The Scouts Were Out in the Gloaming

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 654, 4 May 1929, Page 10

The Scouts Were Out in the Gloaming

When the last race is run in the semi-darkness anything is liable to happen. It did at Te Rapa last Saturday, and there were features about this affair that caused one to ponder. rpHE race in question was the A Beerescourt Hack, a seven-furlong event, with a field of 16. It was supposed to start at 4.50, but actually the field was not dispatched until between 5.15 and 5.20, well inside a minute after the starting signal had been hoisted at the top of the main number board facing the stands. The programme had got well behind time, thanks in the main to the big fields in evidence throughout the afternoon, and the light even at the carded starting time for the last race was bad. Imagine what it was like half an hour later. From the stands the horses could barely be seen, even with night glasses, the dark background of trees effectively concealing them from the eyes of anxious punters. Trouble Early The start was by no means a perfect one, the favourite, Standfast, getting away badly, and one or two other horses also lost ground. There were sevei'al laggards before they had galloped a furlong, but it was not of these that one would write. They are to be seen any time, anywhere, in any race. Rather has one to do with the scouts, as they could be called. These are the horses that are “off the course” for most of the way, and for no apparent reason. As the field came charging down the

back straight from the barrier ther« were seven or eight in the first line, stretched across the course, Brilliant Light having the rails, beginning so well from number fifteen position as to be able to cross over very quickly. As they approached the bend and commenced to cross the top they swarmed down like a troop of cavalry—Brilliant Light, Air King, Mark Mint and Valiir ation being close together in that order from the rails and not anxious id cover more ground than was absolutely necessary. But all were not so keen on cutting tha corner. There were several horses wide «•-- out, and nothing on the inside to * keep them out. They were not * very anxious to take the shortest * way home. One horse was right • out in the centre of the course as they turned. Was he getting the “good going”? Perhaps. Looking through the field one was astounded to see another horse, wel! back, also in the centre of the course and not another within cooee of him. . Why were they being asked to cover so much unnecessary ground? Evch Aussie, with 7.0 aboard, would have been beaten in this race had he followed the beaten track of a couple horses noticed. The only conclusion one can come ix> is that the riders were so incompetent that they could do no better, and were not afraid to give their incompetence full play in the semi-darkness, witp little fear of being carpeted. But was it incompetence only? 1