MAURICE McGRATH

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 200, 21 May 1936, Page 15

MAURICE McGRATH

Opinions on Betting FAVOURS THE “BOOKS” The Lure of Australia Mr. JI. T. .McGrath, of .Melbourne, is on a visit to New Zealand, accompanied by his wife and daughter, and they have been in Christchurch during the last few days (writes "Argus”). Jlr. JlcGrath has been associated with racing all his life. He is a New Zealander, and in his young days he was a successful trainer in Jlaslerton, but in 1911 he decided to try bis fortune in Australia. He settled in .Melbourne, where he has resided ever since, and he has had no reason to regret his change of residence. His stable at Caulfield contains only six boxes, but he wins his full share of races, with their accompaniment, as he is a game backer when be fancies any of his horses. The New Zealand-bred Arauuah, a member of the team, has won since his trainer has been in the Dominion. The visitor was present on Saturday at the Ashburton meeting. He went in , the company of the Riccarton trainer, ' F. D. Jones, who won a race during the day with Cyrillian, so it is probable that the tripi included at least one successful visit to the totalisator. Jlr. JlcGrath is not an admirer of New Zealand betting methods. When training in Jlasterton as a young man, he turned out many wiuneiv, but the short prices that had to be accepted under the two dividend system did not appeal, especially after he had had an opportunity to study Australian conditions, with the bookmakers, during a visit to Sydney with his father. It was as a result of this brief experience that he later decided to settle in Australia. Bookmakers. Discussing present conditions after several weeks in New Zealand, during which he ha» attended a number of race meetings, he has formed the opinion that racing would benefit here by the licensing of the bookmakers. They would provide a market for owners to support their horses at a reasonable price, after which the public could be accommodated. Like most men who have done their racing in bookmaker countries, he holds the view that the owners are entitled to this consideration, instead of having to take the same price, as on the totalisator, with the general public. Apart from the bookmaker question, the excessive taxation must prevent racing from making any progress in New Zealand. "How is it possible,” he said when discussing the position, "for anyone to make money in. a game with three and sixpence taken out of every pound for taxation?" He quoted France as a totalisator country where a share of the deductions was given back for the benefit of breeders, but the New Zealand Government did nothing to assist racing in any way. As showing how racing had suffered, the visitor quoted a North Island meeting at which, in bis young days, it would not have been hard to pick a dozen horses capable of winning big stakes in Australia. He .had attended a meeting on his present trip and had been amazed at. the poor class of horses he saw racing there. Hprse-breeding Country. There were natural advantages which made New Zealand the equal of England or Ireland as a horse-breeding country, but though many great horses were bred here, not many of them were retained. Australian buyers picked the choice lots out of the yearling sales each season, and also bought many of the best older horses, after they were developed, while others that were not sold made regular pilgrimages to Australia to race. The attractiveness of Australia was not. hard to understand. If a man had a good horse that could win, he was in a position there to get a lot of money, which was not available to him at home. For the same, reason a horse was worth much more money in Australia than in New Zealand, where his earning power was not so great. The Desir© to Bet. The fact that so many owners raced their horses in Australia was evidence that they desired the opportunity to bet in the open market provided by the bookmakers. If the bookmakers were licensed in New Zealand there would not be the same inducement to scud horses abroad, and racing here would benefit by their presence. Owners would be able to win money, and their horses would have a greater value at home. Aa a result New Zealanders would be in a position to retain many of the best yearlings, which now went to Australia. Although he has had no experience in the trotting sport, Mr. JlcGrath spent a pleasant day with Mr. J. R. McKenzie, whose team of horses provided great, interact, as did the horses of Mr. G. J. Barton, at Addington, including Indianapolis. .Mr. McGrath lias left on a visit to the Elderslie stud, but he will return to the North Island to-morrow. When he goes back to Australia, leaving Wellington on June 4, he will take three horses. Erua will go into his own stable, and so will Jlr. A. S. Higgs’s Posterity—Spotlight yearling filly, a handsome youngster. The third, the Posterity—Genesta colt, will be handed over, on arrive, to Air. Erie Connolly, for whom he was purchased at the Trentham sales in January.