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ONLY THIRTEEN OR FOURTEEN RACES! Had to Postpone Rest of Sport After Seven Events on Stormy Day in Australia. By Ed Cole. New York, December 28. Australians must be following the example of Russia, where they begin racing in the morning and continue until sunset, according to the report of a days proceedings of the Fitzroy Racing Club on October li. In its account of the meeting the Melbourne Herald says: "While the Fitzroy Racing Clubs meeting was in progress yesterday exceptionally heavy rain fell and made the track unsafe to race on. The stewards inspected the course and agreed with the police officer must be a well-behaved class of people who attend, to be governed by one police officer Editors note that it would be risky to go on with the program. There were at least six more races to be decided. The meeting will be concluded on Thursday. "Though the decision to postpone caused surprise because of its unusualness, all present recognized that the stewards acted wisely. Apart from the safety of the track, the conditions became so disagreeable that everybody was glad to go home. Up to the time the rain fell there had been seven races, or one more than the number provided on all but pony courses, so that patrons had had a good afternoons racing. The meeting was probably the first in the history of racing in Australia that had to be adjourned when only half way through. A program of thirteen or fourteen events, however, has only been offered since the number of pony meetings was reduced." Seven only of the forty-three horses engaged in the Fitzroy Purse were scratched, and the race had to be run in three divisions. The run-off on Thursday between Miss Ena, Don Chester and Bill Pepper should be interesting. "After Tandragees race, the rain came and drove everybody to shelter. The outlook for the remainder of the afternoon was decidedly gloomy, and it must have been a relief to jockeys with engagements in the other races to hear that a postponement had been decided on. Betting on the Fitzroy Plate had been in operation, and the horses were at the post when the rain again set in and necessitated action on the part of the stewards. Heavy rain fell as the people were leaving the course." At Flemington and Caulfield, two of Australias training centers, "the watch" is much in evidence by trainers and dockers. There is a variety of courses also, reports showing that horses worked three-quarters in 1:19 on the sand track, while others worked quarters and halves on the cinder course in 27 seconds and 58 seconds respectively. Other horses used a grass course. At Caulfield there are also sand and turf courses for trainers to utilize as the weather permits. Judging from the time of the work-outs as a whole the tracks must be slow or the horses common, there being no fast work recorded in any instance. There are also some bad acting horses in Australia as well as in this country. A horse named Red Streak did such extraordinary stunts while at the post that the jockey scheduled to ride him refused to make further attempts, after Ited Streak had juggled him around and tossed him in the air two or three times. The field was sent away with Red Streak in the hands of an assistant starter. The public was not aware of the trouble and when the starter returned to the stand the public gave him a jeering demonstration, believing lie was at fault. These facts should at least be balm for the starters in this country, proving that the task of starting horses Is not a bed of roses in any country, especially In far-off Australia.
