RACING IN CANADA

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 69, 19 September 1932, Page 4

RACING IN CANADA

NEW ZEALANDER'S VIEW

The Canadian methods of - conducting race meetings did not impress Sir. E. P. Healy, SI.P. for Wairau, who returned yesterday from a tour of Canada and tho United States.* Mr.: Healy, who for years has been a member: of the Marlborough Bating Club, and is a well-known figure at the Wellington arid Christchurch Meetings, attended the.races at Ottawa and Eegina, also at Chicago in the United states. ' ■-.■;'■■■. -: ■■■ ..-■■

He said that most of the horses he saw in Canada would be difficult to sell in New Zealand. There were only a few good ones, among them. The meetings lasted for a week or two: weeks,' with racing every day. At Ottawa-the" first race was held at 3.15, and seven- races "were held during the afternoon. ,

There were no preliminaries, the horses going direct to the post. : The barrier was something similar to-that in vogue in New Zealand, but there were attendants at the ban-ier whose duty-it was to see that the horses came Jip hi alignment, and any unruly or stubborn hoTse was. subject to rough treatment. In- some cases the horses were beaten with, .ropes or they were grappled by the nose..with a metal appliance. As a result some of them were in a thorough sweat, before they, started. The jockeys used their whips like flails all the way, no matter what the distance of the race was. After the race the jockeys dismounted before the judge, and also weighed in in his presence. The betting was done at a totalisator, but there were three systems of betting, which were difficult for visitors to understand.

Mr. Healy said 'that' patrons were pestered by the numerous guess'ers who frequented, the course, in the same way as they did in New Zealand years ago. VThere is a lot they could learn from us," he said. "At Ottawa I saw about 200 horses and they were mostly a poor class lot. In one race I say one horse drop dead, and in another one broke a leg. In many cases the owners and trainers are induced by payment of expenses to attend the meetings."