THE RACING WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 97, 19 January 1924, Page 19

THE RACING WORLD.

(By

“The Watcher.”)

H.H. Aga Khan is almost as successful in France as in England. His colt Niceas, by Sundridge—Nike, is not quite in the first flight, but was sent to Spain and won the Grand Prix de Saint Sebastien, worth about £4OOO. His Highness won about £14,000 last year in France, and looks to be doing well this season. He certainly deserves it, as he purchased at least a baker’s dozen yearlings last year for about £21,000, and several of them have returned winners. The highest price he paid was £7320 for Dandiprat, by Sans le Sou from Dame Marie 11, by Alcantra 11, but this one has so far not • started. Dandiprat’s dam is a halfBister to Grillemont, who won some good races last year, and is continuing his successes this season. It is a branch of the No. 14 family, that has not had many successes, the best perhaps being the Grand Prix du Conseil Municipal winner Ossian in 1910. His Highness has won several selling races with his youngsters, but ho would lose over Montesa, who cost him £2840, as the race he won was only worth £2OO, ahd he was entered to bo sold for £BOO, but was purchased for double that sum. Poisoned Arrow, who won the Liver pool Cup, of 1800 sovs., run over ten furlongs and 170 yards, at the Liverpool autumn meeting, was got by Spearmint from White Lie, by White Eagle from Jean’s Folly, by Ayrshire from Black Cherry, by Beijdigo. There are three strains of Galopin in the dam of Poisoned Arrow, and from this H will be seen that Carbine, who was taken to England to mate with mares of the St. Simon —Galopin lino, is still fulfilling his mission through his sons Poisoned Arrow is a four-year-old colt and carrying 9st. beat a good field, including Pharos, Twelvp Pointer, Brown Nylda, and several others. Figures showing the revenue received by the New South Wales Treasury from the Sydney pony racecourses were quoted by Mr. E. G. Haves, clerk in the revenue branch of the Treasury, who gave evidence before the Parliamentary Select Committee inquiring into pony racing. Since 1917 taxation returns received by the State from bookmakers operating at pony races amounted to £249,526. The highest revenue from this source for one year was £28.865, in 1921. For the first dleVen months of 1923 the figures wereN £26,9<J5. In the three years the admittance tax at the Kensington, Ascot, Roseberry, and Victoria Park racecourses amounted to £147,000. A financial statement made public by the Westchester Racing Association showed that a net profit of £4441 resulted from the Zev-Papyrus race at I Belmont Park. After paying a war tax of £4500, the association’s total revenue from admissions, programmes, and wittering was about £46,000. Included in, the disbursements were £23,000 for the prize, shipment of Papyrus, and incidental expenses; £2400 for other races; £B5OO for advertising, printing, improvements, preparation of course and maintenance of track for six weeks, and , architect’s- services; £2650 for policing of grounds, ushers, racing officials, music, ticket sellers, etc.; and transportation of horses to ana from YonKerslanZi Laurel, £330. The profit from the match will go towards improvements at Belmont Park, where expenditure in that direction has totalled £165,000 since 1912. During the coming year £20,000 is to be spent on stabling at the track. So much was written about the extreme disadvantage at which 'a race horse is placed by a sea voyage, even of six days, prior to the departure o? Papyrus for America, that an English writer looked up Merman’s record. He says: Merman won .the Williamstown Cup in Australia on November 9, 1896. After that I bought him for Mrs. Langtry, and he was shipped within a month, viz., on DoWmber 8, 1896. After a seven weeks’ vojftge he landed in England on January 20, 1897, and was taken direct to Newmarket, «.o Fred. Webb’s stable. It was a hard frost at the time, very different from the temperature which he had left below the Line. Webb soon nad him at 'work, and ran him at Kempton • Park on April .19 for the Kingsclere Handicap, a mile and a halt. There were eleven runners, and Merman, carrying top weight, 9st. 71t>., made a very bold show, and was third best, though Watts eased him up just at the last and finished fourth. He had been little more than w» months in England, and ho went on to win the Lewis Handicap and Cesarewitch that year, and to develop later on into a far better horse than he had been in Australia. I don’t dispute that his was an exceptional case. Still, there were plenty of Australian horses who made

the voyage in those days, and none the worse for it. Mewhaven, iho Grafter, and Australian Star may be mentioned. It is not the question ot x sea voyage that is serious; it is the change from above the Line to beiow it, or vice versa. To go a voyage to countries on or about the aam«, ‘atituuo is not half such a serious matter. Inns it is that horses go from Now Zealand co Australia and win great races theie, the voyage not troubling them so much as would a long journey by rail, the recent A.J.C. Dei by winner came from New Zealand to Sydney. As .ar as acclimatisation goes, however, as between north and south of the L me, the question hardly arises before a hoise has beer landed at least When it is remembered that Tracery left England in 1920, it must be considered a remarkable performance to sire winners of £35,976 during the season of 1923. Tracery was sold at 53,000 guineas to go to the Argentine, but he is now back again in England. If Papyrus had remained in England instead of racing against Zev in America, Tracery would have probably topped the list of winning sires for the season. Still, even as it was, he achieved a remarkable success His stud success is of considerable interest to New Zealanders, as Topiary, the dam of Tracery, is own sister to The Wag, the sire of Kilbroney. The “Sporting Times” of November 17. contains a caricaturistic sketch of Hector Gray by the facile pencil of “The Tout.” It is published in conjunction with “Field Stewards’ column in the paper, and in commenting on horsemanship, the- writer named makes the following interesting comment: — “I have been much interested in the views on American jockeyship of the few English racing men who popped across the herring pond to see Zev ‘slop out’ Papyrus. I discussed the matter with ‘Hotspur’ of the ‘Daily Telegraph,’ who has also written intelligently on the subject, and he seems to think that wo are reverting to a compromise over hero and that the old American seat is no longer. It would, therefore, be of considerable interest if Earle Sancle could have a season over here. He could not lose financially, and. though I always like to champion home talent, I reckon that racing is a ‘free-trade’ game, and merit' the only real passport to success. While on the subject of jockeys, it has struck me forcibly what- a cosmopolitan calling it is, though few Europeans (apart from British) and few ‘yellow boys’ seem to become topsawyers. When I watched Carslake and Frank Bullock give an exhibition of greatness against each other in a Neu-market race recently, I acknowledged that the debt we owe to Australia, and I must bring in New Zealand as well when I think of Hector Gray. This well-to-do farmer jockey is a daddy of getting away .from the gate—even Donoghue cannot better Gray that end. I fancy that the clear-thinking New Zen lander will admit that the keen competition over here brings a man in a lot. Good as they all were in their native land, they are far better here. Gray does not go out of his wav apparently to seek a lot of riding, but his average is excellent. If ever lie cared to stay on over here and set up as a trainqr, he would command much support, for he knows as much about running a stable as he does riding for it.” The standard of horsemanship on Sydney courses was never lower than at present (says a Sydney writer). It is a matter that calls for attention by the A.J.C. committee, for the public is weary of the ill-judged and incapable riding that goes on at Randwick —to a greater extent, perhaps, than on any course of equal prominence 1 in the world. It- is bad enough to back a horse that would have won by lengths if the jockey had not gone to sleep or ridden it into the ground: but there are worse grievances. Heavily-backed horses are left at thq; barrier: others fall on the flat or are ruined by being galloped on; others again are deliberately pulled out of third position, tote punters being thereby robbed in cold blood. Most of the trouble is connected with the plethora of apprentices. In a race on Boxing Dav in which four horses came down 12 of the 18 starters were ridden by urchins who haven’t served their time; but this is nothing out of the way for Randwick. The time has arrived when the committee should cut out apprentice allowances and make the minimum weight 7st. instead of 6st. 71b.