TALK OF THE DAY

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 29 January 1908, Page 53

TALK OF THE DAY

Br Sentinei,. THE DUNEDIN CUP MEETING. The nominations received for the mine/ events to be ' decide*? at the Duhedin' Jockeys Club's' euitumn meeting give pro- • raise that a successful. Cup gathering should be experienced' at Wingatui. Take, for instance, the Stewards' Welter, in which a field of 28 has been engaged; the Suburban' Welter,i in which" 29 horses 'have 'bceni entered; the Abbotsford Welter, with 27 nominations ; the Domain Handicap .with a. field of 21, and : .fhe Winjfatui HajiQicap with 26 Horses. .All these events" have 'met., with a liberal- response, from owners. " The\' .hack events have also filled, very. well, andtheir numerical ,' strengths. is N about c -on ' a. par with the races quoted. r^The two-year-old r events , ihave also filled,. in a 'pleasing? . - manner, " and tha - hurdle events - promise zntish better than.' has usually beeiij > the case. So -that v taking the"" nominations all round, it would appear that a success.ful;, Dunedin Cup-" meeting/ fox 1908 is ■■"assured. What is 1 now /required is tha -patronage* of the^publio and' fine weather. The Handicaps -for: -ihe-,' first day aresdue on Monday, •-• February '<=lo,-.- and - acceptances! . together' '-tfitfn entries "for -.the Triat Plate aYe duC yri^Jimfr'February 1 *- ' '"~ i ,^Th'e;Aurf as *indeecL;in^&:badi way\. yhen .' horses',; . can ' v be ;' seen " having" 'their^Jreada . pulled ~ of^ilanidt their," riders ' allowed" t<J '- '"pursue their, flagrant.' tactics ; without as*, much as - being questioned by "stewards, ". When' such; a thing can pass'^unnoticed and ", it -.is' clearjy.. hypercritical *t« , .expect that , comparatively miid cases which f nevertheless, tmderrmbe- the purity of tn^- ' sport should meet Iwitß official castigationt In cases where light-mouthed horses d< not require a palpable l»ull to stop #ierq it would be almost ridiculous, so- far M recent ' happenings' indicate, *to •" expect ■ th« average steward to be aware of the\ plun« dering of the public which is going on-, and tolerated by their official incompetence. - Ordinary reversals of form may be honestly, brought about; and" even apparently. stron'ra cases may admit of 'ready, and clea* explanation. Everyone ' conversant with racing knows that 'much. But" when tha. ire'versal of form is brought about by extremely, supine horsemanship, following on a market -which clearly,, indicates whs* is (going,, .to happen ; ,' .when the racing j tnei> in- the paddock are as fully aware of what' 'is not trying as if the news were published in a. newspaper; a horse which, should ' -be a favourite, or at least well backed,' is as friendless 1 as an Ishmaehte ;( o "when such horses. run wide at turns.' jnak« no effort to join ' their " fields, *nd ,coma , with "desperate -runs when the race is overr-? "theri" stewards who cannot .piece the v'ariou*, thines • together and Vheir e^esighl "should "make way for someone else. /Mucn- " harm. 1 , k "■" Being- ■ done -,to ' jthe turf by .• ,in-» 7 /cdpahle.'ste'w'ards,-. who "~ apparently --ars,;^/ tow "ignorance of. whatt'they^ are counten^^ -aricirig by" their: lack of .knowledge of ■*.-, sport --over- whichj- they v are "supposed to be|; capable ixtf~ exercising' a' controlling? -,^n« ■restrairting">,influehce' "when -it 'displays •%- tendency' to,- evil. a At>"Goref. last week-sdnJe^. v«ry"'-<juestionabre horsemanship '^vas- wit-,, nessed'. -In tv^races\matt«rs:were arrange.d!r. as- far as'-'it-was v possible' to-do so,, and^;palpable pulling was- indulged in in order, to bring about the" desired, result. Inothe^ cases horses "were stopped in a mest jtlannffmanner, but the- offioial' eye evidently^ awfi. not notice anything that called for punish-; ment. The.rampipjr was confined to .the . minor ' events, probably because the' stakes - were so small > Ijhat. they are not worth, winning. - ;it' is "the" tin-pot stakes- .which are found on, programmes that axe tha foundation of nearly all the. fraudulent racin<V because when, the- cost of sending a horse to" the post is deducted- from- the stake the balance -is such an,, insignificant;, sum to men who bet in even tens orA twentief that it hardly enters into them calculations. It •is true that racmg has improved considerably, but more from -a financial point of view" than anything else--Morally? it is &3_ weak -as- ever, and., if a certain- 'class' choose to < arrange a, race, it appears they can do so with' impunity. Raoin? has" prospered on many' courses even in 1 face "of incompetent, control, and v that is so, how .much more would it' go - ahead' ifv genuine sport *as the prinoipaJ , consideration. " It is full "time that our. stewards' woke - up ',to a-,proper , sense oi their responsibilities,' *nd 'endeavoured Ha purify' the. sport: to yrhteV they" have lent 'their tiames >\ as '.guardians " and guarantees of good faith /to the;, public-. 7 „ -