AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 87, 9 October 1937, Page 22

AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE

BUMPER TURNOVER AT OTAKI

OUTLOOK FOR MASTERTON AND WELLINGTON

(By "Rangatira.")

T)taki be any criterion, racing at the southern end of the North Island may be in the beginnings of a mild boom such as during the last two seasons has been a feature of racing in the Auckland district, in particular at the provincial meetings'. Without any special attraction in the way of horses or races—indeed, some of the fields were very mediocre—Otaki was patronised from the city almost'as though it were a meeting at the Trentham headquarters, to the complete surprise of officials and all. When the acceptance was made for the meeting a couple of days previously, the club s secretary, Mr.-N. Winiatay expressed keen disappointment >. at the response, and he-h?td then only faint hope that the meeting would be a financial success. Not only did the meeting show a substantial profit, but the investments .were astonishing for such small fields* .with•■■none.of the good horses engaged and favourites scoring only once during the whole day. Nearly £16,000 was handled, an increase of 75 per cent, on the previous year; and the turnover was over £2000 better than the metropolitan • Dunedin Meeting, with excellent fields and good weather, was able to ring up on Thursday.

It would be rash to assume that all meetings about Wellington, during the next few months at least, are going to enjoy the same good fortune as the Maori Club did last week, particularly as the trend during the last quarter has been for turnover increases of only about 20 |ier cent.; but the coming meetings at Masterton and: Trentham have drawn such a good class ofror.se that onewould, expect very substantial increases in the investments at these fixtures. Masterton next Thursday and Saturday may be a fair indication whethef Otaki's bumper attendance and. turnover; were, fortuitous or real. llie steady flow of increased receipts thai were registered * throughout last season, in -the Dominion, averaging very nearly 40 per cent., seemed at the close of the term to be too strong a current to continue much longer. A further 25 per cent, average, increase this season . would take racing back very near the boom year, 1920-21. That is an end which the more thoughtful club vexecutives do not quite .desire to reach; for there is no knowing what may lie beyond. Stability. and certainty are a. rather happier situation in the realm of racing than a progressive "boom" that everyone. knows must some day stop For when a boom stops, there comes reaction. • ; .. ■ , It will be most interesting diiriug , the next few months to watch the movement of the totalisator; barometer. Every present indication is that toe rotation will continue clockwise for some time at least ahead. The next critical stage in the upward graph may be reached when toe wool sales are in full swing. If the buoyancy of the last two seasons still rules that market, then totalisator turnovers should continue their flourishing way. CUDDLE'S REAPPEARANCE. In "the meanwhile excellent meetings are promised for Masterton next week and for Wellington the following week. Some of the Masterton fields will not be over large, but they are better all round than the Otaki fields were and the quality is superior. The Masterton course at Opaki is one of the finest country tracks in the Dominion, -roomy eeeeoeoeoeeeeeeeeeoQeeeeeo TRENTHAM SAFETY MARKS The safety margins for the shorter-distances on the Trentham racecourse arc:— Five furlongs 29 Six furlongs V.29 Seven furlongs 30 One mile 30 eceaeooeoeeeooesesoooosoco and spacious, and horses that can perform with success there are usually capable of. going on to. further wins on the metropolitan courses at Trentham and Riccartoti. Time and again Masterton' has given the correct, clues for the bigger meetings, and next week s form should afford a most useful line for the many who will be interested, in the Trentham results toe following The second day's racing at Masterton next Saturday should be of special interest* There that phenomenal mare, Cuddle, one of the , best of her sex ever to have raced in Australia and New Zealand, is to make her reappearance in the mile and a quarter C. F. Vallance Memorial Handicap. At the same meeting two years, ago, when racing for the first time in Mr. K. J. Murphy's colours, she won with a brilliant and overpowering burst through •the field in the straight, and then,she went on to capture the New Zealand Cup and her first Auckland Cup. "Weight may stop her winning first up on this occasion, but she will not be disgraced, and at least racegoers will have toe opportunity of judging for toemselves whether, this, m toe is not looking every bit as well this season, despite her eight years, as she has done at any time in the past. The-Master-ton Club is indeed fortunate to have Cuddle among its entrants, _asthis rioble mare is one of toe strangest drawcards in the land. TRENTHAM'S problems. One felt tempted also to suggest that those whose big interest in race meetings is the totalisatpr enjoy themselves at Masterton next week before "going racing" at Trentham, .where the fields are Ukely to prove Vepr difficult to analyse, because of. their huge dimensions and toe wide array of foro that will clash. There is, of course. an old adage about the bigger the field the bigger the certainty; . but this aphorism applies only occ in races such as injuden or two-year-old events, rarely in handicaps, unless the handicapper has, completely overlooked some horse s performances. There are not; going to be many erf these "Certainties at Trentham m a 10 FSlds t 'of t Mty entrants, are always something worthy of special mention. But in toe Wellington nommations fhereVa field in which cpventv horses are listed. , ims is xne Novice Handicap on toe final' day of the meeting, so that if anything- like the average percentage remains in at thl acceptance it will be a real Labour te. who: second day, with its 64 entrants, will be less of a trial only in degree for investors, though the fixed weights may invoke the maxim about the bigger the field, etq.^ As far as can be ascertained a nomination of 70 is a record for any «*., a Wellington Meeting. The lists have been searched back through the peak years without revealing any field of such dimensions. Sometimes at Auckland there have been . Aelds.of. near such numerical nomination strength, but Trentham is having its first experience. Pressmen, no ■ , less than the punters, thp acceptance will see ou per cent, at least of toe entrants pass out ° Thf Gentries for .the coming meeting Is easily a recordfor lincton spring fixture, even on a per diem average. This y e ar's figures, 78 for the three days, are a big increase on last year's 603, and last year was also well up on toe previous years 426. Prior to then there were only i*?,o days in October, except in 1933, jtnd the total for the two days never cached the 500 mark. Though this is such a huge nomination, it is nevertheless hot quite a •yjcord for a three-day meeting at Trentham. According to the club's statistics the present figures were exceeded at the 1929 Summer Meeting, when 915 entries were received. Yet on that occasion no individual race received more than 56 entrants, a ficuro that has been twice bettered in the list for the coming meeting. The

fields that went to the post at the 1929 meeting ranged only up to 26 in number, though there were many fields in the twenties; but it is quite likely that the thirty mark will be passed on some occasions in, a fortnight's time, in which case the unusual spectacle of division races may be witnessed at Trentham. ' , , At the Summer Meeting last January the three days' aggregate was 654, but the maiden and novice events then filled disappointingly. It is pleasing to note that toe big minimum stake of £300 given by the Wellington Club, combined with the recent raising of the leading prizes as well, has resulted in exceptionally strong fields being drawn on this occasion for the minor events. The recordentry (for a Winter Meeting at Trentham is toe 752 secured two seasons ago, but the fields then declined by well over 50 per cent, at the acceptance. At the last July focture toe three i days' entries totalled 682, the percentage of acceptance, however, being much better than in the previous year. ... , , It may be that there will be problems for all .at the coming Wellington Meeting. But there are compensations, too. Just think of the win dividends ithat fields of, thirty make possible if the outsiders come home, as-they so often do at Trentham in the spring! And toe dividends on the place machine will be like ordinary dividends oft toe win machine. After all it should be easier selecting the right ones .from among twenty or thirty than drawing the winning marbles in any consultation. ■■■■-'. ' -

SENIOR MEMBER

THE RACING CONFERENCE Twenty-six years' unbroken service as a representative to the New Zealand Racing Conference is the- distinction held by Mr. J. H. Perrett, of Sanson, who is toe senior sitting member of toe present Conference. Though he has never figured as an owner nor in the highest executive offices, Mr. Perrett has done a great deal for racing, and perhaps there is no man on the present executive who is.more fluent with the rules and practice of the Conference than he is. Mr. Perrett was first elected' to represent the Wanganui district clubs in ldll, and he is still the representative for those clubs.: In 1921 he became a member of the . old dates committee (now"merged in the executive), and since July, 1926,' he has been a member of the executive. He has also performed many other valuable duties, including acting on numerous occasions as a judge on appeal. For many years Mr. Peirett was also president' of the . Rangitikei Racing Club, and since ' relinquishing that position he has continued to be one of toe club's , vice-presidents. He has also at various times been a member of the Feilding Jockey Club committee. During the late war years he acted as judge for a number of clubs, but in more repent years he has-confined his activities in the sporting world, to his association with executive matters. " There are few better known or more regular .racegoers than Mr. Perrett, who rarely misses a meeting within , a wide radius of Sanson. Yet he has never desired to own a racehorse. He has always believed that the owning of horses is a pastime only for those with ample leisure, and, though he has "generally been able to find the tißifc to indulge in his favourite recreation of watching the races as the race days come along, he has otherwise always been too busy on his farms to have the additional worries of a racehorse owner on his shoulders.