RACING GOSSIP

Evening Star, Issue 25565, 18 August 1945, Page 9

RACING GOSSIP

[By The Critic] Totalisator Control in America. !' Racing authorities in the New York State are going in for a much-needed reform in the management of the toitalisator, though, if reported correctly, in a somewhat crude way. Hitherto 'it had been possiblo over there for a ' man stationed at either the 50 or 100i dollar tote window to have a word " ticktacked " v to him when any horse had got much the best of a start, and • to get a tig bet placed before the tote •closed. Now it is proposed to close ! the tote at the scheduled time for each . race, leaving it to those responsible to 'send them away at that exact time. f ln Australia for a long time.past the . totalisator is closed by the pressing of • si button as the barrier rises, thus cut'ting off the power which operates the ' machinery in the totalisator house. The totalisator had been used in New Zealand over 60 years before the , present system of closing it so. that tho ; investments can be balanced before the race is started was brought into vogue. Nearly 50 years ago, when a mare named Fanny Queen won the Otaitai Steeplechase at (Riverton, the totalisn- ; tor -was not closed until she had jumped the last fence. This mare was a bad jumper, and had fallen 'earlier in the day in a hurdle race, and when the I machine should have closed there was .'less than a " fiver" invested on her • chance. At the first fence all but Fa.iiy ! Queen baulked, and she secured an ad- ' vantage of about 100yds and led all the , vray, but instead of returning a divi- ', dend running into three figures, her 'backers received about £4 for each pound invested, and it would have been smaller still had the totalisator been able to take the money. In those days there were only two selling windows in . the totalisator house at Riverton, and it is only fair to state that this incident occurred before Mr W. F. James's time.. ' Answer to Correspondent. '

"M.M.," Bunediri. —Master Meruit's sire, Master Colossus, is by the Phalaris sire Colossus, and his dam, Meruit, traces back to The Libel, who wasHhe sire of Traducer.' It is interesting to note % that Master Meruit's fourth dam, Chibour, was also the dam of Continuance, who. under 11.11, won the Grand National Hurdles in 1911.

A High Opinion. ■ Though Da Vinci won the concluding event at the Grand National meeting, his defeat in the Winter Cup was a great disappointment to his trainer, J. M. Cameron, who considers this four-year-old son of St. Boawells and Mona Lisa the best horse he has trained since The Hawk, who was one of the best ever raced in New Zealand. Which it. the Better?

Opinions will always differ as to which is the better hurdler, Arabian Night or Boolamskee. Many of the latter's admirers maintain that he would have beaten Arabian Night had he not fallen at the last hurdle in' the Grand National Hurdles. There is little doubt that Arabian Night is the better stayer, and during the 10 weeks he has been hurdle racing he has never put a foot wrong at a fence.

Hyperion. ■'■ Mayrich Good's new book, ' Winners for 1945,' referring to Hyperion, the sire of this year's Oaks Stakes winner, Sun Stream, says: " He needs no silk hat and stick to make him what he is, a perfect gentleman." Leaving out Hyperion's colts, his fillies have a wonderful- 'record, Godiva, Sun Chariot, Hycilla, and now Sim Stream —winners between them of four Oaks •nd three One Thousand Guineas Stakes. Sixth Winner from the South. Since the Grand National Hurdle race was first run 45 years ago it has been won five times by Ota go-owned horses—in 1890 by "Mr R. Kildare's " Ixion, in 1908 by " Mr J. Flaneur's " Stormont, in 1923 by Mr R. ActonAdams's General Advance, in 1932 by Mr D. Jones's Membo, and this'year by Mr A. N. Smith's Arabian Night. In 1925 Mr A. H. King's Penury Rose won for a Southland owner.

The Premier Jockey. W. J. Broiighton, who headed the list of winning jockeys at the end of last month (for the sixth time out of the last seven seasons), commenced riding winners afc the Christmas meetings in 1928. and during the 17 years has ridden 765 winners. It is a coincidence that I. New, under _ whom Broughton served his apprenticeship, headed the list of winning trainers last season. - One of Broughton's early winning mounts waß scored on The Hawk.

Horses to Follow. At the beginning elf each season the light-harness writer in the. ' Star-Sun,' following a custom in England, selects a- dozen horses likely to race well during the year. His selections for the season which commenced to-day at Addington are: Knave of Diamonds 4.24, Dundee Sandy 4.28. Navigate 4.29, Jack High 4.30, Scottish Emperor 4.33, Cameronian 4.38, Emulous 4.40, Belhall 4.43, Highland Fling 4.43, Bexley's Pride 4.47, Globe Direct 4.48, and Lyndale 4.53. A Successful Family. The three sons of Free Holmes, one of the stalwarts of the light harness game for nearly half a century, last season trained 22 winners, and horses in their respective stables also finished second 26 times, third in 20 races, and fourth. 18 times, the total of the stakes won being £12,479. 10s. Maurice's team was 35 times in the money, winning £5,523 in stakes; Freeman jun.'s team secured £4,921 for 32 placings; and Allan's team 19 placings for £2,035. The Oaks Stakes Winner.

Sun Stream just hung on long enough to win the Oaks by a very short head, and English writers doubt her ability to stay. As a two-year-old this good filly put out one of her stifles, and the hard race she had may have affected this joint again. Her dam, Drift, also produced good winners <.in Tideway, Fairhaven, Heliopolis, and Seven Seas, and traces back to a full sister to Melton, who won the Derby in 1885. Early Visits to Australia. During the war years, owing to the difficulty of transport, very few Dominion-owned horses have raced in Australia, but this spring it is likely that several New Zealand owners will be represented. Records show that the late Mr Henry Redwood was the first Dominion owner to invade Australia. In 1858 he took Zoe, Chevalia, and Zingara to Sydney in a small sailing brig. All three won races and were sold there. The following year Mr Redwood made another successful visit, and Messrs G. Dappa, George and Edward Cutts also took horses over. Their horses were, ridden in their engagements by the late " Bob " Reay. Innovation in Handicapping.

The Royal Ascot meeting, : held at Ascot last month for the first time since 1939, was inaugurated in 1711 by Queen Anne, but the Royal Hunt Cup was not in the programme until 1843, and is now among the more important handicaps of the English turf. ' The conj ditions attached to tbe_ mile race this \ year mark an interesting innovation 1 which might be adopted in certain races lin the Dominion. The lowest weight I that can be allotted four-year-olds and upward was 8.4, and the lowest weight j for three-year-olds 7.7. I It is just 20 years since a Derby winner has subsequently competed in a handicap in England. When they can I be called on to give away up to 421 b I to horses at the bottom of a handicap, can owners be expected to run their -valuable high-class horses in such a class of races? asks an English writer. It is absurdly penalising good horses, and. there appears to he little good sense in valuably endowing races and then attaching conditions which preclude good horses from competing in them on fairly reasonable'terms.

JOCKEY'S SUSPENSION

APPEAL TO CONFERENCE JUDGES iP.A.V WELLINGTON, August 16. The appeal of the jockey. I. Galvin, of Auckland, against his suspension in connection with the handling of Air Pert in the Manawatu Winter Cup at Awapuni on June 16 was heard in Wellington to-day, and was referred back by the judges, Messrs A. T. Donnelly, U. D. Reatson, and B. C. Rennie. to the Wanganui District Committee for rehearing. (Jalvin's handling of Air Port was challenged by the stipendiary steward, und after an' inquiry the Judicial Committee of the Manawatu Racing Club suspended him for three months. Galvin appealed to the Wanganui District Committee against this decision, but the appeal was dismissed and the term of suspension was increased to six months. It was against this fatter finding that Galvin appealed to the conference v

In their finding, the judges stated there were three grounds for the appeal, but they intended to refer only to one—that the District Committee was improperly constituted by the inclusion of a member not entitled to take part .in the determination of the appeal. It was claimed- on behalf of the appellant that one member of tb*» District Committee stated at the meeting that he had backed the horse and was therefore personally interested in the matter under rule 98 (5). There was not sufficient material before them, said the judges, to enable them to decide this question in the absence of all members of the Wanganui District Committee, including the member 6oncerned and the shorthand writer who attended the appeal. \n these circumstances they decided' to refer the appeal back to the District Committee for rehearing, and directed that the member concerned should not sit at the rehearing.