THE WAIRARAPA HUNT CLUB.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4175, 26 July 1892, Page 2

THE WAIRARAPA HUNT CLUB.

i FirstMeetingatJauhereniku, i (From Our Bcmblmg Correspondent,,) i Of course it iB not my object to aot , as a rival to your reporter at this ! meeting, but merely to gire a few i rambling notes of the impressions . formed by one who has always taken a ) lively interest in the trials for • supremacy of one of our noblest , animals—tho racehorsa—wheu it has > the good fortune to have an honest . owner, I use the word advisedly, for : it is the exception, not the rulo, lo i know of an owner ot raoehorses hav« - ing tho reputation of racing them : honestly. ■ lam pleased to record that the Wairarapa Hunt Club's first meat&j; ■ was one of those glorious exception?, 1 for the owners of each horse had ev> ; dently come with the intentioß o! try • i ing tho mettle of their respective ; steeds, almost rogardlojs of the possible i gains to bo niado by dividends, On 1 this latest species of gambling—the i totaiisator-1 am not at all enamoured, I suppose, however, that as long as i there is horse-racing there willnecesi sarily be gambling of one form ot another, Of the two evils—the i totaiisator and bookmakers—l believe the former the lesser, But I think there are very few of those i who have an interest in racing will ; take exception to the totaiisator if it is , made the same legitimate use of as it was at the meeting I am critioising, Of course this ono was not perfect. There were at leaßt two instances where something was not quite tho correct card (to which I will refer later on), but after witnessing crooked running in nearly every race as the rule, and not the exception, one bails with pleasure this desirable innovation A If your readers of sporting news generally will pardon me for what must necessarily be considered egotism if the personal pronoun 13 often repeated, I may state that I have witnessed races in this province for over thirty years, having seen the Into Jabez Luxfbr'd ride to victory at Burnham Water) Wellington, (now the estate of the' popular sportsman, Mr Prawford),"a descendant ol the then notable Reuben, the property ofthelateMrfit, Hill B.M. for many years in tho Empire City. Luxford'svictory washailedwith ringing obearp. When only half way round the course his horse gavo such a sigh at the task ho was supposed to accomplish that he broke both jjirtbs. This fine horseman, with his accuß*. totned presence of mind, slipped behind the saddle, carried it in ono hand and rode bis worthy steed in, an easy winner. This was about thirty-two years ago. Later on I saw, J think, the first races that were held in the Wairarapa, on the Pihautea Estate, opposite the site of the ittfrihenga toll-gate. The necessaryflk freshments were taken down by a well known Greytown Boniface with a team of oxen, Anyone travelling to Martinbovougb in these days of progress, of good macadamised roads, «,uiaporuap3i;;i;!??!! R «tllßtwhat is now called Bidwill's cutting was not in' existonoo thfflvneither- wepe there' roads, * but ■' thisv'enterpriaibg caterer for the public want's, nothing dismayed, successfully conducted bis team over the steep face of the bill in a bee-line with' the present road at the bottom leading to Martioborough', in a manner that appeared to be putI ting the cart before the horse with ft

vengoance, tor two of tho oxen wore in front of tho diay and six behind it. This, I found, was a most perfect brake, although it looked rather ludicrous to a novice. I afterwards saw Volunteer, the property at one time of tho late Mr Hastwell, with the well-known jockoy J. O.Havward, get homo on tho old course nt Moron, and later on this jockey the successful rider of T. Bay's Diver. He i wis credited with riding his first ' raoeat tho feitthor-woight of four stone, net, of course, on Diver, He hid added soveral stom- to his weight before riding him. Atihe present • lime he ci-nainly more than trebles it. I need hnidly add ho does not follow that vocation now. Following in the ebb of time I saw Flying Jib and Policy, two well-known horses from Rangitikei, show their colours in front past the winning post on the Moroa course, snd many Others which to enumerate woi:id doubtless tire your matiy readers. Suffice to say that I was present when the Tubilarata/flsco took place at Tauheronikan. I then decidod if that was to bo the outcome of totalisatormoetingsl would givo races best. Offing to tho firm stand made by one of the stewards, who showed by his actions unmistakably that he would not countenance such shad y racing, and knowing that he was to he head at Sheik the Hunt Club's Meot- , ing, I resolved to go once more, feeling •wure that with tho prestige of the President, ably assisted by tho otfnr officers in each department, it would bo worth any true sportsman's while to attend. I unhesitatingly say that I was not disappointed, and tab this opportunity of congratulating the club generally, from the President downwards, on furnishing one of the best day's sport ever provided on the favourite Tauherenikau course, The father of the N.Z. Turf, Mt Sedwood, once said that he ssw as fine a lot of hacks on the Tauherenikau course the year he was present (fifteen yeare ogo) as graced jny course in New Zealand. His remarks would have aptly applied' to Saturday's meeting. The weather was certainly unpropitious, but this did not debar the public attending in large numbers. In fact, it surprised me to see the fair sex in such large numbers. Of course, in the evolution of this, as

in every moment of importance, the ladies are the moving spirits. There Vis a special reason why our girls are present in force at a meeting where they have reason to believe the best borse will bo allowed to win, I repeat again that this was the feeling with both young and old of both sexes. I said there was a special reason. It is this: A racehorse leads the perfection of animal existence, and to see them with their coats shining in all tho splendour of perfect condition from an equine point of view they are to be envied, and tho sterner sex might well envy their fair sisters in the knowledge of what is a good horse. N.Z. girls are born horsewomen. Many of them, reared in the bush, have acquired confidence from communion with nature in long solitary rides. They love horses, and to a great many it is their special delight to watch them as they take their preliminary canter past the stand and inquire the name of this horse and that, and which is to win. 1 have found out that one might do worse (ban take a lady's tip. JJflturally, when some men do know good they are boiiod to tell it to a fair one when asked, and equally naturally she cannot keep it to herself, I could continue writing a column or two about the ladies—theirdresses and many other etceteras, in the circle in which they move, hut I fear I have already made my intro* ductory remarks rather lengthy. I will now come to the events, I only intend to briefly allude to these, as your special will sure to have done them full justice. The win of Nuts in the Trial Steeplechase was a very popular one, as Nuts is a son of the fine steeplechaser Early Bird, and his owner is a deserving sportsman, The win of Donovan in the Hack Handicap was also popular, as it was the President's first race in tho Hunt Club's first meeting. Karamu ran, but was nowhere. It would appear that something went amiss with him, for in the last race in which Mako Mako and he met again it was not S child's play lor the former to him behind as in the last race, owner must have been rather chagrined at being outwitted. The Wairarapa Steepleohase Handicap was a very fine race, not a single mißtake being made at any of the jumps. Many might hare thought they could spot the winner, but nobody knew till they were close to the winning post. The spectators were disappointed about Ingorangi. What happened to him it is hard to Bay, but he certainly made an exhibition of himself,running behind country hacks, The Hack Hurdle Handicap does not call forth, by result, any special comment, The Hunt Club Steeplechase Handicap was a splendid race, all the horses taking the jumps in grand style. Twenty-seven jumps over sod walls, fonces, furze hedges, and logs, and the course generally a slough of dispond owing to tho recent rains, speaks volumes for the Btamina of « country horses developed through inauguration of tho Wairarapa Hunt Club. In fact every member of it seems to have a good hunter now, Tho President's fine hunter, Cyrus, Was piloted to viptory by that'fiarless horseman, F, Pearco, the Rarey of the Wairarapa. Both owner and f rider' were lustily cheered as they re-entered the saddling paddock, The. Ladies' Bracelet, to the.ladies ip particular, waj the'evenj of the day, and I must admit I took a lively interest in it myself, It was made of special interest as the President, on Miss Barton's Donovan, showed his colours for the first time in front of the Grand Stand, There wag the gallant F. Pearce on Mrs Tilyard's Nuts, and an old athletic friend of mine, J, Cotter, on Mr Skeet's Dromedary. They all started punctually to time and raced well together till the straight was reached. Then J, Cotter, on Dromedary, passed the President, on Donovan, and won rather easily. The Hunter's Flat Eace was the IZgLpn the programme, and was a most successful finish to an excellent day's sport, Many seemed to think j it was to be Karamu's race in spite of j his doing the driving home in the Hack Handicap, but they reckoned without their host, for Mako Mako, with that honeßt jockey, J. Reed, In the saddle, even though he did carry about two and a-half iStone dead Weight, upset the calculations of all the wiseacres, and '•] ust waltzed past them in the straight, paying the biggest dividend of the day. In conclusion, it would be impossible to fay (he veteran stiifter, S, Powell; too high a'compliment for his masterly starting.- Eyery-race was started

I unctually to time. Thero \im no disputes and both jockeys and ownors alike expressed themselves satisfied. Tlio Handicapper also deserves n word of praise for so neat an adjust • inentof weifelit.aud the Working Coniniiuoe, whoereoted the jumps, doservo the highest kudus for making sale jumps »nd not the rattle-trap affairs one often sees at a Steeplechase