Racing at Newcastle

At the luncheon given by the committee of the Newcastle Jockey Club to celebrate on Saturday last the opening of their new grandstand, Mr. C.H. Hannell, the president of the club, took occasion to trace the history of racing in the district for forty years, during which he had actively participated, in the sport.

He said he remembered from his boyhood the racing that then took place at Newcastle in the latter part of the forties, and which was carried out on bush tracks at Broadmeadow and along the old Lake Macquarie Road, now called Darby-street. A horse called Chance was then champion, and was ridden to victory by the late Mr. Jas. Priest and Mr. Jas. Ranclaud, who were the principal jockeys in those days. The clay track from Tighe's Hill to near the high level crossing was subsequently a favorite convincing ground, and numbers of matches were decided there. What was now known as the old racecourse in close proximity to Mr. Merewether's residence did service as a course for many years. On it he (Mr. Hannell) had seen eighteen horses start for a Maiden Plate, amongst them being the beautiful mare Lunalle, trained by the late Mr. Isaac Gorrick, of West Maitland, and ridden by Mat. Scott, better known as "The Gaffer" Conrad and Rajah (the latter piloted by Sam Holmes), and Little Dick, ridden by R. Snell. All races were then decided in heats, at weight-for-age, and as many as three heats had to be run before the prize was received. He contrasted the class of horses then running with the more aristocratically-bred nags of to-day, and asked how many of the latter would be found facing the music after they had run one of the heats of from one and a half to two miles long? There was no grandstand, and his late father used-to stand on a staging as judge; while Mr. Peter Fleming (father of Mr. Robert Fleming) occupied the distance chair. Any horse failing to finish inside the chair was disqualified. On this course, Van Tromp, a Melbourne horse, also ran; as also did The Spy, owned by the late Mr. Robert Harvey. The late Mr. W. H. Whyte was an ideal clerk of the course and hon. secretary,, and always took a very active interest in the welfare of the club. Vanguard, Little Dick, Pasha, and Sappho are also well-known performers in those days, the two latter being the property of, the late Mr. Ward.

Rajah, owned by Dr. R. R. S. Bowker, was one of the champions in his day. The then well-known horse Charlie, the property of the late Mr. Robert Fisher, of the Stockton tweed factory, also figured conspicuously.

It being deemed advisable to obtain a new course, arrangements were made with the A.A. Company for a lease of the present ground, which was then a dense scrub. This was in February, 1864, or thirty-six years ago. The land was enclosed with a four-railed fence, and the track cleared and laid out; but the horses frequently sank in places to their fetlocks. From time to time improvements were effected, and a stand of primitive order and small saddling paddock added. The big hollow where the cottage now stood was filled in and made perfectly level, and from the old entrance gates at the western end of the ground the sand heaps were cut down and street sweepings and manure placed on the course. The club, of which he was then hon.secretary, was short of funds, and he advanced £200 without interest, the work of clearing being carried out by Messrs. W. Francis and Dugald Cameron. Improvements continued to be made at a cost of some thousands of pounds. The Jockey Club laid out over £1600 last year in the erection of a new grandstand, stewards and jockeys stands, saddling paddock, and other improvements.

Their new grandstand, although not a handsome structure, was a safe, substantial, commodious, and convenient one. They had been unfortunate in having it unroofed, just as it was finished, but he ventured to say, thanks to Mr. F. B. Menkens, that it would need a veritable tornado to now remove the new covering. Their course he considered second to none in the colony, and their whole get-up he ventured to say was a credit to the club and the various committees who had worked so well from time to time. He was sorry to have to apologise for the absence of their late esteemed and energetic secretary, Mr. Robert Fleming, whose business had called him to Kensington races. He also referred briefly to the good days of-racing in Maitland, where he had seen over 1000 horsemen riding about and twenty one booths, each boasting of a musical instrument at the services of dancers Maitland Mercury 5 May 1900