RACING

Evening Star, Issue 24916, 14 July 1943, Page 5

RACING

[By St. Claik.J

Answer to Correspondent. " Wager."—Kindergarten was handicapped to carry 9.7 in the 1941 Melbourne Cup and 9.13 in last season's race. He has never raced in Victoria. Jottings.

I Handicaps for the Winter Cup and i Grand National Steeplechase and Hurdles are due on Friday morning, and the first acceptance closes the following Friday. A yearling colt by Foxhunter, bought on behalf of the Aga Khau, topped the list for the first day of the Newmarket Summer Sales at 2,900g5. Arrangements have been made to ship Dominate to Melbourne via Bluff. Dominate, who belongs now to Mr J. Wren, is engaged in the Melbourne Cup. 1 Claudette, a mare by David, won the Victoria Grand National Hurdles, three miles, from Gay Invader and Isambard last Saturday in 5.30 J. A mare had not been successful in this race since 1926.

The Canterbury Park Trotting Club made a profit of £2,041 10s 7d this season after collecting and paying £15,478 18s 6d in taxation. The club's donations to patriotic and charitable purposes totalled £333 16s. Tring appears to have been unlucky in the Seatoun Handicap as he did not get clear until well into the straight, and was only beaten by half a 'length. He was finishing 'much faster than the winner ever the last 100 yards.

For the third year in succession Foxbridge heads the list of winning sires in the Dominion, his total stake winnings this season being £20,120. During the five seasons his progeny have been racing they have won £70,032 10s. Though Anini was withdrawn from the July Steeplechase last Saturday,-there is nothing wrong with her. Her owner considered 6he was not seasoned enough to stand two hard races, and she is to be freshened up for the Grand National Steeplechase. Alt the horses nominated for (lie Grand National Steeplechase except Golden Glow have been engaged in the Lincoln Steeplechase, to be run over three miles on the secohd day, also Ageratum, Colonel Rouge, Dividend, Gusle, Hanover, La Boca, Master Dingle, Mintoii, and Safe Light. t Very keen interest is being taken by i the executives of trotting clubs throughout I the Dominion in the proposals to amend the present system of handicapping of pacers and trotters, which will form most of the business at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Trotting Conference, to be held in Christchurch next month. Anglo-French, who, with Noko and Spendthrift, gives Messrs J. S. and W. K. Hasslett a very strong team in this year's Grand National Steeplechase, won the Lincoln Steeplechase, three miles, on the second day of the meeting last year. He has had only two starts since, and ran third to Whirr 'and' Gay Boa at Wingatui last month. , • The Wellington Racing Club made provision on the programme of its recent winter meeting to prevent any division races by balloting out horses in excess of the safety number. No such provision has been made in the programme for tho Grand National meeting, except a notice to the effect that the committee reserves the right to cancel the acceptance of any horse. The Sydenham hurdles, to be run over two miles on the opening, day of tho National meeting, now takes the'place of the Trial Hurdles, and the winner is liable to be rehandicapped for the Grand National Hurdles. All the National candidates but Anini, Gay Hussar,, Half and Half, Synthetic, Taxpayer, and The Cardinal have been engaged, also Cintilla, Forte, and Garonne. / <.,."'

Fractious horses at the barrier were much in evidence at Trent ham on Saturday, and held up the start of both the Parliamentary and Members' Handicaps. Unless starters agree to take a firm hand with'unvuly horses and deal with them as the Rules of Racing provide the trouble and danger to other horses is likely to continue as a blot on the'control of racing. Kindergarten's 10.6 in the Melbourne Cup is 161 b more than the next horse, Dashing Cavalien in the handicap. Then follow: Abspear, Skipton, and Veiled-Threat 9.2. Pandect 9.1, It's Funny and Tranquil Star 9.0. The Joker has been allotted 8.9, 21b less than Amorlad. No fewer than 106 of the 321 horses handicapped are weighted below 7.0. In the Caulfield Cup Tranquil Star is top weight with 9:6 and The Joker 8.10 ha's to give Amorlad 2lb. Of the 303 horses handicapped 99 reoeived less than 7.0. In his annual address to the Racing Conference the president made the following remarks regarding clubs not running their races up to the scheduled times:—" Another unsatisfactory feature during the year's racing has been thai many cluibs have been unable to keep their time schedulf up to date, and in more than a few cases the last race has been run half an hour or more after the advertised time—indeed, in one or two cases over an hour late. This is most unsatisfactory, and is not fair to the riders, owners, horses, the public, the Railway Department (who in these days provide the main means of transit to and from courses), and is particularly unfair to judges who may havo to pick the placed horses in a failing or failed light. I realise that with somewhat inexperienced staffs, particularly on totalisators, it is difficult to keep strictly to schedule, but I do think that if club executives made a feature of seeing that the machine closed strictly to time in the earlier races on their programmes they would not find so much difficulty, in keeping to schedule."