GREYMOUTH ANNUAL RACES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 71, 22 March 1872, Page 2

GREYMOUTH ANNUAL RACES.

(From the Greymouth Evening Star, March 18.) About one o'clock speculation seemed exceedingly rife, the Jockey Club Handicap, for the 200 sovereigns being the chief attraction. For this event Peeress was the favorite from the commencement and was freely backed at even against the field, indeed towards the start of the race, as high as two to one could be obtained. Misfortune also had a numb?r of admirers, but no great odds could be obtained against her. Economy and Black Eagle were backed at from 3 to 1 to 5 to I, an-l Lacenfecd was quoted at a shade longer odds, while Why Not was out of the betting. Many were disappoint ed at the small number of entries in the Trial Stakes, the Hurdle Hare, and the District Piute, there being only three horses entered for each of these races. Tlie Lottery Plate nnd the Handicap, with six entries each, though all dM not come to the scratch, gave more general satisftiction. The order of the races with the ent ies were as follows: — Trial stakes, of 30sovs: Flying Jib, XXX, Peeress. The Lottery Plate, of2ssovs: Tusk, Flying Jib, Economy, XXX, Roland and Black Bess. The Jockey Club Handicap, of 200sovs : Peeress, Misfortune, Economy, Why Not, Lacenfeed, and Black Eagle. The Hurdle Race, of 50 soys : Sailor Boy. Task, and Roland District Plate, of 40=qvs : Task, Economy, and XXX. trial stakes. Flying Jib I This was a w;ilk over for Jib. XXX broke down after going about two hundred ) ards, and Pteress did not start. LOTTERY PLATE. Roland 1 Flying Jib 2 Black Bess 3 Only three horses started for this, and if ever there was a disgraceful proceeding recorded in tbe annals of the New Zealand turf, this race was one. Roland was meant to win, and the Jib to lose, and they certainly did so with such glaring impudence aud dishonesty that a thorough damp was thrown upon the whole meeting, a complete want of confidence was established, and tho strongest epithets of disgust were expressed on all 8 dea. Indi ed, it was well for the jockey (Morgan) that the police came to his rescue so soon as they did, or the crowd certainly would have caused his " telling " proi ensities to be long remembered by him. Before reaching the Grand Stand, the horses were neck and neck, and the Jockey of Flying Jib had the greatest difficulty in racking his horse lose. Doubtless the owner of Jib knew nothing of the " arrangement,''-' but he is to a certain extent responsible, and in any decision of any Jockey Club, in the Australian Colonies, with any reputation, the owner, jockey, and horse would be disqualified, not for one meeting but for consecutive meetings. Wecould instance, during the past fourteen years' knowledge, of races in the Colonies, numbers of similar cases in which all were disqualified for lengthened terms. The affair was unprecedently the most disgraceful racing a Greymouth public has had to witness : greymouth jockey clue handicap. Misfortune 1 Peeress 2 Black Eagle 3 This was a contrast to the preceding race, it being, to all appearances, fairly contested and honorably won. Four horses started, but Lacenfeed did not hold out the distance. At the winning po^ there was barely a length between any of the three horses. HURDLE RACE— FIKST HEAT. Sailor Boy 1 Roland 2 SECOND HEAT. A walk over for Sailor Boy. Roland's rider having struck his foot against a hurdle in the first heat, he was unable to contest for this. DISTRICT PLATE. Mr. Seaton's T«sk 1 Mr. Ferguson's Economy 2