SPORTING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3498, 18 March 1905, Page 3

SPORTING.

Napier Meeting. v SECOND DAY. [By Telegraph.) Napier, March 16. Hack Hurdles.—No Shot 1. Dividend £4 ’/*. Telegraph Hack.—Spark 1. Dividend, £4. Memorial Shakes. —Madrigal 1, Fleka 2. Dividends, £2 8s and £2 13s. Kuao Handicap.—Scotch Reel t. Dividend, £9 zs. Stewards.—Polyanthus x. Dividend, £x ns. High Weight,—Rose Madder 1, Lady’s Link 2. Dividends, £1 ns Sind £4 Bs. Maiden Scurry. —Outer i,Te Hauke 2. Dividend, £4 4s and 153. St. Patrick’s Handicap.—Wet Reef 1. Dividend, £5 14s. Stratford Meeting. FIRST DAY. Ohnru Hurdles.—Lull i, Weary Bill 2, Dividend, £2O 17s and 17s. Borough Stakes.—St. Bill 1, Montague 2. Dividends, £7 5s and £2 18s. Cup.—Regulation 1, Makikihi 2. Dividends, £2 6s and £2 it\ Midhirst Haclu—SilvClicne 1, Iseult 2. Dividends, £4 7s and 145. Farmers Plate. —Leader 1, Rongopai 2. Dividends, £1 15s and £8 is. Tariki Welter.—Le Vent 1, Southern Cross 2. Dividends, £8 xosand £l. Flying.—Le Beau i, Lovelink 2. Dividends, £5 6s and £l. Railway.—St. Bill 1, Immolation 2. Dividends, £2 6s and 18s. SECOND DAY. Makuri Hurdles.—lrish Sammy 1, Kingwood 2. Dividends* £2 14s and £1 Ngaire Hack. —Mataura 1, Fair Jess 2. Dividends, £4 17s and £3 10. St. Patrick’s Handicap.—Heroism is Makikihi 2. Dividends, £lO 16s ami £l 7s. Toko Welter.—Southern Cross 1, Leader 2. Dividends, £5 3s and 15s. Cardiff Stakes. —St. Cyress 1, Glen Ullin, 2. Dividends, £3 5s and £1 xos. County Hack.—Silverline 1, Makikihi 2. Dividends, £2 14s and 16s, Ladies 1 Purse.—Hindoo x, Signora 2. Dividends, £6 13s and £l. Final Handicap.—Rustique x. Lovelink 2. Dividends, £5 4s and 16s. The Horowhenua Meeting. FIRST DAY. Beautiful weather prevailed yesterday for the Levin races. Visitors were present from all over the district, Foxton being particularly well represented. Secretary Wilson had preliminary arrangements well in hand. The sum of £5296 was passed through the totalisator. Results : Trial Handicap.—Clem 1, Flying Cloud 2, Haerere 3. Dividends, £1 7s and £1 15s. Flying.—Notos 1, Furneaux 2. The only starters. Dividend, £1 16s. Hurdles.—Wind 1, Gipsy Jack 2, Handsome Rose 3. Dividends, £1 14s and £4 10s. Guelder Rose and Katerina fell. Cup.—Gold Crown 1, Hydrant 2, Rapids 3. Dividend, £2 14s. Shorts Handicap. Seclgmoor 1, Lord Soult 2, The Seer 3. Dividends, £3 11s and 14s. St. Patrick’s Welter.—Maui 1, Wild Duck 2, Languid 3. Dividend, £1 7 s - Park Stakes. —Gold Crown 1, Wind 2, Seagull 3. Dividend, £1 13s. Electric Hack.—Furneaux 1, The Seer 2, Waikakaho 3. Dividends, £5 3s and £1 15s. TO-DAY'S RESULTS, Koputarua Handicap, Maui 1, Bandmaster 2. Hurdles. —Guelder Rose 1, Handsome Rose 2. Haivviu Handicap.—Swop i, Hnkuaka 2. Racing Club Handicap . Gold Crown 1, Hydrant 2. Heathley Welter.—Loch Tay 1. NOTES ON YESTERDAY RACES AT HOROWHENUA. By “ Chivalry.” Syd. Crawford got a nasty bump when Katerina fell with him in the Hurdles, being half dazed for hours afterwards. No doubt the shortage in the totalisator receipts is accounted for by the small fields in the Flying Hack and Cup events. The figures fell about £IBOO short of last year. The Seer was the unlucky horse yesterday. Many aver that he should have been placed second to Sedgmere, while he just sufiered defeat in the Electric by Furneaux. Perhaps Maui had the easiest task of the day set him to win the Welter. Jenkins never gave anything else a chance. Maui should develop into a clinker, as the Mahaki get is in good hands. Clem is likely to prove a source of revenue to Mr Percy Rogers, the Wairarapa rep. football three-quarter, in whose interest the bay runs. Said nag won the Maiden in a common canter yesterday. May he do so often, is all the harm I wish the genial toebailer. Charlie Jenkins added another four wins to his credit, and should further add to that number to-day. It was sickening to hear on all sides yesterday of sports being content to back Charlie, no matter what he rides, and possibly that fact influenced the owner of Notos to change his horseman in his attempt to win the Electric Handicap. As it was, Notos, who was nevertheless a warm favourite, was badly beaten. The Horowhenua Racing Club deserve great credit for the manner in which they have made their course so picturesque iu such a short time, T be

flowers were in full bloom, and their appearance gave considerable pleasure to the outing. Evidently the Levin people are attempting to rival some of the Metropolitan Chibs in this respect. The course itself is ideal; and it is only natural that fast times should be recorded. The meeting was conspicuous by the odds on chances whicn survived. To come out witii a financial balance, one needed to pick almost six out oj: the eight winners. Perhaps Wind (I i 14s) was the smallest price ever recorded in a hurdle event of eight starters. Clem and Maui, £1 73 each, in holds of six and five respectively, paid ridiculously small prices, though they both proved the morals the tote made them appear. Lord Boult was another _who was paying only two guineas to win in a big ile IdT The ordinary punter must have been full of information all lound yesterday. Racing, dubbed “the sport of kings,” is a peculiar game to play at. This fact must have impressed itself upon (ho minds of the owners of the placed horses in the Electric last night—more especially to Mr Alf- Wright, owner cf Furneaux 1 , who secured the verdict of the judge. Immediately after the race, the genera! public were amazed to learn that the stakes and dividend were, for the time being, impounded, as the stewards were holding an inquiry. It was hard to guage the nature of the inquiry, as no one knew who initiated it, or upon what course the instigators attempted to steer. The press were refused admittance, and therefore are not in a position to disclose the facts fully. However, from what I can gather from a reliable source, the stewards met. and apparent I v knew hot what they met for. If they surmised inconsistency on the part of Furneaux, who had previously been beaten by Notos in a six-furlong event earlier in the day. it is to be hoped that those responsible for the investigation will resign from taking any lurthcr part in the management of racing affairs, as surely their knowledge nuLbe limited. My advice to those transgressors is to become more versed in the matter of weights, distances, and the probability of an extra gallop doing a piece of horseflesh good before again holding themselves up to ridicule. The official time keeper credited Notos with beating Fnrnsax in xmin 16 i-flth sec for the six furlongs—a gallop that will win a lot more races than it will lose. Furneaux was about two lengths away in that good time, and because said nag comes out and wins later on, and Notos (who has decidedly the worst of the weights and distance compared with Furneaux) cannot get anywhere near the winner, an explanation is demanded. Surely not! Ihen, again, rumour has it that the inquiry was an attempt to put a leading horseman np for alleged kronk riding. The President of the Club, Mr J. R. McDonald, was an interested owner, and, I understand, his statement was of an aggrieved nature, which convinces me more that ever that no person interested in the ownership of horses should have any voice whatever in the decision of an investigation in which his horses are running. That the character of the person in question is beyond repute and doubt, goes without saying. Still, disputes are disputes, and they should also be placed beyond doubt, and also beyond the criticism nf a biased public. The outcome of the lengthy unjust inquiry was that both stakes and dividends went with the judge’s decision, and that one of the horsemen concerned received a caution. The stewards would have earned considerable kudos for themselves had they acted with a measure of justice and passed amotion clearing the doubt which may exist in the minds of some persons as to the straightforwardness of those concerned in the unjust investigation. Trnty, racing is a risky pastime, and little inducement is given to the horse-owner to continue when we hear of such school-child complaints. The mercy of the ungrateful steward is not always meted out to the owner of undoubted good character. The Horowhenua Racing Club are said to bean unhappy family, and they would do well to work more amicably amongst themselves if they desire to keep the support of the visiting owner and public.