RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 21090, 30 April 1932, Page 9

RACING NOTES

[By St. Clair.]

RACING. May 4, s.—Egimnit Racing Club. May 12, 14.—Wanganui Jockey Club. May 13, 14.—Southland Racing Club. May 14.—Waipa Racing Club. May 21;—Ashburton County Racing Club. May 21. —Waikato Racing Club. JOTTINGS. The Otautau Racing Club’s Meeting to bo held on the Invercargill course on May 21 offers £428 in stakes. Nominations close next Tuesday at 8 p.m. with the secretary at Otautau. It is reported from South Canterbury that P. T. Hogan has sold Fabriano and ■ the steeplechaser _ may join J. 18. Pearson’s stable at Riccarton. When Reonui won a hurdle race at Moorficld (N.S.W.) this month it was his first success since he won the Rosehill Stakes in February, 1929. Reonui is now racing as an cight-yearold. The Forbury Park Trotting Club has received excellent acceptances for the first day of its meeting to be held next week. The class of horses engaged is even, and only fine weather is now required to make the fixture a most attractive one.

Although he has not been represented by many important winners in Now Zealand this season, it is stated that P. V. Mason, private trainer to Mr G. D. Grecntvood, has missed prize-money at only two of the last fifty meetings at which horses from his stable have raced.

An English paper relates that Mr John Faulkner, of Appleford, Berks, the veteran jockey, has just celebrated his 104th birthday. He started riding in 1851, and for his first mount received threepence. The Railway Department advertises arrangements in connection with the Forbury Park Trotting Meeting at Dunedin on May 5 and 7. Excursion tickets are being issued to Dunedin. A special horse train is being run from Christchurch to Dunedin on May 4, and a special train for passengers and horses will leave Dunedin for Christchurch at 7.30 a.m. on Sunday. May 8. The favoured Forbury Park candidate, Gold Country, is reported to have done everything right since he last raced, and he has worked very freely in his recent track essays. He is likely to play a prominent part in the settlement of affairs in the principal event to be decided at Forbury next week.

T. George, who headed the list of winning trainers in the dominion last season, with thirty-six successes, is well on the way to repeat the performance. The seven races credited to Mr J. J. Corry’s team at Nelson last week brought George’s total for the season to thirty-five, or ten more than his nearest rival.

The ex-New Zealander, Don Quixote, started favourite for the Champion Handicap, one mile and a-quarter, at the West Australian Turf Club’s Meeting at Perth on April 16, but he was unplaced. Another New Zealander, Pure Blend, was second. Stealth was also unplaced. On the same day Polydectes was second in tho Kalamunda Welter, seven furlongs. The Agua Caliente people had to indulge in such a big cut in prize money during the month prior to the big race that Mr Davis was fortunate in getting a very valuable stake as the result of Phar Lap’s success. On several days a winner’s share of the most valuable race was only £75, and as many as six out of nine in an afternoon were worth only £SB (at old rate of exchange) for first place. Patrons of the totalisator in Germany are evidently satisfied with a return of any kind. It was recently decided that in future, when there were a dozen or more runners, the place tote should pay a fourth horse. As a heavy commission is deducted from all investments, large dividends on places will be unusual, even in big fields in Germany. “When Phar Lap won the Craven Plate last October,” said H, It. Telford to a ‘ Sporting Globe ’ representative, “you will remember, Peutheus made the pace for him, and he dashed past Pentheus soon after the straight had been entered; well, Pike was pulling him up before the post was reached, and even then ho broke the Australasian record with his time for the mile and a-quarter, 2.2 L If ho could not have done 2min that day I know nothing about horses. I’m sorry now Pike did not let him full out that day just to see what he could have done.” After a good deal of bad luck in training Havaspot was produced at Menangle on April 19, Carrying top weight, 9.13, in the principal handicap he rolled out in tho straight and interfered with Moulliu, who finally deadheated with him. The stewards, after inquiry, placed him second, distasteful for his many backers, for he was a hot favourite. G. Young bad produced him in good fettle, and it was bad luck for him and the ex-New Zealander who owns him, Mr D. Fraser. It is good to read that tho V.R.C. is maintaining its standard of prizemoney. It was thought probable there might be a decrease in some of tho big events, but the Melbourne Cup remains at £7,000 and a £2OO trophy, while tho Cantala Stakes is again £1,500. Tho Grand National Hurdle race again carries £1,500, and though the Grand National Steeplechase has been dropped from £3,000 to £2,500, it is still an enviable stake for any owner. Only one new flat-racing record has been made at Randwick this season, that being Phar Lap’s mile and a-quar-ter in 2.2-1, but in doing six furlongs in I.IOJ, Tom Pinch equalled Pavilion's record for that distance. At a mile and a-half Spearman equalled the previous Randwick best in winning Tattersall’s Cup, and Golden Gate did likewise at seven furlongs. A new record for two miles over hurdles at Randwick is one of the features of the season, Prismatic doing 3.37, which shows that our allegedly bad horses can raise a lot of pare over the jumps as well as on the flat (says the_ Sydney ‘Referee’!. Up to 1901, tho time record for the Sydney Cup was 3.31. Whether tho fault lay with the starter or the drivers, the despatches at Te Aroha on Saturday were marked by the drivers taking control, and in the race won by Mild Derby it was very evident that all were intent on getting out on the “ fly.” This was not to be wondered at following the manoeuvring clone with Free Logan in the previous race. It is to bo hoped (says the Auckland ‘ Star ’) tho same latitude is not allowed at future country meetings, as there were enough complaints heard on Saturday to do for the present season. Tho well-performed hurdler and steeplechaser, Mosstrooper, now at the age of ten years, has entered upon his fourth Grand National preparation at Melbourne. He raced as a three-year-old, but did not appear again until three years later, ami since then he has annexed £13,560 in stakes solely in hurdle and steeplechase events, including the winter double at Caulfield and Flcmington in successive years, and the Australian Hurdle race a second

May 28.—South Canterbury Racing Club. June 1,3, 4.—Dunedin Jockey Club. TROTTING. May 5, 7.—Forbury Park Trotting Club. May 7.—Cambridge Trotting Club. May 14. —Oamaru Trotting Club. June 3, 4.—Canterbury Park Trotting Club.

time, besides being runner-up in the Grand National Steeplechase and third in the Grand National Hurdles.

Tbo Manchester ‘ Sporting Chronicle ’ in some comments on the sweep in Dublin on the Grand National Steeplechase, said: “Moving about among the huge staff of girls engaged checking books and typing receipts were quiet, unobtrusive men who, curiously, all held their right hands in their coat pockets. Those right hands covered loaded revolvers, and the men were a specially chosen guard. The promoters were taking no chances. Mr De Valera’s Administration has no intention of altering the law relating to sweepstakes in Ireland. The Act legalising sweepstakes does not expire until 1934.

The cables inform us that Mr J. D. Davis on April 14 had his phenomenal horse’s heart shipped to Australia (says the Sydney ‘Mail’). Veterinary surgeons describe the heart as “ very large, even for a horse.” This piece of information should be of great interest to Dr Stewart Mackay, who has made an especial study of the thoroughbred’s heart. If the American veterinary surgeons’ report is correct, it would seem that too much has been expected of our champion. According to his usual Australian jockey, J. Pike, Phar Lap was completely knocked out after winning the Futurity Stakes last year, and he ascribes the horse’s defeat by Waterline in the C. M. Lloyd Stakes to the gruelling he received in the Futurity Stakes. Here was another instance of taking the pitcher to the well too often'.

The cables from America received in England relating to Phar Lap, referred to him as an Australian horse, and the turf writers here so describe him, but as he was bred in New Zealand, “ an ardent New Zealander, holding a highly responsible position in this country,” sent “ Hotspur,” _of the 1 Daily Telegraph,’ the following letter: —“ Why, oh why are you persisting in calling the wonderful horse, Phar Lap, an Australian racehorse? I did think you would watch out interest and see that he was duly described as born in New Zealand, reared in New Zealand on New Zealand grasses, the rich land that produces the wonderful meat, butter, and cheese that we send you. Carbine, born and bred in our country, is constantly described as an Australian horse. 1 notice Jerome Fandor, the winner of the Lincolnshire, had Spearmint and Carbine on the dam’s side.”

In reviewing the evidence submitted in a bookmaking case at Wellington, Mr E. Page, S.M., said that the definition of bookmaker in the Gaming Act, 1908, included a bookmaker’s agent, and the Gaming Amendment Act, 1920 (which declared the business of a bookmaker to be unlawful) provided that in any prosecution for an offence against that Act the fact that a person had directly or indirectly offered to make a bet . . . should

be sufficient evidence, until the contrary was proved, that such person was carrying on the ' business of a bookmaker. Section 5 of the Act provided that no person should be deemed to commit an offence against the Act by reason merely of the fact that he had made a bet with any other person upon any particular event, unless it was part of the business of either of such person’s to make bets. At on Thursday morning (says the ‘Press’) Rollo and Warplane worked nicely over two miles, taking 4min 43sec for the distance. The first mile and a-half was done at an easy pace, but the pair rattled over the last four furlongs in Imin 4 4-ssec, putting S' ty of dash into their tasks. Fairywas given an easy mile and a-half, trotting well throughout. Gold Country was timed oyer the last mile and a-half of a two-mile work-out, the final twelve furlongs taking 3rain 20sec, after the first mile of that portion had been left behind in 2min Msec. Holly Bank spoilt an otherwise good display by making a break towards the close of a mile and a-half effort in company with Major Lind. Gay Faroe gave a good exhibition of trotting in company with Great Logan, over two miles. Tho trotter promises to race well in his Forbury engagements. A betting plunge failed at Moorefield on April 16, when the former Vic-torian-trained Watch Officer was beaten out of a place in a division of the Flying Welter. He was backed substantially on the course and in other places, and it is understood that the commission ran into several hundreds. A well-known Victorian who formerly raced good gallopers in Melbourne, made the trip to Sydney especially to back the horse. Watch Officer, who races in the colours of P. C. Brown, Legislator’s trainer, had acquitted himself so well on the track in trials with Legislator that connections planned for a good win at his first start in Sydney. And there was reason to believe that the former New Zealander would live up to the promise he bad given in his galllops. T. Webster had the gelding well placed when the field settled down, but the stiff hill at Moorefield proved his undoing, and ho was beaten into fourth place. That Watch officer will do better there is not much doubt. He .looked above himself in the race, and the outing should improve him. “Hurry On,” in the Taranaki ‘Daily News,’ says Though the amount of money that is going through the totalisator continues to decline, the layers state that when a horse or a double is backed there is no shortage of hard cash, which rolls in from every direction. When this happens the labelled horse comes home with almost monotonous regularity, and it is said that certain parties in the know are making racing pay very 'nicely. In quite a number of cases even the owner of the winning horse gets a surprise when he sees his representative sent out a great deal better backed than its form warrants, but in tlve.se hard times a win is a win, and he knows that the less he says the better it will be for him. It Is hard to believe that the stipendiary stewards are quite ignorant of this state of affairs, but if they are doing anything to check it they are keeping things very dark. Of course it may be that there are some very keen judges around at present, or that the successes of these well-backed runners are merely coincidences, but many people have their doubts. In these times of financial stringency, when one horse, and one horse only, is backed as though there were boom times again, one cannot bo blamed for stopping to do a little hard thinking.” During the Sydney yearling sales recently 1 noticed a colt described in tho catalogue as by a certain horse, and bearing the coat colour and markings of that stallion’s stud mare (writes “Banjo Paterson,” in the Sydney ‘Mail’). This brought to mind the question from “Constant Reader,” so I approached the studmastcr to inquire if a mistake had not been made

in the parentage of the colt. He informed me that the mare had been served three years in succssion by the stallion the yearling resembled, and had proved barren every time: so the following year he mated her with his other stallion, and the result of the union was this colt, who bore a remarkably strong resemblance to the first stallion. In this case there can be no doubt that the saturation theory was borne out, but it so seldom happens that several scientists scout the idea, unless they see for themselves such illutrations as this one. Years ago in England breeders of greyhounds would now’ and again mate a bitch with a bulldog in order to give courage to subsequent litters, and although those by the bulldog would be no use for racing, the effect of the mating was_ expected to impart courage to later litters by greyhound dogs. The saturation theory, therefore, .-was evidently considered efficacious by those dog breeders.