"SPECTATOR'S" NOTE BOOK.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9008, 22 January 1895, Page 2

"SPECTATOR'S" NOTE BOOK.

Wbo was it that nominated.Mr J. A. Holmes' gelding Clarence without the owner's sanction (or a hurdle race at Gore recently? This is a conundrum that requires to be solved in the interests of racing. The owner does*not know how the horse became nominated, so the club should set about and make enquiries. There can be no question as to why Clarence was entered. It is evident that someone nominated the gelding so that the handicapper would have him for what is often called in racing parlance, "a chopping block"—a borne to start the handicap with so as to keep down the weights on some other. It used to be a common practice years ago for good horses to be entered for the purpose of keeping down the handicap weights on others, but this was invariably done with the consent of the owners of such horses. To enter another man's horse for a race without his authority is now deemed a fraudulent practice, and It is to be hoped chat the club imposed upon will, on their own account and In the interest of Mr Holmes, endaavoar to bring to book the offender who has taken an unwarrantable liberty with that gentleman's name and property.

Mention of this circumstance reminds mc that not so long ago some adventurers, to them by a mild name, sent a wire to a well-known bookmaker to back a horse for a particular event. When doing so they used the name of a punter whole a prominent patron of the layers of the odds. The horse won, and then the before-mentioned adventurers went to the person whose name had been used, and told him what they had done, excusing themselves by saying that they had heard of the good thing and had not had a chance of aeeinf? him iv time to get him tp wire away for them. This did nob satisfy the punter in question. He was highly indignant that his name should have been u«.ed without his sanction. Upon being offered, half/he spoils of the transaction., however, he changed his tube and agreed to this arrangement, and he actually collected from the unsuspecting bookmaker. "When the adventurers went for their slice they found that the punter had relented of his promise to share with them, and they could get nothing. It was in vain that they tried to persuade him to hand over even a third of the money. It is pretumed that the bookmaker got to know of the business owing to the punter refusing to share with those who had concocted the scheme, for report says that he has lately received back his'own, and has been offered very good interest for. the time it was " lent."J A prominent Wellington bookmaker had a somewhat similar experience about twelve months ago. It is presumed that the reason why the services of the gentlemen of che loag robe have not been called in by the bookmakers is that the latter were in each instance layers of totaiisator odds.

It has been, often the subject of remark what a bi£ percentage of the totalisator turn over at some meeting* goes into the hand 9of the clubs. Fractions of shillings are not paid by many of the clubs, and by others no fraction* under aixpenece are disbursed. Thus, if the dividend amounts to £1 3a lid, and the club only pajrscpit £1 3t, retaining lid from each dividend, | besides deducting 2s from each 1 /'«,"' nearly 15 % would, in such cases, be taken from investors. When favourites get home and there is odd money, so much the better for the club's funds, if they, and not the totalizator proprietors, receive the benefit therefrom. It is not to point out this chat induces mc to write, but to call in question the action of certain totalUator workers who, it is alleged by a correspondent, have taken advantage of investors on the ten shilling machines, who are supposed to receive half what is paid by the pound machines. Thus, when the dividend in the pound machine is £1 3s lid, and the club pay out £13a they should disburse 11s 6d to Investors for each 10*. It la alleged that all totalisator workers do not do this, but simply pay out the •hillings, agaia making a harvest of th« odd money. I can hardly believe that this is so, bat in some parts of (he country ptbple will stand all kinds of impositions. The same rule should be observed by all-«lube throughout the colony where the totalisator is used, and fractions of sixpence should certainly be paid at the ten shilling machine, where the same advantages should, be enjoyed aa at the pound machines.

Capital acceptances have been received for the Foxton h.C.'e Summer Meeting on the 22ud met, at>d the number, large an it Iβ, would have been still larger bub for the Wellington Meeting opening on the same,' day. There should be capital racing afr Foxton, however. The Fox ton course- W not Ronsi'lered one favourable to the toil weight division as a rule, but a good race between The Artist, Princess Cole attd some of those immediately below them On the list; may be looked for /in the , Foxton Handicap, and also,' Iα the Stewards. Mr Henry has mad* a clear distinctipn between those he considers good and those known to be positively inferior. Spreydon in the Hurdles, Flying Shot in the Flying Handicap, 1 and Natatorial in the Welter, are chance «elections. There are Rood entries for the Trial Hurdle Race, and the Anniversary Handicap, weight for age.

The acceptances for the Gisborne B.C. Summer Meeting are published elsewhere. In the Flying Master Pat at his best would have a good deal to say at the finish ; next to him Perkin, who has in previous events np Gisborne way been very badly treated considering his achievements, has a fair chance. T Rose, as well as I have seen her, would win the Hurdle Race. Erlna'3 chance in the chief event of the meeting, the President's Handicap, looks quite as good as that of any other engaged. The Park Stakes may fall to Lord Raven.

It is somewhat singular that grandsons of Musket, in Loveshot and Oeadshot, should have been responsible for the best two dividends paid on Metropolitan racecourses during the current- season.

Handicaps for the Turakina J.C. Meeting, which is to take place on the 30ih mat., appear in another column. Kahuraogl and Narrate ere considered the pick pair of the hurdle candidates, and there are few, if any, better back hurdlers on the Coast. Hotspur, TJmslopogaas, Alingtcro and Ascot Vale are the' top weights in their respective races, and these horses are amongst the best of the hacks on the Coast. Marama's sprinting capabilities are still recognised. He is handicapped at lOse 01b in the Telegraph; Stakes. Taranza, if well, may have a chance of beating the flier, but ha is not very reliable.

Tiie Wellington Racing Club Summer Meeting commences on Tuesday (to-day), and will be concluded on Thursday. The fields are composed of horses of a veryfesefol class, takiag them, all roond, and oa paper the contests accra of a decidedly open character. The Wellington Cup race is llkelj to draw together a Rood field. There are! still fourteen horses engaged, bat there miy yet be one or two defections. Saracen may or may not run a Rood race.!. The chance* are against him doing j to, and upon hit best public form !he has none, the

beat of the weights. Upon recent form Lottie, Mahakl and Lady Zetland *" look mo&t likely to fight out the floieh ' - Royal Rose will not start, and I am afraid Rosefeldt wUI hardly show sufficient rf her old form to pull through. Golden Plover will, I question, hardly prove him, *' self up to Cup form with hi* Impotfc though many believe him to have a rare chance. North Atlantic will have a good following, but while I have respect for hit family, I think that in a shorter race be would shine to better advantage, and though not favouring his chance I will not put winning past him. Rangipuhi {, Htcely to run bet ter than he has done this season. He will require to do so. Fit sai j well his chance would be -econd to none at (his distance. Under such a weigh! he should shape well. It is too much thus early after the Rsmtutlfeei meeting to expect him to run up to his best form. Some horses come very quick ' when they do conae, and the Maori may" effect a surprise. Westmere is another that would certainly have a chance at his * I handicap, weight, and I doubt whether some of the fancied ones would present I him with the weight and beat him; Banner is reported to be off colour a bit This is a fast horse and, though some I think would be favoured most by short I course*, he would, I think, run a good mile and a half under 7st 3lb, and it is remarkable how well he has always run on <th» Wellington course. His second to Lottie ■ in the Thompson Handicap must not be forgotten. His recent running on the West Coast, however, doea not point to i - him as likely to run forward. Princess May is bred well enough and has shown i galloping .form of a fair order, and the other three left in below her can e&cb cover a mile and a half decently, bat to* sum up I fancy that Lottie will win'and that Mahakt and Lady Ze&< land may be the most likely to contest i supremacy. In the Anniversary Handicap I like ALLANA-DALE best, and next to that horse her et&blt I companion Dreamland, if started, may i take some beating. Tahitarata is perhapt a likely outsider. I have most fancy for ! Black and Red in the Nursery, and St. John of the others will give a good account of himself. Of tlie hurdle racers I think Clarence: is most likely to score, though should » Sedition be herself she will give them si] ~ some trouble. Dreamland ? .and Tuhltarata if not started in a previous v'C race may he found at the bead of affairs io , the Welter. .',,'■ .. . ' . - : , ; . ..' ; PARAS - ~.; , -">- ---in the Disposal Stakes I give as a chance £| shot, and I can see nothing to beafc ' /^ Bbitomarte - '$ v in the Telegraph Handicap, in which race, however, Saracen would, i thins, enow to better advantage than ii* a longer one. * Fred. Hedge, whose death by in the Timaru Harbour was recorded .-# during the week, was- one of the moet ; .|g fearless, not to cay reckless, riders that ever threw leg over a horse, and some years agb was always up in leading steeplechasing events of thli'Jj£ colony. Indeed there are few leading courses In New Z aland upon which blunt-apoken and ever-ready Fred had noi''sp: been seen. Hβ had the sad failing of manj||| brother knights of the pigHkin, in th»6|||| : he Imbibed too freely, and it was on account chiefly that he was not more often in the saddle during the laat £ *|§| years in which he was following hie PWifl feasion. It may be said of him that'liftJp fairly revelled Iα ago between the ||| and those who have ridden In races agalo»y|l him say that he waa a great one to taljpj|l the while. When the pace was aoraelmg| the batter he liked 11, .and whenever tb!f|p real business, commenced Hedge be heard to say, " We're a going ,w% 1| lads," or "Now we're a sulUogj J boys," or some such expressions* thett -jf wan, however, seldom, a poor paceft&|f If Hedge was allowed to have his way, for be wanted nothing better mount on something good enough to co tsN|| the front and stop there. He had known to rlak a fall himself by tactics calculated to bring down Othewji| who attempted to go the pace with Though he rode some extraordinary ras6o|| and had a good many winning mounts, successes were chiefly in the less imnot£;l||t ant contests, but in the N.Z. National Steeplechase of 1881 he *os#j| Clarence to victory, and • had the experience of riding The Agent second money as well. The latter iel|^ ! with H. Lunn some dietance from 'home , i|§g; and' Hedge after fluiehlng with 01«|je«ifi: land weighing io, caught The Ageai^ftll' jumping him over the last fence, home too. Of late years a precarious life, being here, everywhere, never for any length of tlttSt|p; remaining in the one place, and was stated frequently that he had co'aj£]raj||fc for a fortune, the reports evidently best/a poor foundatioQi for HedgeftraffM nearly always without money. ItJ wffltf|,2r probably always remain a mystery got into the water and met his deafc&V Iw2|| chose who knew the.life the led, will have their owu surmises t ing the open verdict "found drowiu&*' sS