CAP AND JACKET

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 69, 7 January 1882, Page 260

CAP AND JACKET

THE AUCKLAND MEETING DISCUSSED,

By " On*: of the Talext."

Now that the great local sporting reunion of the current racing season is past and gone, it may not perhaps be amiss for me to comment critically on some of the leading incidents, and offer a few friendly hints as to future Christmas meetings of the A.R.C. The first question, then, that suggests itself is, naturally, " Was the affair — taken as a whole — a bonafide success ?" My contemporaries say " Yes," and have, as they generally do, indulged in a long rodomonfade which praises everyone from the chairman of the Club downwards, and votes ali the arrangements perfect. I must say I can't see the perfection myself. The first day's racing was certainly excellent. The fields were good and the sport exciting ; moreover, there was none of that unsavoury gossip afloat whicli has so often detracted from the pleasure of backers on Cup-day. Of Monday and Tuesday last it is not possible to speak so favourably. Putting the miserable weather and the Steeplechase fiasco on one side, the programmes were decidedly weak ; m fact, bar the big events of both afternoons, there was not a race worth going out to Ellerslie to witness. In a few years, perhaps, the Derby and Midsummer Stakes may have changed their character ; but till this desirable consummation is selfevident, a popular event should be added to the attractions of both days. Tuesday, even had the weather been fine, would have been miserably slow. The Auckland Plate, as was the case last year, resulted in a melancholy fizzle ; indeed, the sooner this event is turned into a handicap of the same distance (two miles), the better it will be for all parties. But even if the A.R.C. should not have the strength of mind to venture on this modification, there is at any rate one change they should make, i.c, alter the places of the Auckland Plate and Stewards' Cup on the programme. At present the defeated horses in the latter have to start at once for the Consolation, whereas if the Cup was run before the Steeplechase, the runners for the Consolation would have ample breathing time, and there would be a race worth looking at before 3 p.m. The openiug event of the first day was the Maiden Plate, in which Mr Lennard scored his solitary victory at the meeting with Othello, and Mr Lance's Envy filly cut up very badly. As a matter of course the public rushed wildly to get on to the latter, and it didn't transpire till subsequently (these things never do) that the mare had been suffering from the " strangles." Mr Smith's goodlooking youngster, Lady, met with a bad accident in this event, and it was thought she would have to be destroyed ; but I now hear a recovery is thought possible. After the Maiden Plate came the Free Handicap, a glorious race, whicli Tim Whifner, who is in rare fettle just now, put. to the credit of Mr John Smith. Hilda ran a good second, and at the same time damned her chance for the Auckland Cup, which she would assuredly have won had she been kept for it. The policy of Mr " Bates " has been most mysteriously insane throughout the meeting. On Boxing Day he chucked away the .Cup by running Hilda in the Free Handicap, and on New Year's Day he threw away the Grand Stand Handicap by starting her in the A.R.C. — for which, be it understood, he had avowedly backed The Poet. Of this, however, more anon. The Hurdle Race was a finer contest than has been witnessed at Ellerslie for years. There was no extraordinary "hocus pocus," as with The Agent last year. Lone Hand, Clarence, Matau, Harkaway and Rawenata were all more or less fancied, and the victory of the latter, who snatched the race from Lone Hand in grand style, was immensely popular. Mr Linabury did not feel quite satisfied with Munn's riding of Matau, and by way of revenge prevented him having the mount on Lone Hand in the Steeplechase. It was rather an ungracious thing to do, for it punished Captain Ellis and his party far more than it did Munn, and made Lone Hand's angry backers say and suppose all sorts of preposterous things. lam myself decidedly of the opinion that Mr L. should have given notice of his intentions a little earlier. The Cup brought out a dozen first-class thoroughbreds, nearly all of which had some sort of chance of winning. The Southerners to a man i were on the Peeress colt, who became an im-

mense favourite on Christmas Eve. He looked, right enough in the paddock, but directly he cantered, "the cat came out of the bag," and people began to wonder how long the brute had been going like that. With the Southerner out of the way I fancied old Quail, and jolly glad I was to have backed the King when I saw him overtake Hilda in the straight, and, going strong as a young lion, Tin the great event easily. Mr Horsf all's victory was of course immensely popular, for a great number of local folks won money, not to mention Lyons, Blaikie, and Poole, who with one accord selected the " little sneaker " to run for their books. The Maori folks, I understand, regret making the pace so hot to begin with, and think their nag would have won had he taken it a little easier. For my own part, however, I don't think anything save Hilda could have beaten the winner, and it is doubtful if even she could have managed it. The Railway Plates have been considered gifts for Billingsgate for so long that il. was a great surprise to see him bowled over by Maid of Honour, and the Southern contingent of backers lost a good lot. On New Year's Day, however, they got their money back again with interest, for the son of Isaac Walton 1 laving recovered from the effects of his voyage up, spreadeagled his fields properly in the Publicans' Purse and Soiling Hace. It- would, I think, be only fair if previous winners were (as at Home, in the Goodwood Cup) penalised a few pounds in short distance weight-for-age events like the Railway Plate and Publicans' Purse. They afford precious little interest in their present form, as there is generally an Izaae Walton or Billingsgate at the meeting, whose form is accurately known, and whom few care to challenge. After the Derby on New Year's Day (which was an irritating exhibition of bad riding) came the A.R.C. Handicap, a race that produced the contest par excellence of the meeting. Tim Whifllor was backed for tons of money directly the weights appeared, and in a quiet way a good deal went on both Hilda and Poet. At the last moment, however, Mr Valance sent out a commission to back Raudwiek, and in five minutes the chesnut came from 10 to 4to 1. The same tiling, it will be remembered, was done by the stable over the C. J.C., with Volunteer. A man can, of course, do exactly as lie likes in backing his horses, but a last moment policy naturally makes a stable unpopular with the general body of backers who get left out in the cold. _ Moreover, I doubt whether, after all. a surprise improves the price at which a commission is worked. In this instance the good thing was all but coming off, Poet beating Randwick and Tim Whifller by barely a hand. And now I have just a word to say about the scratching of Hilda for the Grand Stand Handicap. Mr " Bates's " explanation is, no doubt, probable and plausible enough ; but had the delinquent been a trainer, a jockey, or a bookmaker, I scarcely think the stewards would have accepted his statement so easily, and without a word of corroborative evidence. Such leniency is not right. There should be no making fish of one and fowl of another in racing matters. All persons, from whom explanations are required, ought to be put on exactly the same footing and treated in precisely the same manner. Outsiders would not then have it in their power to say that " swells " have a fellow feeling for each other, and treat " swell " cases differently to others. In fcliis instance it certainly does seem odd that such a long time should have elapsed prior to Hilda's accident being discovered, for those who saw her subsequently say that the lameness was of such a pronounced character that the mare could hardly lift her foot from the ground. Hilda's friends certainly took a surprisingly big bet from the Ring about her for the Grand Stand Handicap after the numbers Avent up ; but, then, bets made in the paddock (save when a jockey has weighed out) require a start, and one cannot overlook the fact that Hilda being backed for so much naturally made the bookmakers more liberal than they would otherwise have been in their offers about Maid of Honour. Without doubt, the " talent " would have dropped into the mire nicely over this race, but for the accident of the jockey having weighed out. This circumstance, as it happens, puts them right ; for Rule 15, in Tattersall's Club Laws of Betting, says : — When the rider of any horse brought out to run for any race is weighed, all bets respecting such horse shall be piny or pay. The Hilda party seemed much discomfited oil finding their rider had weighed out, and have absolutely appealed to Tattersall's to know whether they must pay up the bets taken in the paddock. Of course they will have to, as the committee cannot possibly stultify their own rules. At the same time I may remark the rule does not " work over well. Listen to this : A. having marked Hilda off on his card as a starter for the Grand Stand Handicap, presently backed her at 3 to 1 to win £15. No sooner had he done so than the telegraph-board was pointed out to him, and lie saw the number had been, taken down. Clearly he had backed a scratched horse, and yet he can take no action about the matter, for riile 15 obliges him to pay up. (Query — How would rule 1, which says there must be a possibility of winning when the bet is made, apply to this case. ?) For my own part I think the Victorian rule, which demands that the horses should be " in the hands of the starter" before bets become p.p., is the best ; and the same club have also another excellent law, which fines an owner £50 if he scratches his horse within half-an-hour of the time of starting. I have neither time nor space to go into this matter further to-day, but shall have more to say next week. By way of finale, however, it may be remarked that the two jockeys who went round posts on Tuesday were let off amazingly easily. It would have been only right to fine them.