THE TURF.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 270, 28 August 1935, Page 2

THE TURF.

WIN AND PLACE SYSTEM.

AUCKLAND TROTTING CLUB. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND-, August 27. A decision to use. the win and place betting system at all meetings at Epsom during the present season was made by the committee of the Auckland Trotting Club. The committee also decided to discontinue the issue of five shilling tickets, which hitherto have been available in the outside enclosure. Ten shillings will now be the lowest unit. The new arrangements will come into force at next Saturday’s meeting.

CHAMPION STRIDER. THE CLAIMS OF PHAR LAP. Some little time ago a discussion took place in America as to the relative length of the strides of Phar Lap and Man o’ War, still regarded by many as the greatest racehorse seen in that country “The Thoroughbred Record,” of Lexington, Kentucky, wrote to the “Sydney Referee’ ’ asking for information on this subject. By an extract from “The Reieree we (Napier “Telegraph”) were able to give the length of Phar Lap’s stride in winning a race at Caulfield. Measurements showed that the great chestnut gelding had covered the last two furlongs, going practically all out, in 28 strides. This would mean that he had averaged a fraction under 24 feet in each stride. Most racing men were of the opinion that Phar Lap was owe of the longest-striding horses they had ever seen. It would seem, however, that he did not cover as much ground as did Man o’ War. We are informed by “The Thoroughbred Record” that “the stride of Man o’ War, measured down the front stretch the day he won the Realisation Stakes, was 26 feet.

LORD WOOLAVINGTON. WON TWO ENGLISH DERBIES. Lord Woolavington, whose death was recorded recently, was only a few days short of 86 years, and he was one of I’jngland's leading supporters of racing. Formerly Mr J. Buchanan, he was raised to tile peerage a few years ago. His colours were registered in IyUO, and he was elected a member of the Jockey Club in 1927, while lor many years he was the principal patron of the Beckhampton stable, presided over by F. Darling. In his first association with the sport lie raced under the assumed name oi Mr T. Kincaid, one of the first horses to carry his colours being Epsom Lad, with whom he won the Prince of Wales' Stakes and Eclipse Stakes. Epsom Lad was one fo the best horses he ever owned, and he cost him only 1050 guineas a few weeks before he won the two races named, worth £IO,OOO apiece. Another good horse he owned at about tiie same time was Golden Measure, with whom he won the Great Ebor Handicap and Ascot Gold Vase. He was not nearly so fortunate in his acquisition of Noctuiform, whom he purchased from the late Mr G. G. Stead, as the New Zealand-bred horse was an abject failure in England. There is no question of Noctuiform having been a really good horse here, but he was put into training and raced soon after his arrival in England, alter having had a bad passage from New Zealand.

Few men spent money so lavishly on bloodstock, both mares and yearlings, and it cannot be said that until recent years the return was anything like to the expenditure. The tide turned in his favour when he purchased Hurry On as a yearling in 15?14 for 500 guineas. It was unfortunate that Hurry On should have to do his racing during the war years, when his opportunities were limited. Hurry On raced for only one season when a 3-year-old, ancL retired undefeated, having won six races. He became a great sire, and brought a fortune to his owner in stud fees, as well as siring for him the best horses lie ever owned.

With Captain Cuttle and Coronach, sons of Hurry On, Lord Woolavington won the Derby. In stakes Coronach won £48,225 and Captain Cuttle £15,037. Manitoba, who is now at the stud in Victoria,’was raced bv Lord Woolavington, and so was Parenthesis, also at the stud in Australia, now. Parenthesis won several first-class races, and was second to Singapore in the Leger, a race Lord Woolavington won with Coronach.

One of the hobbies of Lord Woolavington was the collecting of famous sporting pictures, and he had one of the finest collection in the world.

H. N. WIGGINS IN INDIA. Writing from Poona, India, on July 8, the Auckland jockey H. N. Wiggins stated that he was doing riding work in preparation for the sequence of meetings to commence at Poona on August 2 and lasting two months. The Poona course, he said, was a nice one, but unfortunately for him, most of L. H. ’Hewitt’s horses were not ready, and only two would be ablg to race at the Poona meetings. Others would be ready for the Bombay meetings. Wiggins said he had not decided whether to remain in India, but would 'decide after the Poona meetings. Baker and Scanlon were Australian jockeys he met there, and he liked the novelty of the surroundings, but

the tone of the letter suggests that he has a still greater regard for Auckland. The fact that Count Ito arrived in a very had way, and that others in Hewitt’s team are unready, may not give Wiggins many chances at Poona. He had been offered a retainer of £SOO by an owner who had his team trained by native trainers, but at time of writing he had not accepted it.

A NOVEL MATCH. Everyone at the Newmarket (England) meeting on July 16 was interested in an unusual race—a private contest between two horses that were born on the same day at the same stud, in adjacent boxes, and are now the property of two different owners. Mr Z. G. Michalino’s Zelmos and Airs W. Raphael’s Picasso, now two years old, were foaled at Lord Derby’s Hillside Stud, near Newmarket. When their present owners heard of this, about a week afterward, they immediately decided to match them during their first season. Mrs Raphael set up something of a record by engaging the champion jockey, Gordon Richards, to ride Picasso for a race to ‘be run two years ahead. But Zelmos, ridden by T. Weston, justified his favouritism by winning comfortably the five furlong event % a length and a’half.