A NOVEL "CATCH WEIGHT"

Manawatu Times, Volume X, Issue 1327, 22 October 1884, Page 2

A NOVEL "CATC H WEIGHT"

TO THE EDITOB. . . Dear Sir.— ln submitting this curious experience of mine toyour papsr, it is with the hope oi eliciting some opinions from you, also some of jour numerous sportive readers m which I am quite sure Palmerston abounds, much to its credit. Some little time back, I happened to be at a big race meeting, no mater where — after the Consolation had been run off, the Stewards proposed a Hack race, a sweepstake of 1 soy to go to the winner. Six starters came to the post my horse amongst them. The race lay virtually between a very tail sportß horse and my own. Whenhree quarters of the distance had been run, his horse and mine were leading, the others nowhere. By some mean* or other, on got ing round a very sharp turn into the straight the rider of his nag parted company wi^h his mount, thus leaving my horse with his nder to come m an easy winner, but at ttte same time, the riderless horse paseed the judge* box a couple of lengths m front of mine, my boy mahing no effort to catch him, thinking of course the race was mine. Fancy then Mr Editor and ye Palmer* s ton Sports, my astonishment and surprise when the tall Sportsman demanded the stakes as his horse, he contended had passed the post with a catch weight up, namely, a saddle and bridle, weighing some. lolls, I was still more agreeably astonished when, the Stewards actually divided the gweepstake between us two- hoping for some sporting opinion on this remarkable piece of racing. I am &c. "Spoetinc. 1