WOODTHORPE RACES.

NZ Truth, Issue 139, 15 February 1908, Page 2

WOODTHORPE RACES.

"Spreader" writes :— For good racing and clean sport the above meeting's annual, held last week* stands out alone m its class. And it's a great pity that the meeting was not of greater profit . to the cluK . Mr T. H. Lowly, as- president, always gives practical support to this meeting, -and such names as Pharazyn, McDonald, and others on the list of 'stewards naturally 'gives one the im-.. pression that ''the Bare-faced schlen-' ter" Would not get the best of hear-: : ings at such a meeting, hence its ab- : sence. The" aged gelding Defeat (The Officer— Queen of Trumps) , whose condition was not built\ up for so small a meeting,' annexed a double" -and iibuld -have won every alternate": tacb'"on the ' programme. ; -He will be^ shortly heard of m. much better com-' pany.' . ' \.. .' . " ';' .. . ■ The aged Hopeful (Jet D'eau— For-: lorn Hope) won a double, the second leg of which she scored m rather easily, after being looked after at the start; . . The one-time 300-guinea gelding Olympus (Phoebus : Appollo— Aida). landed the bfg mbney, and surprised nobody m particular, taking a line from the betting. , Debonaire (Daunt— Flatter), the property of Mr G. L. Stea-d, was the stable's fancy for the Shereden Han- : dicap, five furlongs, but went down before Defeat, condition winning for the" latter. 1 Nero and Mayflower were the other two horses to score, no particular merit being attached to the win of either. • Over twenty bookmakers put m an appearance, but declined to provide the £5 5s license asked for by the club, which, taking into consideration the small attendance of three or four hundred, seemed unreasonably high. After several discussions with' the stewards they f'cicled .to pool the silver, oti'd pay the £5 5s fojc . two of their members. Thus the i

club rakeil m £10 instead of £60 j they would have received at £3 3s each, the amount the books offered to pay. The up.shot was seventeen members of the ring pooled- a tenner each; and elected Jack Laidlaw of Wellington and Donovan of Hastings to shoulder their bag m their interests with Chas. King of Napier referee,, and lOsecs check. This, of course, gave the books the whole run of play, and making their own favorites, they made a winning race of six out of seven, a thing it would have been next to impossible to ac* complish had they all have operated, consequently the cut-up saw each [ man draw the biggest end of 100 per I cent, profit on his individual outlay. Hjad Sir W. Russell been present at some of these "bookies" meetings latelyi . it is possible that he might, change his ideas with regard to the recognition of some b;od.y of bookmakers by the Racing Conference, for it is clear as day that if the Conference does not do so, and shortly, at that, the public will be the sufferers at the hands of the "balancing" fraternity, who have at the present time cually as much right, and receive as much consideration from the clubs, as the men of stability and financial status receive. x ;