NOT TOO POPULAR

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 71, 25 March 1931, Page 6

NOT TOO POPULAR

SELLING RACE REVIVAL

.The rrvivnl nf a selling- race on llic C'.J.C. mitiimn programme has been the subject of much reminiscent discussion among veteran sportsmen, but it has not evoked a great deal o£ support from owners; the ■nomination list for the Gimcraek Selling Handicap contains only 10 names. This race, however, differs from the old races, in that it is a handicap, the winner to be sold after the race to Ihe highest bidder, -without reserve, says "Sundridge." Although selling races -were featured at Southland meetings till a few years ago, one has to go back to August, 1915, for 1 he last selling race run under the auspices of the C.J.C. This' was the Woolston .'Plate, run on the second day of the Grand National Meeting, and it was won by Teviotdale, ridden by A. Woraald. The conditions of this and previous races of ■the kind" wore that the winning horse should be sold as soon as possible after the race, the proceeds to be divided equally between the owner of the second liorse and the Race Fund (the club). The weight was 9.0. The first horse collected si stake of 84 soys, the second horse 24 soys, and the third horse 12 soys. In this instance, the winner was bought in for •XIBO, so that the owner of Scorch, the second horse, collected £114, against the XB4 that went to the winning owner.

Another type of Selling Plate common f\n race programmes prior to this period ■was that in which horses were handicapped according to the value placed upon them, and they had to be sold at the ifipire named. For example, a competitor v-ho had a value of £250 placed on him Mould be rated at 0.0, one rated at £200 Would carry 5.7, and so on. A horse could jwin any number of selling races, provided Ihe owner was prepared to meet the opposition in the Ting, and it was this am! ihe other features instanced here that raused them to go out of favour.