WELLINGTON JOCKEY CLUB RACES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4957, 10 February 1877, Page 3

WELLINGTON JOCKEY CLUB RACES.

SPRING MEETING, 1877.—FIRST DAY. Patron ; His Excellency the Marquis of Nonnanby. President ; Hon. W. Fitzherbert, M.H.R. ■-Vice-President ; Geo. Hunter, Esq., M.H.R; - ' Stewards : Messrs. J. Crawford, J.P.,, Joseph Paul, J. Martin, J.P., 1. McDowell, A. Braithwaite, J. S. M. Thompson,' and Dr. Diver. Judge, E.' Pearce, Esq., M-H.li; 'Starter, Mr., Andrew. Young; Clerk of the Course, Mr. James Prosser ; Clerk of theScales;-Mr;;W^Bromley.Hon. Treasurer, Mr. J. If George. ' V'- , ~ , ‘ Year by year it becomes harder and harder to describe the concomitants of our yearly'race meeting, 1 The pubb£: by this' time must have by he'aHi 'ithe usual' phrases attendant on the road;gK)hndjjthegameß,andall the thousand and • one items which, with the racing itself, go to attractive: whole.', It is impossible i;'ta-i idothe a description of - all these things. ,in fresh language .as every meeting 'comes round,- and'we . must therefore ask the,public , to bear with! us if they detect any iteration in our remarks on the subject," First ‘as to . that all important subject the Weather.- .' After the races had been postponed one day it naturally came to pass that much eagerness was displayed when the eventful day arrived,' and manywere the congratulations which passed when it was found that the rain held off, and that there was. every promise of a fine day.-' In the morning a stiff breeze•: prevailed, : .which had the effect of drying the* course to' a great extent, and until three o’clock all went well. .Unfortunately the clouds 'then to gather, and ere long the rain waspouring ’ down in : the most persever-, ing and apitefid manner, entirely putting a stop to the pleasure of all who remained. The stand gave shelter to a large number, and those who could not find room in its precincts were obliged to be content with such shelter as -.was ’afforded by vehicles and umbrellas. After the races'were all over, but not before, the rain ceased, and the luckless pleasure•eekers were enabled to. reach-home without any, further inconvenience beyond • the : mud. Lon£ before noon a : stream of cabs, traps, f'mnibiifea/ and . carriages could be: .seen wending ‘ their way towards ■ the - Huttroad, : and' a still larger number of pedestridpslbeht oh reaching the railway station. There •j'was also a third route, which would -have been employed by many—the direct toad to the beach near the course—hut on this Occasion the' steamers that had been laid oniot the occasion,the Napler and ManawafUi'decHned to ran, as the surf would have rendered it impossible for them to land their passengers. The railway was equal to the demand -on its resources as far as carrying people to the Hutt was concerned, and the station was reached in good time. Arrived, there' was a rush for conveyances, and the ’busses Were speedily filled and the journey to the course commenced. Along that narrow and uneven road it was no joke to occupy a seat in j a crowded vehicle, as the extra weight caused every jolt (and there were many of them).to -tell with unwonted violence oh the unfortunate passengeri Add to this the Stoppages every moment to allow a trap to pass, or to extricate itself from an extra deep rutj-and it will be seen that the journey from station to stand was no pleasant matter. Everything has an end, however, and the troubles of the way are soon forgotten in an examination of the ground and stand. The first thing we notice is a long line of refreshment and, drinking booths, among which the names ‘of Messrs. Fenton, Dowsett, Morton, Murphy; and J. Barber : are conspicuous. In the grand stand we find Mr. Light, of Barrett’s Hotel, ' ensconced, and. with his satellites (nob-too- numerous for the crowd) busily, engaged ‘ in quenching the thirst of the a excited votaries of the dark blue, or the pink sash, and magenta cap, as the case may be. In, the rear of the bar are a huge fire burning ; and culinary operations going' oh, betokening, that Mr. Grey is actively engaged in preparing the luncheon with which he afterwarks regales ns. On the lawn in front of the stand are stationed thejCity Rifle Band,' some sixteen strong. Ever rand anon : some lively music invites a listening ear, and the audience find strains to suit, every, ear in the following .list which .was given at intervals during the day :—l. March—“ Stranger.” 2. Quadrilles —“ Gendvieve • de Brabant.” 3. Waltz —“ Pretty Bird.” 4. March—“ Les Chaperons Blancas.” 5. Quadrilles—“ Universe.” 6. March—" Every Land’s my Home.” 7. Lancers —“Victoria.” 8. Waltz—“ Prairie Bird,” 9. Slow March—“ Prince of Wales.” 10. Quadrilles “Potpourri.” 11. Slow March—“ Havelock." Outside the enclosure games of chance of every kind run riot, roulette tables, lucky bags, Spanish and American “gold and silver tables,” “under and over,” and skittles crowding so close upon one another that one was compelled to wonder where the customers came from, and why the police were not down on the offenders against, the law in double-quick time. In the midst of all this medley of shouting vulgar gamesters, a refreshing contrast was found in the efforts of a modest little band, consisting apparently of mother, son, and daughters, to catch the ear of the public with the plaintive sound of guitar and violin. We hope they reaped agood harvest, though we are much afraid the weather did not aid their exertions. In the saddling paddock was to be seen more than the usual muster of “ slaves of the ring,” who plied their vocation with their usual vigour, though apparently not with- an enormous amount of success. The public as a rule did not seem to appreciate their efforts to promote the circulation of coin, and business throughout the day was slack. By 2 o’ clock quite 2000 persons were present, among whom were a large number of ladies. The stand was largely patronised, especially by the fair sex, and for some distance along the rails on either side of the course were drawn up vehicles of every description. There can be no doubt that had the sky been fine and the roads dry the attendance would have far exceeded that number. Conspicuous

amongat the visitors were the All England Eleven, who had been driven to the ground in a special couch. It was manifest that they enjoyed themselves as much as any one ; and it was pleasing to see that the men who have come so' many thousands of miles entered as heartily into the fun of a poor little colonial meeting as though they stood on the course at Doncaster in their own native Yorkshire, or on the downs of Epsom. The Governor was to 1 Have been present, but he sent a telegram to say that he would postpone his visit, on account of the cold weather, until to-day. On this account, and by reason of Saturday being more of a holiday than other days, we may therefore look for a large attendance on the course to-day, provided only the weather holds fine. If there is, we hope the Government will make some better arrangements for conveying passengers h ick to town than they did yesterday. The last trains were crowded to a most uncomfortable extent, and while the Upper Hutt train had some eight or ten carriages for a small number of. passengers, 400 .or 500 people were crowded into the down one, with about half the number. Surely a few more carriages might be despatched from town on an occasion like the present. We trtst that- the matter will be remedied,to-day. To come to the racing proper. The sport commenced with the Hurdle Race, for which Tommy Dodd (the veteran chaser) seemed a certainty at weight for age,, for lie was.in good buckle and had a good horseman on his back. The lot opposed to him included several useful horses, notably Te Whetumarama, a raking son of Traducer, who will make a grand cross-country horse, and Blue Jacket, who until his mistake was well in the race. The winner, St. Albans, is a Can-terbury-bred horse, and ran well. Tommy Dodd was pretty well supported at even money, and losers were uncomplimentary in their remarks about the way he was'piloted. Perhaps Mathews did not come quite soon enough; butitwasquestionable whetherhecould have got much more out of the old horse, for he was riding him a mile from home, and Tommy only got where he did at the finish from the fact that the winner was coming back to him every stride. For the Maiden. Plate four entries figured on the card, Bribery and Tom Finn being absentees. Stirabout, a promising Teuton colt) and Lady Mary dividing public fancy at 6 to 4. The, latter is an exceedingly nice-looking mare, and her breeding is unexceptionable, she being by Teuton but of Miss Nightingale, ‘ the dam of Lady Florence... She was manifestly short of work, but will score a win for her owner before her career is over. The winner, turned up in Lady of . the. Lake, a Canterbury-bred mare, purchased by Mr. Gilligan from Mr, Redwood at the last Christchurch meeting.* She was quite cherry ripe so far 'as'condition'goes, arid Frank Gay deserves a passing compliment on the way in which he brought her to the post, . The race requires little description. Lady of the Lakh made all her own running from the juinp, and won easily. ’ St. Albans,:who was pulled out again, was quite outpaced, and Stirabout’s performances did not come up to our expectations, The Flying Stakes was a capital race. Five acceptors faced the starter, and backers took the 6 to 4 offered about* the old horse rind Fallacy, freely enough.: Songster.was any-, thing but friendless, but the others were not much fancied. Mr. Young got them away to a : beautiful start, and it soon became apparent that there were only-three in it. At the turn into the straight Guy looked all over like winning, but the_weight . told, its. tale, in the, run in, and Fallacy just pulled it off by a_ short neck. Glenavy, a very aristocratic looking daughter of~Tfadu’cef, ran, a good race, .arid with a little more condition would be dangerous in good company.* The Derby was’ of course virtually a walk over for Fallacy;, arid after a capital Hack Race, the bell-rang up for the Provincial Plate, which produced a field of six. Old Tam was made a hot favorite, but most of the starters were well supported by their various friends. The winner, Elsa, like Lady of’the Lake in the Maiden, made all her own running from 'start to finish, and won with a bit- in hand.— She is a neat looking Traducer, and has been already credited with several wins in her own country. Flora Macdonald, ran. a -very game race, but the heavy going did not suit her, and Tam’s performance showed us that though a bit short ,of work he is not the Tam of old. The other; three were outpaced. The officers one and 1 all worked hard to make the meeting successful. The arrarigeirierits made by Mr.|Kerby, the secretary, were excellent, and Mr. '.Young was very happy in his starts. , We hope the' Club will be favored ' with 'better weather tq-day, when a very large attendance will, we feel sure, be the result. We append detailed account of the various events. HURDLE RACE, ■ Of 50 sovs. Two miles, over seven flights of hurdles. Weight for age. . Mr. D. Frazer’s cli b St Albans, by Malton—i Monirose, aged. 9st 131bs (Campion) .. .. I Mr. E. Ray’s hg Tommy Dodd, aged, 9st lOlbs (F. Mathews) .. .. .. ’ * Victor (late Ireland), Blue Jacket, Te Whetumarama, and Cloud, all carrying fist 101 b, also ran. Whalebone and Satellite were scratched. Betting : Even on Tommy Dodd, 4 and 5 to 1 the rest. At the fall of. the flag Tommy Dodd went at once to the front, followed by Blue Jocket and Victor, St. Albans and Te Whetumarama : lying back. All got well over the first hurdle, when, St.. Albans came through his horses, and at the turn into the straight the lot closed.Passing the stand St. Albans, was. in chargeof affairs. Blue Jacket second, and the favorite third, Te Whetu pulling double several lengths behind. St. Albans, waited on_ by Blue Jacket, increased his lead to the sixth hurdle, when the latter fell, and Tommy: Dodd, whom Mathews was already riding, began to come up. Coming .to the last hurdle but one Te Whetu drew up, but rushing the hurdle, fell. From this home St. Albans kept the lead. Tommy gradually closing with him, and ; a capital finish ensued, resulting in favor of St. Albans by a short neck. The Hack Hurdle Race produced five starters, and was won easily by McLean’s Straight Tip, the supposed “moral” being second. MAIDEN PLATE, C>MOO tors, One mile and a half. Mr J Gilligan’g ch t lady of the Lake, by Sled-mere—Meg-Sfetrllet, 3yrs, 7st 101 b (Harris) . . 1 Mr. 11. Redwood's ch c Stirabout, 3 yrs, 7st 131 b Mr C ßivers’ b m Lady Mary, 'flyrs. 9sl 61b (Mathews} •» «« • «< «♦ ( 3. Mr. D. Frazer's Ch g St. Albans, aged, 9st 81b .. 0 Betting: 6. to 4 .against. Lady Mary-and Stirabout, 3 to 1 against Lady of the Lake. After a break away by Lady of the Lake, the lot got'well away together. Lady of the Lake made all the running, followed by Lady Mary and Stirabout, At the back of the course "St. Albans was disposed of, and Lady Mary was out of it before coming to,the turn. Stirabout made his effort in the run in, but he never got ,on terms with the filly, who won comfortably by two lengths. Time, 2min. ' 48sec,. . flying stakes handicap, Of 50 sovs. Three-quarters of a mile. Mr. Ray’s b f Fallacy, by Traducer—Deception, • 3vrs, 7st 81b (Demuth) .. .. .. .. 1 Mr. Redwood's br h Guy Fawkes, syrs, 9st 101 b (A, Mr^J. 1 ch m" Glenavy, 6yrs, 7st (J. ,i Walker) .. .. .. .. •* ■ •• •• 3 Lady of the Lake (6st 91b), Morning Statist 31b), and Songster (7st 61b) also ran. Betting; 6 to 4 against Fallacy and Guy Fawkes, 4 to 1 against the rest. Fallacy made play from the jump, closely attended by Guy and Glenavy, . To these succeeded Lady of the Lake, Songster, and Morning Star, in the order named. Before half the distance had been covered, it was clear that the issue lay between the first three, and that the rest were out of the hunt. At the turn Griy came with a rush and looked very dangerous. Demuth, however, who rode with great judgment, pulled Fallacy on the outside running, and eventually won by n short neck, Guy beating Glenavy for second place by about the same distance. Time, Imin. 21sec. WELLINGTON DEBDT, Of 100 sovs, added to a sweepstakes of 10 sovs. ; h.f. for acceptors. For tbree-year-olds: colts, Bst 101 b; Allies, Sst 51b. One mile and a-half. Mr, E. Ray’s b f Fallacy, by Traducer—Deception, Bst slb'( Watty) „ .. - 1Mr. Ray’s cli c Danebury, Sst 101 b (Owner) .. 2 Ray declared to win with Fallacy, who consequently cantered over for the stakes.

The Hack Race produced a field of six, arid a capital race, terminating in favor of Albert, who won from Orupai by half a length. PBOVINCIAL PLATE. Mr. C. A. Durie’s gr m Elsa, by Traducer— Troy—4yrs, Sst 121 b (Belcher) .. .. 1 Mr. J. Walker’s b ra Flora Macdonald, 4yrs, Sst 121 b (Walker) .. 2 Mr. J. Walker’s Tambourini, aged, 9st 81b (Ray) .. 3 Princess Mary (fist 61b), ’Voltarina (Sst 121 b), and Treason (9st lib), also ran. Betting*: 6 to 4 against Tam, 2 to 1 Flora Macdonald, 4 to 1 the rest. ' At the fall of the flag Elsa went at once to the front, followed by Treason .and Tam, Flora next, - and Voltarina and Princess Mary bringing up the rear. They ran thus to the back of the course, where Treason fell back beaten, and Tam slightly irriproved his position. He was shortly passed by Flora, who came with a rush a quarter of a mile from home. Elsa however kept a good lead to the finish, winning easily by a length and a half, Flora second, and Tam a fair third. Time, 2min. 56sec. This brought a very good day's racing to an end, in good time for visitors to return to town. The stewards met last evening at the Empire Hotel, and made the following handicaps :—; HANDICAP HURDLE RACE. .

The above were posted at 9 p.m., and at 11 the following acceptances were made : : Tommy Dodd St. Albans Te Whetumarama Cloud Bine Jacket Victor Satellite All horses in Wellington accepted. - JOCKEY CLUB HANDICAP. The following weights were declared, at 11 o'clock : st. lb. _..-..■ sUfc

Acceptances to be made on the course before 1 p.m. to-day. - . Middleton has been scratched for all engagements; • and Danebury was scratched for the Wellington Oup. Guy Fa'wkes j'b a hot favorite for the Cup ; but Templeton and Glenavy have their admirers. ; ■ .

st. lb. Victor .. 9.0 St. Albans .. .. 10 6 Blue Jacket ..9 0 Te Whetumaram .a 9 10 Whalebone.. ..9 0

st. lb. Satellite .: .. i) 2 Cloud .. ..9 9 Tommy DoSd .. 11 4 Tom Finn .. ..90

Guy Fawkes .. 9 10 Bribery .. , 7 a Templeton .. .. 9 4 Flora McDonald .. . 7 5 Tambourini • .. -9 4 Lady of the Lake.. . 7 3 Tommy Dodd .. 8 9. Lady Mary .. 7 0 Fallacy ..8 6 Stirabout.... . 6 11 Elsa ... '. .. ..8 0 Princess Mary . 6 9 Middleton .. .. 7 10 Volturina .. .. 6 0 Songster .. • .. 7 10