view raw text
RACING IN SOUTH AFRICA ♦ Account of How Sport Is Conducted Near Natal Border. ♦ Xathe Principal "Win if Yon Can, by Fail-Means or Foul, But Win" Strictly Lived l"p To — Many Unique Occurrences. ♦ "Natal Mercury* Derby Day ; it is so called because it takes place in midsummer, and is the most popular native sporting event of the year. It is held annually on New Years Day near the Natal-Pondo border, and is of interest, if only as an example of rough, but efficient organization. It is conducted entirely by natives, who are in no way connected with, or responsible to, The Jockey Club of South Africa, nor do they care a continental for that august body ; in fact, European buttinskys are not wanted. There one can see good, if from our point of view, rather unconstitutional racing. There one will not find refreshment booths for the sale of alcohol, good, bad, or putrid, as the case may be, whicn we, with our much vaunted civilization, consider a necessary con-comitant to a days sport. Nor are there any welchers, thugs, pickpockets, three-card merchants, pea and thimble spielers, sandbaggers, race course pork-pies, or perils of that nature to add to the excitement of the day, and last, but not least, there are no leather-lunged satchel holders making the welkin, and the rings, ring, as in loud, raucous, and un-Caruso-Iike voices they inform all and sundry that they are prepared to lay "six to fower the feald." At the native Epsom meeting, there is always one big, burly heathen, armed with a large sjamkob, who is in supreme control. He has several assistants, but it is he who combines the functions of president, committee, chief steward, judge, caterer, and dispenser of high and low justice. SETTLED ON THE SPOT. He settles all disputes on the spot, generally with the sjambok, and there is no appeal against his decisions. In any case, what would be the use of an owner or jockey appealing after he had receiveu his ten across the bare skin with the aforementioned sjambok? He could only appeal to the person who had already administered the punishment. The course is a stretch of unprepared veld. Should a horse shove its foot into an antbear hole, it is generally rather unfortunate for the rider, as there are no doctors retained by this club to render first aid to jockeys who are silly enough to fall off, or otherwise hurt themselves, and even if there were the services of a medical man would be rather superfluous after the prostrate one had been galloped over by about fifty howling savages. I have never seen more than five riders killed in this way during a meeting. The judges box is a buck wagon, which is always piled high with bread and cooked meat for sale to the spectators, and is, of course, the property of the big, forceful, be-sjamboked individual. PRIZE DISTRIBUTION. He it is who hands out the five-shilling or half-crown cash prizes at the conclusion of each race, and who administers summary corporal punishment to any jockeys who have transgressed the local rules of racing, such as not trying, which is a heinous offense, gouging and biting, and things of that sort, but crossing, boring, bumping and making rude remarks anent another riders parentage are permitted. The big mans satellites, call them assistant stewards, policemen, whippers-in, whatever you like, are all mounted and carry sjamboks. They act as starters, they keep ■"«■■■■■■«■—■— ■ — -— — — -B the course fairly clear of human obstacles, and in each race some of them gallop in the rear of the field and knock any rider off his horse if they think he i.:nt trying his very damiidft. • Hough methods, my masters, but efficacious ; very efficacious Indeed. I venture to suggest that, should suh methods ever come into vogue at some of our race meetings, there are jockeys who would live in a hospital, while others would n?ver be permitted to canter gently for more than an eighth of a mile before being grossed and subs-i qufntly flogged. This meeting is nhvnys attended by many thousands of natives, and the greatest trouble is to keep the course clear. Girls, middle-aged women and supeiannuated old hags delight in starting Impromptu dances on the course just as a race is about to commence, and thats where the waippers-in get busy. They lay their sjamboks across the shoulders of all and sundry. Irrespective of age or beauty, while the crowd roars with merriment, and the OBderclad damsels double back and recommence dancing until again driven off, when the fielil. about half an eighth away, is gr.llopng toward them. EVERYBODY HAPPY. But everybody is happy. What does it matter that an old man from Lusikisiki suddenly spots amongst the riders his nephew from Mount Fletcher, and hails him joyously, and the said nephew pulls his horse out of the race, shr.kes hands, says a few words, and then rides after his field? What does it matter that the jockeys, thoroughly enjoying themselv. s, ignore the winning post and ride furiously for another mile? The one who wins the lace gets the prize, whether he wins at the official winning post or at that tree a mik- farther on. The official distance for all races is the same, about a mile and a half, and all riders, who are generally boys or youths, ride bare-! back, and the only clothing which they are allowed to wear is a small strip of cloth around the waist. Some of these naked youths ride like centaurs and are mounted on superb animals, which are brought from hundreds of miles around. TEX IX OXE DAY. Every native in those parts has at least one horse, many have hundreds, but nothing will induce them to sell anything really good. I remember at one meeting there was a certain horse which won ten races over a mile and a half on the one day. That horse could ha v.- won the July Handicap in its sleep, and then could have woke up half an hour later and won the Gold Cup. A friend of mine offered the owner several hundred pounds for it, but the owner was a wealthy native, who had a large kraal, 103 head of cattle, 800 sheep, seventy horses, and goats innumerable. He didnt want a few hundred pounds particularly, and wouldnt listen to any suggestion that he should part with the animal. Any number of horses may start in a race, and it doesnt matter whether they are Galloways or Clydesdale stallions, they are all welcome. I counted 110 lir.td up for the start in one race. It was a sight to see the field go by like a squadron of cavalry, every jockey yelling like a fiend incarnate, and telling the spectators to keep their eyes on him as he will be the winner. In every race, however, there are some artful dodgers who wait, mounted, in the crowd, until the field is about a quarter of a mile trom the winning post, when they suddenly dash out in front, hoping they wont be spotted, owing to the noise, confusion, and the number of riders, but the lynx-eyed officials are up to all those tricks, and the "Smart Steeves" always get copped and hauled off to be flogged, much to the amusement of the crowd. But this doesnt deter others from having a try in the next race, as they believe in nving cp to the principle of racing — of course, I mean native racing: "Win if you can, by fair means or foul, but win." — Londons South African Exchange.
