WELLINGTON AUTUMN MEETING

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 65, 17 March 1934, Page 21

WELLINGTON AUTUMN MEETING

SUCCESSFUL DAY FOR FAVOURITES

INVESTMENTS SHOW SHARP DECLINE

Ideal weather prevailed for the opening day of the Wellington Kacing Clubs Autumn Meeting^at Trentham yesterday, and there a splendid attendance and brilliant racing. However', despite the success of the favourites, the totalisator figures were always in arrears over last year's first day turnover, in accord with the present unfortunate trend, and the 'day's aggregate investments of £24,311 10s were a decline of over 16 per cent, on last year's figures. ' Twelve months ago ths Friday was St. Patrick's Day, but this day is not a closed holiday and the effect on the turnover would be negligible. A feature of the racing was the outstanding success of the three-year-olds Golden Hair, Diatomous, and Spiral in the Thompson Handicap v ßailway Handicap, and the New Zealand St. Le^er Stakes respectively. . Fast times were recorded in the shorter events, but the returns for the longer events were just average. During the day four favourites came home the winners and two other favourites occupied places. No dividend reached double figures, either win or place, a rather remarkable occurrence for a course so notoriously known as the "Punters' Graveyard."