SPORTING.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1118, 9 August 1882, Page 2

SPORTING.

We wore asked to go out to Waerenga-a-hika to see the “ horses ” at work. We did go. In a moment of weakness we lost our presence of mind to the amount of fifteen bob, That’s including cartage ; aud we went. We got to Waerenga-a-hika and we saw a long beer, a very long beer indeed, at George Burnand's, and then we went on to the racecourse, and we saw an old crock something this side of ninety years old, with a piece of old blanket on him which we were told was “ clothing.” On the top of this antiquated piece of horseflesh, sat an equally remarkable animal, only he was a biped. Had the combined stables of Newmarket and Wallingford been present they couldn’t have talked bigger in the racing line than that boy did. He rather frightened us by the loose manner in which he spoke of Grip, Mata, Salvage, and other remarkable animals of racing celebrity. Anyhow we talked to him just as if we knew all about it, and he condescendingly asked if we would like to see his “*orse” gallop? We, in the innocence of our hearts, said yes ' And he put the poor dear old crock into a pottering sort of pace which we can only compare to a sack of flour doing a stepdance, or our Editor in a pas de seul. He went very fast though ; we timed him, and he only took a quarter of an hour doing about a mile and a quarter, and we were advised to “ back ” him. We shall. We’ve lots of money to spare, and this seems to us about as justifiable a means of offending Providence as any other. We’re sent across to Melbourne for a totalisator, but until we get it we must content ourselves with piling the agony on crocks.