SPORTING.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLVII, Issue 52, 31 December 1920, Page 6

SPORTING.

[By Vladimir.]

■ FIXTUR.ES. Jim. I.—Wynd'kam IJ.C. Jan. I.—Waikonuiti li.C. Jan. ], —llawkes Buy J.C. - •Tan. $, 4. —Southland lI.C. Jan. 7, 8. —'Vincent J.C. Jan. 12, 13. —Cromwell J.C. Jan. 20, 22, 24.—Wellington li.C. Jan. 21.—Otauf:m ]?.('. Jan. 2(i. —Tapauui If.(J. Jan. 2(5, 29.—Takapuna J.C.

Tlic Wyndham llncing Club have splendid acceptances for thoir mooting

to-nionow. For the Wymlhaniv 'Cup there air no fewer than la, and all the other races are well 'supported. there ibeing an average ot' M per nice. A train lta\es Utili-lutliM at 7.4<i for Wymihr.'ii, avrivin;; there at 11 a.m. Lawn tick.!? will be available from a steward of the clirb at Clinton and- on the train.

The Dunedin J.C."s Summer meeting opened on (Monday in fine weather.

There was a good attendance, and soinc interesting rating. The totalis;-'':- investments for the day showed an increase of £11,543 10s over those for the corresponding dav of last Mummer meeting. The actual (inures wore: For Monday, £3*,©23; Inst year, £20,799 10s.

The Auckland IJX'.'s Summer meeting opened on '.Monday in tine weather. There was a iccnrd attendance, including the Guvornor-general and Lady Jellicoe. The Cnp provided a fine eontest, with a {Treat linish between the placed horse*. The totalisntor handled £154,188 10s, compared with £124,916 Ms last Boxing Day. The Cup, of £3OOO, was won by Starland (Glover), First ' (Salute 'being second. The Kailway Handicap went to Statuette (H. Gray). Silver Link second. 'The racing was continued on Tuesday in 'beautiful weather, and there was again a large attendance. Tie investments for the day were £36,806. The totals for the two days' racing were £75,429. which is an increase of £13,202 10s on last vear, when the investments totalled £00.226 10s.

. The weather was delightfully fine on Monday for the annual fixture of tke Gore Trotting Cliib. There was a record attendance, including visitors

from ns fur away as Cliristchurch, Timaru, Onmaru and Dunedin, while every centre in the home province was

strongly represented. The gate recipts amounted to • £754. as compared •with £4SS last year, when the figures constituted a record. The president •(Mr li. A. l'igeon) took a very prominent part in the management of the fixture and personally superintended

the carrying out of details, and Mr 'F. "Wallis got the fields awav well in his capacity of honorary starter. Mr "W. G. Garrard, of Uhristciiurch, acted as sti-

pendiary stewaid. 'The totalisator investments amounted to £21,699, as cornJd with £14*246 last year, i unfortunate mistake on the part omeolie engaged on the totalisator ' caused a. lot of discontent at day's meeting of the Gore Trotting Cltfb. 'A dividend on a horse was posted on the machine at a certain figure, ! but this was quite obviously a mistake when judged toy the totals on

the machine. The error was discovered later, , but in the meantime several (backers of the .second horse had been paid out short of the dividend they •were entitled to, and many are now wondering 'where the unpaid dividend will go to. ■What- is a sportsman! asks a nor-

them witer, :nul goes on to*say: —Is he a person who makes bets with a 'bookmaker or on the totalisator? This would seem to 'be llou. 'C. J. Parr's idea •Of a sportsman, when in referring to the new Gaming Act he said he did not •wish to interfere with "sportsmen." Don't these racing people rather tend to monopolise the word? And what is a sport? Is "oinjr to a racecourse, watching a race or races and putting anonev 011 the tote sport? Those who ■play—actually play—such games as football, cricket, tennis, fjolf, might 'be allowed to be "sportsmen." They never are.

For several years past 'England has had to depend 011 other countries for first-class jockeys, a fact that drew from the special commissioner olf the Sportsman the following ctfm'ment, which will be of interest to New Zealand opponents of the movement to ■raise the minimum 'weight:—"lt is strange that our home sta'bles produce so few really capable jockeys in . these days, and there. is much in the argument that, instead of raising the minimum weight in handicaps, it should tie lowered. Certainly there were far more good boys in the old days than there are now, and it was possible to back a torse With 4.7 up and not be afraid that his jockey would not iGe able to do him justice. This may have 'been largely due to the fact that (boys could be taken into sta'bles far earlier in life than they are now, when the enforcement of 'book-learning up. to a certain age cuts tlieta off from the chance of early profieieney in riding, but this cannot 'be the sole reason, and it must possible for trainers and owners to bring out more jockeys than they do, though backer? are apt to complain if an unknown apprentice is put up on a favourite."