THE TURF.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 74, 20 December 1907, Page 9

THE TURF.

MASTEItTON'TROTTING CLUB. ANXTTAi: MEETING. '(BT OTO SPECIAL' COMIESPON'DENT.) i Mastorton, December 19. • annual meeting of the "Mastorton .Trotting Club was held this afternoon on . the Mastorton Sliqw , grounds. There was a small attendance. ;. The weather was showery till late in tho afternoon, when thoro were several heavy iownpours. i mooting was invested with considerable interest, oWing to the fact that totalisator and bookmaker met " openly.;on,.,tho grounds.., Allowing.,for the' .small 'attdridance," it ;fnust' bb admitted that the totalisator jjot considerably tho worst of..,the" deal.; ' 'l'he mvestiiients for the day \ oil-the;'liiachino £823; against £1777 last'.year,' a' decrease of-£1254. TTiero wero ..- only, two bookmakers on the ground! They !£lO for .the 'privilege;;' and were allowed , each ;V; .clcrk.,- 1 They, had a. good, turnover, .with .profitable.business. of tho totalisator five minutes before'the advertised tiriie of each. raco hampered. thd'-machine,, which, altogether had a bad'day. , In the' one. raco tho .machine closed .down'with an 1 aggregate of £3,' .while at.-that timethe '/'only bookmaker on . tlio ground had iiturndver of £190.. Business oh the : machine improv«J a little as the" afternoon'wore on. -v..

; "Tins', fields ...wore not large, and thero was only ."one., good . finish—the, win ..of; Auctioneer in tlie' Two-mile Borough, Handicap, which he won after conceding Post Boy 51sec. Auctioneer ,alsp wonthe; District Handicap. Both were popular victories. Childstone put npja,:sp]endid perforjiance'in' tKd. big" race, which. but for a tiro. ; in "tho Borough Handicap • ho ;must have had>a good cbance against Auctioneer. It that ■ almost every race was *.'woi£.byr lengths and., lengths. - Re-:-«ults' ' .. : ' MAIDEN HANDICAP, 20 sovs. One mile. Mr.';P..-Auld's Tuheirangi, 1 7sec. (Mouldy)j 1; Mr.', J. West's Ngaraima, 3sec. . (owner), ,2; • Mr. : ;P.. .Liddington's Deborah, 7aeo." ,(li; Falloori), :3. Also started Post Boy," lOses.- -. Won- without effort by fifteen lengths. Timej 2min.-47sec; • ' -' r y'.>''■■■■■ -. TRiAL.TROT, 25.80v5/'Ono,rniie and a , half t —MrV. J,^;West's > .Ticket,. ;7sec. r (owiier), . 1;, Mr. S.,' Liddington's\ Deborah, 7seo. (R. Pallopitjj,'2";'M!r! B." Wadham's Nannie, ssec. (W.yjensen), 3. .' Also started: Post Boy,. i2sec.:V. .Ticket ...led., after-''the . first quarter mile. '*' Won . by," ten, lengths. / Time, 4min. ... 26sec.r. 5 . ; ■! ' ... < . : MASTERTON TROTTING CLUB HANDICAP"f6O:sovB.7' Two milcs.—Mr. T. M'Grath's Child6tijrie,i'4Bsec (G. Price), 1; Mr. W.D. W'ateon's;;R()ckwobd,' 48sec". (Tai Te Tan), 2; E: JMoiildyfs Ma^netj'32sec. (owner), ' B.;' Also' started : Glory,\36seb":; 'Roths-" child;&'4qsec'.'; Gentleman Jack,, '48sec'.;.: An .exceUofit 'racc'; won' by half a"'lehgth'.' Time, 6miri.'36seo. , DISTRICT-HANDICAP, 2§ sovs.: One mile and"ajhalf.rrrMr.-VA. D. Watson's Auctioneer „ U.i>scr. v (J..',Grogg),-l : Mr. P. Auld's 'ShihiTai To;Tau's Apology,; 24sec;'/(6wher),.'' 3; 1 Also started: Giggles," ; lßsecS; Fairfield 'Ily 22sec.; Naiinie, 24secr-/ Tuhirangi and Giggles led .tho field . the -first three-quarters Qf a -,mile. Auctioneor- caught •Tuhirangi 'near . the home ' tum,;.and won oasily.: iTimo, 3min. 40sec: /, :' STEWARDS' pnomile arid/a •Wadham's J Glbry; 27sec. Mri-WPMoiris's Giggles; 27secl (owtfer), 2; Mr/^'H.'-J. : Woodfield's Lotus, 22sec.'.(Ryan), 3. ;; Won .by twenty lengths.. .. . i -BOROUGH'HANDICAP; of 25''sovs 'Two . W. 'D. Watsofi's Auctioneer/11, 12sec. (Grogg), ,1; Mr.- W. D. Watsonls Rddk.wqod.'SSsec. (Tai.Te Tau), 2 ;'Mr. W.'Morris's Post '3.', Also ,32sec.'; Childstone," 22 sec.; 35scc. Rcckwoodj Post Boy," iiid '.'Chiit&t&so led in thb order named' foi; iiiile, where ..Child-' stone!s, tire-.bW .6jit,'.and f he retired.;/ and won'oeasily .by :: 'se.vdral: 4 lengthsC..;, Time; 4min'.:

' ELECTRIC H AXDICAI),, of i 25. sors. - One nSeornllc. S: - J;- Gallagher -(owijor), .1; ,Mr£-J.', West's :Ngaraima,- lOsec.-(owher),t:2j-'Mr, J. (Montgomery's-.Fairfield Ilj 14sec.' (O'Brien), 3. Also started: Giggles, 12s£e« : "016r3r,v6seo;p'..»Teeijy- GvmiS- neyor headed, and won .' with ridiculous easo-by twenty /lengths. Time, 3miu. 2sec. ,

V f^LLERSLIiT.TRAINING NOTES/ '! . / .•'"(BT;.TELEGRAPH—TRESS ASSOCIATION.) .''..' Auckland, December. 19. , _ The. weather " was fine for training operations' at Ellerslie .this, morning.;. The' course proper the 'hurdles was" open, but veryv little '.work was registered \ there, . most of'the, tasks being done on the sand and tan, Waipund; assisted'by RaUparaha 'over the; last'.inile, jjin once round on tho sand 'jn 2min". 3 Z;ssec..'.' Dunbo'rv'o w.as .better than Carl'.Rosa;; oyor'the' same'; journey' in : lmih. 69 ,'i-Dowtifalli. assistecl ';by Clochptte over.ihe; last', s^yen: furlongs; covered a mile aridv,a : .half on/the; course.,properdin'- 2min., 4"' 2-osec.,;v'The' colt finished strongly.' Uhlaiider. beat, Lucroce. over six furlongs, on: the' tan in lmin. 21sec. \ V Fleetfoot was a .length ,better, than Guidwifeat ,tbe..'ohd of five furlongs, covered, in lmin. 3seo.—the fastest of, the season.' Pari: tutu' boat' Star,, Rose, by'five,, lengths'over.' a mile'on tho course proper in lmin. 53,3-ssec, Bobrikp(f; Was going'easier.than Chariteuse at the,finish of five furlongs on the tan in lmin. 6 3-sseC." ;.;i -'* Master. Delavalj rMahuta,. and. First .;Giin finished. in.th(it'.order at the end of a round of the tan,i taking lmin. 52 2-ssec. Dawn,St; Aidari,' and Diamond' Star .were .''companions: over fiye.furlongs on the tan in lmin. 9 '2 : ssec.', .' finishing'., in .the . order, named. Pohutu beat Port. Light by .a. dozen lengths in ohce : rouAd on the tan, ; dorio in lmin. 62." 3-ost-c. Carniania 'And Le ' Beau i 'were almost: on terms, with Red Rain three lengths away,'-.at the end' of 'six furlongs on ■ the course proper in, ,lmin. 21 l-ssec. Finery cohered; foun.£urlongs on 'the same track: in 59. lrosec.. Creusot.covered a round, of the tah' ; in .2min.. 3sec. ; Sir Tristram beat Zimmerman '.'over.; ay similar- journey in lmin. 63scci'"-'. .' ■/' •... . . After •'breakfast.', Cachuca, Lady. Huno, Clareinont; and. Good Faith jumped seven hurdlcsj finishing, in, the order named. Waimangui'Santa Rosa, and Pyralis were abreast at the-end of, five, furlongs on the sandj time lmin;'-6 ■ 2-Sseo?-' Mynota beat Goneral ■ Soult ovorj'fouYsfurlongs 'on the- sand, in 51sec. Bonny .Glen' alone, with a light -weights rana inilo and .a quarter, on the sand, the last round ; in; lmin. l 's6sec."'] The time was very good,. '.but tho colt did not .finish, too .well, and appeared to be aoro on pulling, up. Artillerie -covlsfed five furlongs .'on' the sand in lmin. 4sec. k large number of others worked.- ■■■. ■' " : Mpfiarty,; King Billy, Muskerry, Separator, 'Aborigine,^'andi<Apa arrived-by the Rarawa; this morning;: r ... . •' ': ■

•' BOOBIiAKEIt V. TOTALISATOR.

AN OBJECT-LESSON FROM MASTERTON. (BT TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) . \ Masterton, Decombcr 19. If''the battlo to-day between tho totalisator ; ;knd; ; bookmaker at.the Masterton Trotting .Club's Mooting .can be . taken as a' criterion,'. tho* new' Gaming Act, giving bookmaker's a recognised status,oii raco grounds, has placed a Big nail in the . coffin of country racing clubs. . Tho - Meeting this afterno'on was not important, and was not largely attended, but thero was tho fact that on almost'every occasion'tho bookmaker beat tho machine, this notwithstanding that, excepting favourites, tho machino offered tho best, odds' Time after time, when the totalisator was offering from ten to eighteen to -one, the bookmakers' prices .woro threes; fours; orfives to one. Still it was the bookmaker who did the principal, business. It is admitted that'the Club made a mistakti in allowing them to take their stand closo to tho machine. : This enabled" the' casual bettor to miiko a'comparison, and, for,all Club officials might ho may have made his bet' on tote.,.odds, as there was no possiblo reason why'tho bookmaker should not accept tot'o odds' sUontly. There is littlo doubt that when pressed by clients ho did so. . ■ At last year's meeting tho Masterton Club reaped a benefit of £130 from tho totalisator proceeds; to-day it was reduced to £40,

which, with two £10 notes from two bookmakers who practised thoir profession, made £60, a direct loss of £70, the value of the biggest stake. , . .. J'rom statements rnado by bookmakers, it would appear that racing clubs were a-sking I too much in requesting a fco of £20 a day for a bookmaker without a clork, but it. seemsthatithis amount is necessary if .racing clubs hope, to . survive. It. is not a question .of charging, a percentage on the stako money at all. -It is a question of how many bookmakers there'aro going to bo at a mooting. If bookmakers form an Association, and only a few. of their number visit each meeting, '. tho ; cfiibs will .be virtually strangled, 11111053 tlioy can put up an almost prohibitive tariff. ---- '■' ■ ■ •4 - _ "Tho question for tho public," said a prominent racing,: man to v a Dominion , representative, is this: Are clubs to bo allowed !to mako,..a, profit in order to increaso their stakes and beautify thoir grounds, or is tho 'monoy to go into tho'pockots of tho bookmakers and be lost for ever? Another point which racing' clubs;,might take notice of in future is to keep:tho:bookmakers' stand asfar -as possible from the totalisator. This is most important.. A' big clock .on tho m'a.Cliino for tho bonefit of tho'public in order to let ■ them know when the totalisator \was closing down would also bo an advantage to' tho ..clubs from a, monetary point, of Viewed from,- almost' every point, /country clubs would' bo wiso in doing tnoir utmost to Iteep bookmakers from their courses."'. ■ • ' BOOKMAKERS', LICENSES.' (IIT TEtEGEAPH—PBES3 ASSOCIATION.) .... : . ' Palmerston North, December 19. V • •Nino bookmakers ■ have applied, for admission' at the Manawatu Meeting. At a special meeting of tho committee of tho Manawatu Racing Club. held to-night to 'consider, a\lotteir. from' Messrs. VWilford- and' Lovi, /solicitors,-of .Wellington, on: behalf' of theibookmak'ors, claiming the right : to ' any portion of ;i the riioecourse, it was decided 5 to allot)three-fourths of tho saddling 'paddock to tho' bookmakers to wager'in. :.Tno committee agreed-to meet a deputation from the : Wellington Bookmakers'. -Association tomorrow afternoon., Applications. from bookmakers, for, licenses for the first day's racingonSaturday next closed to-day. •. Eleven wero issued. . ; ".