When Every Horse Was Off The Course

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 176, 15 October 1927, Page 7

When Every Horse Was Off The Course

The race at Ellerslie on Monday last, when one of the two horses competing was temporarily out, leaving the other to “race,” is eclipsed in oddity by another steeplechase run at the same course many years ago. A good field started, but at one part of the event not one horse was actually running in the race; some baulked; others had run off the field and were being chased back; others again were on the track, but their jockeys were on the ground. However, some of the competitors eventually were headed in the right direction. I The Ovakei races were generally regarded as the most humorous sporting events; the supposed unsophisticated Maori was not quite so simple, and the aggregation of sharpers that frequented the famous race meeting, often came off second best. One favourite trick was to enter a disguised horse, but old Paul, who had a wonderful secret service, was rarely caught.

Paul was money taker, handicapper, track steward and judge, as well as adjudicator in all disputes about his conduct in any of his various capacities. If a king could do no wrong, there was little that Paul could do in that direction. With the weighing scales out in the paddock and the track bordered by tea-tree, the crafty were sorely tempted to “put something over.” It is related that in some races the losing horse waited in the tea-tree while the others did a round and then joined in at the head of the field. Paul was loyal to the Maori race, and if a European-owned horse was winning, the distance would be increased by one more lap. Foot sports also figured on the programme, and items that are usually termed “slinters” were arranged by white men for every event, but the Maoris in most cases won the prizes. The visitors from Auckland travelled down by boat and were rowed as far in shore as possible, then “piggy-a-backed” the rest by the ferry-boat crew; some task when 500 passengers had to be landed!