THE BIPLANE CASE.

Taihape Daily Times, 6 August 1919, Page 2

THE BIPLANE CASE.

.......-——(0)...._'.._. ‘ IMAN‘AWATU STEWARDS RESCIND I RESOLUTION ' At a meeting“ of the committee of ‘the Manawatu Racing Club held on Monday night, the following resolution was passed:——“ln connection with the scratching of Biplane at the Autumn Meeting, 17th April, 1918, the committee of the Manawatu Racing Club, while strictly adhering to the principles which, in the interests of the sport of racing, guided them to pass the resolution of 17th April, 1918, considers that, seeing some consider» able time has passed, and having regard to R. J. Masorjs letter of the 20th April, 1918, such resolution should now be rescinded”; and the following letter received from R. J. ;Mason> on 23rd April, 1918, be handed lto the press:—— - H_ R. Cooper, .Esq., president, Manalwatu Racing Club, Palmerston North. §—Dear Sir,——l beg to apply to the sir.» iwards of your club for a reconsideraltion of the severe penalty infiict-3-.l lu}.on me in connection with the gscratching of Biplane for the Awajpuni Gold Cup. After due consideraltion I freely admit that I committed la grave error of judgment in not {scratching the colt some days before 'tlio meeting instead of the evening before. The common practice. when attending a meeting with horses is, in the case of scratching, to do so on the course the morning of the race, and ‘I have nearly always adopted this method. I failed to realise the seriousness of this delay 'in‘Biplane's case, and also the awkward position your club was placed in_ But I can assure you that it was only an error of judgment, and that I had no other thought than the deseri to do my be:~'~* in the interests of my employer, with the hope of winning one of the two races in which Biplane was engaged. Trusting that the stewards will reopen my case and accept my assurance that I have not intentionally done anything discreditable to myself when I am nearing the close of a career which has h-ithei-to escaped public censur-e.——Yours fatihfully. (Signed) R_ J. Mason.

The following is the resolution originally -passed by the stewards of the Club: “(1) The stewards consider that the explanation of Mr. Gre-sn-wood and his trainer (R. J. Mason) of of the scratching of Biplane on the eve of the race entirely 11nsatisfac~tory. They are further of the opinion that an occasion has arisen wl1':.e"1 is contemplated by the provisions of Rule 11., part 4, of the Rules of Racing, inasmuch as, Whilst the letter of the law has not been ‘-11fringed, the true ethics of racing have been greatly violateci. The etewards regret that the provisions of rule 11. ‘do not auth'o’risc them to disqualify B'iplane for the meeting, but they recommend the committee of the

M.'>.:l?.‘.\'-Ml‘: Rnci'n<,_: C'lu‘rJ 'l': 02:01-cise Its: power under rule 33 of part 16 should occasion arise, and ‘-to decline all future nominations from Mr Grccn~ wood of any of his horses, ‘or any horse which may be trained by R. J. Mason. (2) That ah" bets on thn Awapuni Cup recorded prior to the scratching of Biplane be declarefl cancelled.”