SPORT AMD PASTIME.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 23, 27 January 1912, Page 20

SPORT AMD PASTIME.

The Turf. FIXTURES. 'Jan. 27 and 29 — Takapuna J.C. Summer. Feb. 1 and 2— Gisbdrne R.C. Summer. Feb. 1 and 3 — Canterbury J.C. Summer. Feb. 7 and B—Egmonfc8 — Egmonfc R.C. Summer. Feb. B— Te Kuiti -R.C. Annual. F«b. 14 and 16 — Taranaki J.C. Autumn. Feb. 21, 22, and 24— Dunedin J.C. Autumn. Feb. 21 and 22— Woodville District J.C Autumn. Fob. 29 and March 2 — Wanganui J.C. Autumn. Mitch 6 and 7 — Dannevirke R.C Autumn. March 13 and 14— Napier Park R.C Autumn. NOTES ANITcONIMENTS. (By Sir Bedivere.) " Hie next event of importance to be derided is the Middle Park Plate, which .will be run at Riccarton on 3rd February. Twenty-three horses •of various ages continued their i engagement after declaration of forfeit, the best, however, of "Which are Counterfeit, Royal Scotch, Autumnue, Winning Way, Bleriot, and Gnome, the last-named of whom carried Mr. G. D. .Greenwood's colours home in a rather, impressive manner in the Pioneer Handicap on 11th November. On present appearances, the event is generally: regarded as likely to bo a match between Sir George Clifford's elect and Royal Scotch. » - / • -If the majority of the other entrants lor the Midsummer Handicap were to be given any chance of success at all, Counterfeit wa* bound to receive a heavy impost. , Mr. Henrys has allotted her 9.13, or, fio far ac I am able to ascertain, the highest weight ever ( placed upon a three-year-old filly in an event to be decided at this season of the year in New Zealand. Masterpiece is assessed to, be (sexual allowances being only regarded) 121b, her inferior, .and with this Midst critics will fully agree. Byron receives 7lb from Masterpiece, as against 91b in the Wellington Cup Handicap; and Odessa is set* to, meet Sir Goerge Clifford's colt' on 141b worse terms than tie did over a ten-furlong course .. at (Trentham. v | _ A 'Comprehensive scheme, / involving heavy expenditure, is, it is said, on foot for perfecting the totalisator ar-' l'angements at ElWslie. The proposal ig' to' build an entirely new totalisator Jiouße, similar in design to that lately erected at the Metropolitan Trotting - jClub*B..c&urs6-at Addington. This buildjjngv which ia dual octagonal in ' shape, is unquestionably " far ahead of any other" yet constructed for- a -similar purpose in the 'Dominion. The ticketseliere are all on one side of it, and the lp»y-out clerks on the other, whilst all moneys converge to and are distributed "(from the cashier's office, situated right ia the centre of the building. Tn due /Course the Wellington Racing Club will iave to go in for a new totalisator-house, tor, though the staff employed at the precent meeting did Wonders in the cir- j xumstanceSj the present structure is of much too inconvenient a shape to per- j mit of thgt transactions being carried out j as conveniently as is desirable. Whilst cqm^eting* at the Taranaki Summer Meeting, True Shot met with a mishap which will, it is said, necessi/iate her retirement from the 'Turf. She gf& badly kicked on one of her hocks, and, although the injury did not^ at first promise to be attended with serious results;, she -has now become quite crippled. When at her befit she was a id&Bgeroas mare, in even good company, over 'a short course, but she was almost invariably troublesome at the barrier, and . so not seldom got left. From the winter edition of "Ruff's Guide to the Turf," now in "the press, ithe London Sportsman learns that the (total amount of stake-money won on ithe flat in Great Britain and Ireland during the just expired racing seas6n [Was £547,476 3s, which constitutes' a . record . The next highest total was 1 £546,099 18s, m 1909. Though many do not Tecognise the ifaet, no branch of the great business of lacing has been so completely revolutionised during the last forty years as ibookmaking. In' the early .days the 'Australian bookmaker did all his betting himself. His stock-in-trade comprised 3 small pocket-book, the leaves of which iwere a specially-prepared paper, and a metallic pencil There was no chance of •" faking " a wager- once it was put down in those books. Busy men (were Messrs. Bill Branch, Saqui, E. E. Jones, J. Miller, P. BtenMster, Tom Hopkins, the brothers 'I'h.oißpson, Tom Oroker, . Lou Green, D. - Melhardo, and oth'ers-. The introduction • of cash ibettmgy with its book and bag, brought jwith it, the betting clerk, and quite altered the betting business on the racecourse. In the early days there wer« (partners in bookmaking — the most notable combination, perhaps, .being Messrs. {Miller, Jones, and O'Brien, the ifacfc that they laid the biggest wager Hhat has been recorded in Australia, '£50,000 -to £500. the double, V.R.C [Derby and , Melbourne Cup, Navigator and Gudarz. At the present day leays •" Martindale ")» both in Sydney and Melbourne, there are several bookmak ing firms, and the matter of partners' liability has been 'discussed by the .comanil/tee of Tattersall's Club. That body lias ruled that partners are liable for each other* betting debts', whether contracted- by -laying against, or backing horses. This ruling is a •cry important one to those concerned, and it makes each responsible for. even private business. The imported sire Hymettus has been given every chance to distinguish himself at Karamu, some of the best-bred mares in the stud having been associated ■with him. Asiatic, Derelict) Dryad; Evilene, Hinewhata, Ideala, Kilha'ra, Selene, Simais, Target, and Temerity each produced a colt to him, and Ideal, (Intelligent, Malnn, Mandola, Martyrium, Paean, Parula, Snooze, Temeraire, and Witch Hazel each foaled a filly to ;the same sire. At the same stud Birkentoead is represented by colts from Areithusa/Banzai, Camelot, Enna, Eos, Mobility, and Witchet, and fillies from jChant, Chanson, Hinetaura, Martyr, (Links, and Syracuse. 'Although there has not been any betting jforth a quotation on next yeaf's Derby, says a recent edition of the London Sportsman, there is no doubt that ,-when books are opened on the big Epsom, race Lomond (trained by Wootton) and' White Star will be the two leading tfavonrites. There are, however, 201 othfcr horses left in, and of these some ,of the following, given alphabetically. ,will doubtless figure mote or less p-romi-neatly in the wagering^ French candidates ar«* not for the time being taken into account : Aiglen, Charmian, Clodus. Coriander, Cylad, Jaeger, Javeain, Jingling Geordie,. Kemp^on, Lorn, Lorenzo, and Sweeper 11. A few others might* easily be included, and two or three of those mentioned might perhaps 4»e omitted, but opinions are bound to differ, and the iist is only given to afford some idea of what the opposition io the champions of Mr. Hulton and _i6|?« J- B. Joel may be like.

Swimming Belt, who has been a sad disappointment as a racehorse in Southland, displayed his eavage propensities in an alarming fashion a few days ago. He and Bold Venture, says a Southern' writer, had been worked on the Southland Club's course, and were being ridden back to their stables by boys named Townson and Cameron respectively. The unruly son of Captain Webb, though he was ornamented with a muzzle, suddenly dashed at Cameron and dragged him from the saddlo by the leg. Swimming Belt got Cameron down, despite the frantic efforts of Townson to stay him, and tore some of his clothing away. Cameron's leg was painfully injured before he could escape, and in consequence he was compelled to forego a visit to the Gore meeting. Meanwhile Bold Venture had galloped off, and fears were expressed that he would damage himself, as on a previous occasion when he got free. Eventually the son of Clanrobert was discovered in a vacant section quietly cropping the grass, and Camerongot him home safely. The determined nature of the stallion's attack can be realised when it is explained that he had to reach up, owing to Bold Venture being a much bigger horse, and drag his victim to earth with a light muzzle on. v Presumably Royal Scotch is not to contest the " Middle Park Plate after j all. ' Since writing" as I did regarding I the promised match between' this colt and Sir George Clifford's elect I have ] learnt that the plans in regard to Eoyal Scotch have been changed, and that, instead of going on to Lyttelton, he was j taken .North yesterday with , the other members of Mr. Watt s team that visited Trentham. The representative of the Chokebore Lodge stable will, in his absence, now probably find the Englishbred colt Valido its most, formidable opponent. Whilst at Trentham Valido showed a fine turn of speed in private, but he was unable to fulfil his engage- ! ments at the Wellington meeting owing, it is belie.Ved, to having bruised one of his feet. In the Middle Park Plate he will be competing under most advantageous terms, for he will receive the following allowances : — Five ' pound for being out of a mare that has not bred a winner j 101b for being a maiden three-year-old, and 7lb for having been foaled north of the equator to, English time — , or, in a11,>221b. Counterfeit,, Autumnus, and Winning -Way, on the other hand, ( have each earned a penalty of 101b. • H. Cutts returned South last night, in charge of Counterfeit, Masterpiece, Avarice, Heather brae, Autumnus, Scottish Star, and Winning Way. He also shipped Kimona,- on account of W. M'Donald, who had returned to Riccarton earlier in the week. Kohinoor made the journey to Lyttelton last night under the. care, of T. Cotton, <;jun. DUNEDIN J.C. NOMINATIONS. fSI TELZO&APH — I'RESS ASSOCIATION.] • DUNEDIN, 26th January. The following ' nominations have been received for the-Dunedin Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting :—: — Dunedin Cup, of 600, soya, one mile and a half. — Masterpiece, Countermine, The Cornet, Soldiers' Chortts, Odessa, Tannhauser, Mumura, Adage, Routine, True 4 Knight, St. Aidan/ Oratava, Martine, 'Iney, Rose Noble, Oiyoi, Outlander, Kris. Medallist, Parable. ' Dunedin Jockey Club Handicap, of 400 soys ; one mile and a quarter.-*-Masterpiece, Countermine, The. Cornet, Soldiers' Chorus, Odessa, Obulus, Tannhauser, Mumura, Adage, Routine, St. Aidan, Oratava, Effort, Martine, Iney, Rose Noble, Oiyoi, Waiju, Outlander, Kris, Medallist, True Knight, Parable. AUSTRALIAN JOCKEY CLUB. ANNIVERSARY HANDICAP. By TelejnpO.— Prei« Association.— C<jpyrj«&t.' SYDNEY, -26th January. The following Were the results of the principal events at the Anniversary J Meeting of the Australian Jockey Club to-day : — Anniversary Handicap. A handicap I sweepstakes of 10 soys each, with 500 soys added. For three-year-olds- and up- i wards. Second horse 100 soys, and third horse 50 sove from the prize. One mile and a half. — Mr. John F. Wynne's eh b Electric Wire, 4yrs, 8.9, 1; Mr. N. H. Gibb's b.h King Bee, 6yrs, 7.4, 2; Mr. J. A. Mayo's br g Kurnell, 6yrs, 8.5, 3. There were thirteen starters, including Chaste. After a great finish, Electric Wire won by a short neck, a length and a half separating the second and third horses. Time, 2min 35sec. Novice Handicap, of 200 soys ; one mile. — Joli, 1 ; Boy Blue, 2 ; Sir Hiram, 3. Seven starters. Won by five lengths. Time, lmin 41sec.