger-beer, and other harmless potations. But “no more of that.” At or about one o’clock, —the horses having been saddled, the jockeys weighed, and the course cleared by the indefatigable Bousfield, —the word “ off” was heard, and away scampered the horses for the first event of the day, the— PRODUCE STAKES. Distance, H miles. Entrance, £5. with £SO added. For horses bred in the Colony that have never won an advertized race. Weights—3yrs, Bst Bib"; iyrs, 9st 9ft: Byrs, lost; 6yrs, lOst 4ft, Mr P. Holes ns g g ROWDY, aged, red Jacket, white sash, blue cap (Gough)... 1 Mr G. E. G. Uicbardson’s hr g GOVERNOR, 4yrs, black jacket, crimson cap (G. Hams) 2 Mr Watt ns hr m BOREALIS, 4yrs, blue jacket, black cap (H. Thorpe) 3 Mr F. E, Hamlin's br g FADDY, Byrs, blue Jacket, white sash, black cap 0 Mr Jas. Hague’s br g RANTER, 4yrs, pink jacket, black cap 0 Mr J. D. Canning ns blk g CHOTOENIAN, Syrs, cerise jacket and cap... Henare Tomoana.s b g WAI TAX, 6yrs, crimson jacket, white sash, black cap 0 Mr Abbot’s brm NANCY, 4yrs,blue jacket, white cap... 0 Mr Tanner’s blk g PROSELYTE, 3yrs, mauve jacket, black cap . • 0 MrT. Oxeuham ns blk g COMET, aged, blue jacket, red cap b. . ; ... ... dr THE RACE. A good start was effected— * Rowdy’ taking the lead. At the distance post the Maori nag ‘ Wait! ’ took the first place—the Aucklander and the Irishman coming on very fairly. At the turn, just before the straight running, * Rowdy ’ again went to the front and maintained the lead to the finish -—‘Governor’ a splendid second, aud ‘Borealis ’ third. The rest were nowhere. REMARKS. In this race, * Paddy ’ ran too slow. * Ranter ’ was not fit to go, and at the same time a great funker. ‘ Chotornian’ never once showed his nose to the front. ‘ Waiti,’ like most Maori horses, went well for a short distance. ‘ Rowdy,’ although his condition was not very good,‘kept welt to the front from the start, and won by a couple of lengths, after being hard pushed. Still, had it been 50 yards further, His Excellency would have certainly won tjie Produce ; his condition was splendid. ‘ Nancy,’ although in excellent form, ran a very slow mare. Mr Tanner’s ‘ Proselyte,’ ridden by “ the Giant,” is not the Derby horse he was reported ; and in.my opinion, is not worth a “tanner." As for‘Borealis,’ she ought to have won this race; but the mare being in use, she ran very unkindly. ‘ Comet ’ was drawn and it was just as welL He couldn’t have won. Next followed the— VICTUALLERS’ PURSE. Distance, 2 miles. Entrance, £4. with £4O added. Weights • - —Syrs, Bst 6ft; iyrs, 9st Bft; Byrs, XOst; 6yrs and aged. lOst 4ft. Mr James Hague's hlk g EUCLID, aged, pink jacket, black cap (James Hague) ... 1 Mr P. Boles ns b g RANGITOTO, aged, red jacket, white sasb, bluebap (Gough) 2 Mr Watt ns br g KOHEBOA, Syrs, blue jacket, black cap' (D. Taylor) 3 THE RACE. * Euclid ’ ridden by James Hague, took and kept the lead to the finish. ‘ Kol.-eroa,’ ridden by Donald Taylor, kept the second place till within a hundred yards or so from home when, ‘Rangitoto’ (ridden by James Gough) made a beautiful spurt, and was landed second. REMARKS. As I expected from 1 he first, if his legs did not give way, ‘ Euclid ’ "kept the lead throughout this race with the greatest ease —Hague never once touching him with either whip or spnr. I certainly did expect to see ‘ Kohsroa’ come in second, but I suppose now that they were reserving him for the Hawke’s Bay Stakes. ‘Rangitoto’ ran very well—better than most people thought he would.' ■ ■

After considerable delay, during which agreat deal of impatience was expressed, the hurdles wer* got and four bores started for the— HURDLE RACE. Distance. 2 miles, over seven flights of hurdles, 3 feet 6 Inches. Entrance, £3, with £3O added. Weights—3vra. ; lost 7ft; syrs, list 2ft; 6yra and aged^ Hr Bich’s b g HAD HAD, (late Ssahbocs) aged, white jacket, black cap (James Hague) i Mr P. Holes na g g POSTBOY, 6yrs. red Jacket, white sash, blue cap (Gough) a Pirika ns g g PIEI MOANA, 3yrs, white jacket,’red'sash red.white aucihlue can ... ... o Mr Watt ns blk g CHRYSALIS, syrs, blue jacket; blaoic cap ... o THE RACE, ' Hau-hau * went off with the lead, closely followed by ‘Paddy.’ The lot took the first hurdlevery well. At the third hurdle, the * Hau-hau ’ baulked and ‘Postboy ’ took the first place, which he kept till at the sixth hurdle, when he also baulked, which enabled ‘ Hau-hau ’ to step ahead, and;win the race with ease. , REMARKS. This race-should have been ‘ Postboy’s ’;. and bad it not been for his unfortunate baulk at the sixth hurdle, my prophecy would have , been fulfilled. ‘ Hau-hau ’ ran, very well, ridden by James Hague. ‘ Chrysalis ’ made but a sorry show. As for ‘ Pirimoana,’ he carried 201bs more than he had any right to, but that was bis owner’s look out; besides, he came to grief at the second hurdle —sending his unfortunate jockey spinning. The rider of ‘Postboy’ (Gough), lodged a protest against Mr Rich, owner of ‘ Hau-hau,’ for riding up with him (‘ Hau-hau’) at the last hurdle; and by so doing (I presume) enabling him to win. the race, inasmuch as, had he not accompanied him, his horse would have bolted, and thus allowed ‘ Postboy ’ to win the race. The Stewards, “ with excellent judgment,” decided upon looking into tha case that evening. Next came the last event of the first day, the— SCURRY STAKES. Distance, 1 mile and a distance. Entrance, £3,-with >£3o added. Weights—3yrs, Bst lift; 4 years, flat lift; . sm, iOst Ift; 6yrs and aged, lost Aft. Mr Watt ns br m BOREALIS, 4 years, blue jacket, black cap (H. Thorpe) Mr P. Holes ns gg ROWDY, aged, red jacket, white sash a blue cap (Gough) ... f Mr Richardson’s hr g GOVERNOR, 4yrs, bluejacket] f * white bar, blue and white cap (Edward Parker) ...) Uenare Tomoana ns b g TERE TERE, aged, crimson jacket, whitewash, black cap 0 Mr James Hague’s br g Ran PER, 3 years, pink jacket, blackcap ;.. ... . 0 Mr Abbot’s b m NANCY, 4 years, blue jacket, white cap O Pirika ns g g MICKY, aged, white jacket, red sash, red white and blue cap 0 Mr PowdreU’s ch g WARREN HASTINGS, 3 years/black jacket, crimson cap 0 Mr l.Oxenham ns blk g COMET, aged, bluejacket, red cap & THE RACE. * Borealis* took tlie lead, Rowdy and Teri Teri well up. At the half-mile the grey took first place for a short time, but soon lost it, —the Aucklander again going a-hcad, aud eventually winning cosily. REMARKS. y ery little need be said of the different horses engaged in this race. As I said before, ‘Borealis’ won it easily, though, had ‘WarrenHostings’ not swerved off the coarse, she would have had to put her best foot:foremost, f Rowdy 1 and ‘ Governor* ran a dead heat for second place. ‘ In a case like this, each horse,. by the Auckland Jockey Club Rules, saves half his stakes. A hack race, which was won by Mr Heslop’a mare ‘Zoe,’ concluded one of the finest day’s sport that it has been my luck to witness on the Kapier turf; and we all left Greenmcadows with joyful hearts, hoping for a fine day on the morrow, SECOND DAY. This, the second day of the Napier Races, consequent upon a slight shower which fell during the previous night, was not quite so dusty as, the first; but it was bad enough in all conscience. I hardly think there were quite so many people on tha course as on the first day ; and numbers of those who did go very .wisely provided themselves with waterproof coats, umbrellas, &c., for the morning broke very threatening ; and (before I got homo) the rain fell in torrents—drenching to the skin many a poor unfortunate wight who (like your humble servant) had not taken heed of the warning which the sky in the morning had afforded. But I must not waste space with scribbling about the rain.- There were few, I warrant, who regretted the soaking they got. Before proceeding to give you an account of tho racing, I may remark that in tho case Gough cRich, the Stewards decided that the Hurdle Raco had been won by ‘ Hau-hau,’ but that Mr Rich had subjected himself to a fine of £25, which they inflicted upon him. Tho first race—considered by some to have been tho best event of the “ meet”—was the— HAWKE’S BAY STAKES. Distance, 3 miles. Entrance, £6, with £6O added. Weight* —3yrs. 8sl; 4yrs, flst 7tt; syrs, lOst Ift; 6m and aged, lOst 4ft. Mr James Hague’s blk g EDCLID, aged, pink Jacket, bis ok cap (Hague) Mr Watt ns br g KOHEROA, 6yrs, bluejacket, black cap (Donald Taylor) ... ... ■ 2 Mr P. Holes ns g g ROWDY, aged, red jacket, white sasii blue cap (Gough) 3 Henare Tomoana ns chg NGAIO, aged, white jacket, rail sash, red white & blue cap o Mr Watt us br m BOREAUS, 4yrs, blue jacket, white bar, blue and white cap O THE RACE. As usual, ‘ Euclid’ managed to take tho lead* —‘ Borealis ’ pushing bard; * Rowdy ’ and tha others biding. At the one and a half milo, tha. Auckland mare dropped off, and left her stablecompanion, ‘ Koheroa,’ to do the work; but he - failed, —‘ Euclid ’ winning with ease, being hardheld. REMARKS. From the start it was evident, that it was the intention of tho rider of ‘ Borealis ’ to make tho pace a terrific one, which he certainly did for one mile and a half, when he pulled up. Donald’ Taylor did all that mortal man could do to bring- ‘ Koheroa ’ - to He frpnt, but notwithstanding (h*

. t appliance of those “gentle persuaders,” the whip and spur, the.Napierlhvorite passed the' " winning post an easy.vjctor—muoh to the chagrin, no dotibt, of many who had bet heavily on the 1 rakish representative of the northern Province. * Rowdy ’ was a sood third. Kelt camo ’the^BISHOFSCUP. ' ittver Cap,' vblne 35 guineas, given by Thomas Tanner, Esq., :• for the produce of his horse the Bishop of'Osnaburg. Entrance money, £5 ss, h ft. Weights—3yrs Bst ?lb; -4? rs, -Gst 108>; 6yrs,- lest 4Bj. EtaUions. sffis extra. One mile and a distance. M# G. E. G, Eichardson’s hr' g GOVEENOB, 4jts, black . jacket, crimson cap (G. Harris) ; ’... X Hr Abbot’s br m NANCY, 4yrs blue jacket, white cap (Thorpe) 2 Mr Tanner’s hlkg PEOSELYTE, 3yrs mauve Jacket, black cap ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 Mr Canning’s blk g OHOTOENIAN, 4yrs, cerise Jacket and . cap (DlTaylor) , ; ... 4 Mr James Hague’s br g EANTEE, 4yrs, pink jacket, black cap{j; 0 THE BADE. - At the start, ‘Nancy* showed foremost, little * Governor* second. They had not gone far before ‘Banter’ bolted* and did not show again. About the half-mile ‘ Governor ’ made play and passed ‘Nancy,* winning with some half-a-dozen lengths to spare. BEMAEK3. It is only wasting valuable space to pass any 'remarks upon the above race. It did not excite much interest. The same remark may apply to both the races which followed. After a considerable time had elapsed, a very indifferent start was made for the— Forced handicap for winners. .tTop weight, XOst7ft. Distance,!mile. Entrance.£s,with £3O added, optional to losers ou payment of £3 entrance money. Mr Watt ns br m BOEEALTS, 4 years, 9st 9lbs, (Thorpe) 1 Mr PowdreU’s ch g WAEEEN HASTINGS, 3 years, Bst XOlbs, (G. Harris) 2 Mr James Hague’s blk g EUCLID, aged, XOst 71bs, (Hague) 0 ‘Euclid* threw his rider at the outset, and he declining to mount again, the race of course lay between 'Borealis’ and ‘Warren Hastings,’ which, after a game struggle, resulted in the former being landed winner by about half-a-length. The next and last race was the— CONSOLATION HANDICAP. Of £2 each, with £ls added. One mile and a distance. Mr Watt ns brg KOHEEOA, syears, lOst, (D. Taylor) ... 1 'Henare Tomoana’s b g WAITI, 6 years, 9st 61bs, (Davis) 2 Mr P. Holes ns h g EAJfGITOTO, aged, 10st2ibs, (Gough) 3 This wss the worst race of the meeting. At the •tart (which I considered a most unfair one), ‘Koheroa ’ took the lead and kept it throughout. He was hard pushed though by the Maori horse. By this time the rain was coming down pretty •harp; and so nobody even thought of a hack race, that usual wind-up of a Napier Race Meeting,—everyone being bent on wending their way homewards as quickly as possible. You must excuse the abruptness with which I have treated the different events oh the second day, but I trust that the report will be lengthy ehough to satisfy an indulgent public. Hoping, iu conclusion, that any remarks which I have made will not bo taken amiss by any of the parties concerned; and also hoping that the meeting of 1867 will be as successful as the one just come to an end, I remain, Mr Editor, and people of Hawke’s Boy, your humble •ervant, Ahueiei.