Disqualification of Randwick and Owner.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1062, 18 April 1882, Page 2

Disqualification of Randwick and Owner.

(From the 'J'uranaki Budget). The dispute respecting the weighing for the Autumn Handicap has naturally caused an unpleasant ness amongst sporting men, and the Stewards have considered it necessary to investigate the whole affair. The sporting correspondent of the Wanganui. Chronicle gives a very fair account of what occurred, so we reprint it; but as the writer has fallen into one or two errors, we have corrected them, and, therefore, the following may be taken as the true version of the affair : — “ The Press Association, in their account of the affair, state that Larry was found to have carried 131 b over weight. Such is not the ease. Larry carried exactly the 7st 81b allotted to him by the handicapper, but there was ample proof that Rand wick carried 141 b under his prop-r weight. Ths following are the facts so far as could be ascertained :—The scales were ordinarv ones, borrowed by the Club from a tradesman in New Plymouth, and the weights consisted <>f one hundred pound weight and one fifty pound weight, both .somewhat rusty from use. Rand wick’s rider was the last to weigh out for the nice in question, and was passed us Ost 11b by the clerk of the scales

The weighing-room was then left open during the race, and, Rand wick's rider returned to the scales, he drew up the beam at the exact weight that lie went out —namely, 1271 b, or 9st lib, and the clerk of the scales, Mr Humphries, declared him weight. Hut field, the rider of Larry, was then put on the scales, und to the surprise uf everyone present, he lifted the beam at a stone over the weight he went out at. As Hatfield only weighed 7st 31b, and rode in n five-pound saddle, it flashed across the minds of those present that the scales had been tampered with. George Williams, the rider uf the horse Dun, was then put on, and he too was exactly the same number uf pounds over his weight that Hatfield was. The rider of the fourth horse was then weighed with the 501 b weight and was found correct. Mr Walters then asked the Clerk of the Scales to weigh his jockey with the sOlb weight, which was done, ami his weight came 1 correct, as also was Williams, the rider of Dan. | It was then evident that, us the suspicious 1 1001 b weight had the second and third riders one stone over their proper weight, that it should also have made Kandwick’s rider the same number of pounds over his weight, and it then di u ned upon ail present that Randwick hud been weighed out with this false weight, and had drawn 9st 11b when only

actually hst lib. The weight was then examined, ami it was found that it hud two or three more holes bored on its reverse side, and that it lad a newer and more polished appearance. The rider of Randwick was then questioned, ami it was discovered that he rode in a small saddle weighing about libs, and his own actual weight was under Bst, and as he carried no 1 ad cloth it became perfectly clear that Randwick could not have carried more than Bst lib. But as the clerk of the scales had declared him 9st lib on going out, and 9>t 11b on coming in, there the matter stood. The false IUUIb weight had evidently been spirited in after all the other horse had weighed out, but by whom is at present a mystery. It was observed that, although Randwick was not much of a favorite in the betting, he carried most money in the totali* sator, and members of a certain party were observed to draw dividends of £5O and £6O each from the totalisa’.or after the race, and of course the loialisulor pays first past the post. 1 he Stewards held a meeting, and the matter has been placed in the hands uf the police to

investigate. It is, I understand, the intention of tiie club to hold the stakes in the meantime, and make every enquiry into t he matter, Great sympathy was expressed for Mr Walters, the owner of Larry, as it was admitted on all sides that, had Rand wick carried his proper weight, Larry would have beaten him, as on only 91b better terms he beat him comfortably the previous day, whilst on this occasion Randwick won in a canter. This in itself was sullicient evidence that there was a screw loose somewhere.” In addition to the above, we learn that the weighing-room was locked up at the end of the racing ; but, strange to say, during the night the false 1001 b weight was abstracted from the weighing-room, and the original one substituted in its place. We understand that the Stewards, after carefully investigating the affair, decided to disqualify the jockey Williams, for two years from date ; to disqualify the owner of Randwiek (Coyle) for ever ; and also to disqualify the horse Rand wick for the Autumn Handicap, and for ever from this date. LATE TURF FRAUD. Tt has transpired that the police have obtained some evidence respecting the false weight supposed to have been used in weighing out Randwiek's jockey. It appears that Messrs Webster and Ale Kellar have missed a wcig t from their premises, which was abstracted on the Wednesday previous to the second day of the races. A joekcv was observed hanging about the mill for a eouple of hours on the Wednesday morning, which, to say the least of it, is a very suspicious circumstance. The false weight, has not yet been recovered, but it is to be hoped the police will succeed in recovering it in order that it may be identified.