The Wairarapa Daily SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1889. RACING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3386, 14 December 1889, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1889. RACING.

A Lower Valley correspondent in our last issue drew a graphic picture of the Waivaraua rues meetings in the good old days when racing was racirg, and an annual meeting attracted to the course almost every settler in the district. These old times meetings 'were colossal picnics to which young and old of both sexes looked forward with pleasure, In thfiso days there was light gate mousy auij no tptalisator, and a man could take his wife and family on to the ground at half the cost be now iusurs if lie goes alone. It is true that in former times he migtit receive a gentle reminder from Mr Wardell that a subscription to the race fund would bo welcome,.and this contribution was usually given with a good 1 grace as a direct encourogemont of; honest sport and of a pleasant meeting, Paterfamilias might venture bis half-crown on 'a race in a tViondly sweep, but he did not then, as now, drop pwd notes into the tutalisator and afterwards look hack with dissatisfaction pn hjs investments, Instead of the one or t\yq racing clubs in the old days wp now have eight or ninc;aud must of them arc in debt and difficulties. That the Wairarapa cannot support a llozen vigorous and thriving race meetings it tolerably obvious, and it is a pjty that the uitojiipt js made to run so many of t|iein. A cqupio of good race meetings ic the year,' one in Wainu'iipit North anil tho other tn Wairarapa South would give more satisfaction to horseowncv-i mid the public than the numerous indifferent gatherings which are now the order [

oi tilery, We want race meetings on such a scale t|iaj they will attract outside horses and outside visitors, Our local gatherings do not offer sullicipnt inducements for really good horsea to cow ftijiongst ub and the tendency is to degenerate into hack racing. One club for the whole of the Wairarapa could arrange a better racing programmo than the fljglit or nine existing ones can possibly offe, One Club could bring a couple of thousand WJPjjlp on to a race course, instead of the coup'to of hundred who now congregate at a meeting, There aro some twenty pr. thirty racing man' in the district, ■who, if tboy chose to carry put it much needed amalgamation amongst ,ou.r racing clubs would no'great difficnilyijibringingitlo pass. Whajt is wanted )h representative gatljw-

ing of tho mora prominent members of tho existing Clubs with a view to substitute big meetings for little ones, largo stakes for small ones, ami firstclass horse.') for w.vjs. T' the present Clubs wero prespero'.io :jow would be a poor chance for making changes of this kind, but tho bulk of thorn are in 'lobt and difficulties, and nro in a weak position for carrying on. It is truo that a finu day aiid a fairly good' attendance might- put them on their legs, but on the other hand a wet clay and a deserted course would be absolutely ruinous. With the travelling facilities now obtainable through tho railway, there ought to be larger attendances at our race meetings than formerly, and when the contrary is the case, it is pretty ovident that tho management of such gatherings has deteriorated.

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