TENUI RACES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1635, 15 March 1884, Page 2

TENUI RACES.

l. ,' : ' (BY A VISITOR). "How'is it you racing folk don't 1 amalgamate and hold one large meeting r instead, 'of so ; many small ones?" is, in ' connection with sport, the most often , asked question in this district. The only answer is that it cannot be ac-, , complished any more than the Wairarapa counties can be worked as one ' Road Board, During the great racing ' carnival held at Melbourne in'the Spring, there is'a day's racing ,each at ; Williamstown and Elsternwick Park: | in the same week and tetween tho four.days set apart for the; Victoria i Racing Club meeting. Christchurch, tho head quarters of the Canterbury , J. 0., like the Y.R.C., giving away i "thousands of pounds in stakes, has its i small meetings'at Heathcote. The i same may be said of Auokland, 1 Wanganui, and Wellington. J Those who are aware of this do not require to , be reminded that what is true in -the large centres is. equally so applied to . Wairarapa. The local dispositions and influences are too strong to be deprived i of their annual meeting, and to-day, as; ' it has been for many generations, '■ wherever a score or two of Britons' make their home so.surely.,do their i annual races follow, and so:faras I am. able to judge in this district there is a growing feeling in favor of raising their character,'by strictly adhering 1 t'6,i i .the rules, especially where they strike" i at suppressing any practices likolyto' interfere with the full enjoyment of ii: day's good fun. In this attempt the. large majority who patronise racing' support the reformers, and with so many keen-eyecrwitics oii the watch it is not being too sanguine to predict; that the little arrangements I have' seen accomplished on our race courses have "had their day." But of this i more anon, A drive of some sixteen' ' miles after breakfast we lauded opposite the racecourse, the first glimpse! of which told me that the energetic-. . sportsmen had not been idle to make a • course on that flat in something less than three, weeks," It was rough, of course, but not too much so, as was proved, by the fact that not a single fall or mis- ' hap occurred through it. Situated afew ' yards on the. other side of the Tehui road, the Whareama river lias to bo ■ crossed. Most people would have pronounced that an insuperable obstacle, not so with Mr Mackay and his colleagues! Side cuttings were made, but I am afraid to say what the grade was, Recently an opinion was expressed that some of the steep places' in the road between Taueru and Tinui must represent" one in one." As there is not a place on the main road within a hundred per cent, of the cuttings made to reach the racecourse, tho guage there must be " two in one," but the coaches, traps, and buggies got over without accident, and the passengers enjoyed the, fun of seeing horses and vehicles slip clown one' side and gallop up the other. I confess that it must 1 seem incomprehensible to those who do.not race, or care for it, when they s'ed how far, and over what country we will travel to see wjiat'theyitetyk "a fow horses'galloping round a with riders dressed in silk jacket But we don't quite see it in that way*-, Once on the course, we find comfort;, able quarters erected for tho secretary. and clork of the scales, alongside was 1 the saddling paddock and totalisator enclosures, fenced with titree, which 1 proved a welcome shelter to the horses 1 during the showers, that passed over. Only two started for the District Hurdle Race, Scrutineer having been scratched for all-engagements in consequence bf lameness. Through eagerness to catch Zulu, Julia blundered over the second hurdle, and lost so much time that the former had an easy win. Passing the judge the first time MrShcath good naturedly called out to Zulu to go steady and allow the' : ,inare to come up so that there might be a contest, but Power did notMiear him'and went on. The District Hack Hurdles was another easy thing for the little wonder-Frog,, Although ; Protestant, another'pony, ran well, and in! good condition is capable of something better than we saw, Frog also won' the Hack Race for horses that have never won public money, hack races excepted, beating a large field. There was.oneinit that I think could havo troubled the winner,; but he 'would have had to depend on protest,"and was not persevered with, As possibly*, some people invested on him it would-: have oeen better had he not entered. The Cup proved quite the good thing ' for Glaicks' Bsfc that most people said.: when the weights appeared. Really • there was only the one hqrse in it, and ■ when called upon oame through and 1 ' won comfortably. Romp did. not sur\ prise me by 'running so forward-with ■•. 7.10, and proved that, when 1 herself;' she is not afraid to gallop, or- that' f few pounds weight makes a difference to her. I believe that both Treasurer l and Romp can.rim a waiting race, and I .', with their undoubted dash, I have never been able to understand why / they were always .sent to make ran- 1 ) ning. Had Romp, raced Malvina'in this Cup, she would have been nearer::: last than first, as it was, she waited ; and got home second. I »m sure there are. scores of us who would be glad to hail good victories for' the " black and gold striped jacket," the bearers •; of which are sent to win if possible [\ and it is such men as' that we want' \ to make our sport worthy of all the , zeal shown in its advancement, The j Lady's Bracelet was an example of how j little an owner has. to fear byj being, candid. Mr Walker was confident that , bar acccidents Shepherdess must win. With Barbara in it none of us could ', believe him; I went to take a ticket, but meeting one who thought as I did that it ;.was Barbara and nothing' ■ else I came away satisfied that she ( would add another bracelet to-:her. vie-. \ tories, Shepherdess, whose breeding is i Kingfisher—Arab mare, went to the * front before halfja. mile had been l covered was never caught, winning with; :£ a trifle in hand. Barbara-had,only 1 been working for a fortnight, but the ' same may be said of the winner who j will probably be heard of again. Mr j T. Ray. was the 4 "only investor on t Shepherdess—the result, of seeing her ' have a gallop with Whitau—and ; of ' course landed the pool. a The Maiden Plato of 20 sovs. 1

actually had six entries, and they all saddled—Rata, Bucaneer, Cabbage, Carry-the-News, Harebell, and Ada Yorke. I was particularly anxious to have a'peep at the latter, for I had not forgotten her two year old form, and the fact that although Consul was in i tho last Derby her final payment had been made. This looked as if she had done something. The hurried glance satisfied me that she is one of the best fillies yet bred in this district, too good to lie practised upon by novices in the art of training, and if Bhe has the luck to be thoroughly prepared .whatever beats her will have had a lively time. Some thought she could not manage the rough course,,but .given a, good heart, quality and breeding seldom stick at Hard. work, and this handsome three year old filly -with Bst lib got home first only receiving 121bs from Oribbago who is two years older. Ada Yorke and the other three year olds suffered slightly from the distance being given as akut a mile and a half, the scale for ; under amile and a half being.a few pounds more on the youngsters,.':' The Maiden Plate ended the first day of &• very pleasant meeting and we went home satisfied that if the finishes had not beeniexciting, the money had been won. honestly and the best of feeling prevailed. ' jAs the serials'say "this is to be continued."