TIN HARES ARE BETTER

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 124, 16 August 1927, Page 10

TIN HARES ARE BETTER

DOINGS AT ROSEHILL ROUSE IRE OF CAUSTIC CRITIC “Damned hot, brethren! Damned hot!” the great Spurgeon remarked one morning, in the famous Tabernacle as he mopped his brow preliminary to preaching a wonderful sermon on swearing. The phrase leapt to one’s mind at Rosehill on Saturday week. “Damned hot” some of the incidents were. In the evening some of us were persuaded to go to the greyhound racing. After Rosehill, commend me to the tin hare, comments the caustic Sydney critic, "Turfite.” Every event was a legitimate gamble. Nobody on earth could prevent any dog with the speed and the nous to corner sharply, instead of faithfully following the hare well out, winning. Every element of luck was in the running, and the elimination of the “animal that from the proceedings appeared to mv untutored eyes to give backers a legitimate chance of getting a winner. But at Rosehill, what a, difference! INJURY TO SPORT Form and good faith were the last things anybody could rely upon. The ring had a royal afternoon, and horseracing was further injured. The big punters, who figure so prominently at this course, appeared well content with their crowd, but the writing on the wall was shouted at them after the handicap, and some of their satisfaction vanished. The steeplechase was a disgrace. Good money was wasted. The three horses which contested it could hardly be graded. But it had the one merit of being an honest race. Each jockey was supremely confident of victory. How the rider of poor Blue could have imagined he would prevail was, however. a mystery. The old chap was poor as a drought area cattle horse. In his stall after the race only the stiffness of his legs kept him from flopping on the ground He was utterly miserable and dejected with tears, yes. literally, tears, oozing from his eyes, which were filmed fatigue. And all to win £25, less fees and expenses. RACING INTO FORM Ulah was the first of the quaint performers. Several times had he raced, and never had he shown merit of any special moment. A slack seventh at Warwick Farm was his best. During th-e week he was soundly trounced by Blather on the track. Yet the instant the bookies commenced calling he wns backed. “Raced into form” was the euphemism which one person associated with the stable advanced as explanation of this sudden financial faith. May be and may he not. Such correct guessing borders on the miraculous, and might be expected to win all the tipping competitions in Sydney. CAWNPORE’S SHOWING B.ut the ul ula t ion of the TTlah coup was a small circumstance compared to the extraordinary performance of Cawnpore. Everybody who saw the gelding almost catch Boaster at the Farm was waiting for him. When doubles were started after the weight® were issued he was invariably made first leg. The rush on the course was terrific. The ring laid and laid and laid. A dozen bookies disclosed most unusual contempt for a public pick. The motto of the layers was for the nonce, “and damned be he that first cries ‘Hold! Enough!’” They didn’t, and, what’s more, wouldn’t. No stray half-sovereign or “pony” was missed. At the 'east they held £5.000 of public money. But Cawnpore, like the city after which he was named, was guilty of frightfulness. Ho was never sighted. NEW OWNER Gradually it leaked out that the horse had been sold before the race. Bearing in mind what happened at Rand wick when a. steeplechaser once changed hands in somewhat similar conditions, the ordinary punter if he had known this, would probably have buttoned up his pockets. The rules of racing, however, permit of his going to his doom without warning. At any rate, the Rosehill committee let him do so. Not one word is to be said against the new owner. Doubtless his instructions were to win. But history is strewn with parallels of horses thn’ have been sold on the eve of their engagements unaocounGbly failing to reproduce the form which led to the sale. The point of this paragraph is that the p n b!ic V left in isrnornnee and that the bookies’ bags, like Sam Weller, “swelled wisibly.” RAWHETU ROUSES ANGER Demonstration against Rnwhetu was justified. And don’t forget, it did not originate in the Leger, which thos--who control courses are apt to disregard, though keen imnn their good money in patronage. The hoots came from the angry occupants of the mor< costly reserve. They will no- remain silent any longer when arresting reverses occur. The Amounis case has not. and will not. be for~ “~n. Words were shouted which were corrosive. The committee went on as if nothing had happened. But irresistibly the tide is turning against its deliberate refusal to consider hostile criticism. What racegoers want is assurance that where there is smoke there shall be inquiry to find if there is any fire. Rawhetu won like a good horse, but taking recent racing, out. of its turn. And confidence can only, be maintained by assurance that the change of heart on the part of a horse is due to some ascertainable cause.