SPORTING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 28 June 1924, Page 6

SPORTING.

NOTES AND COMMENTS': (By Maecenas.'* ' A big contingent of South Island horses will take part in. the Wellington meeting. Owing to. the excessive railway charges, Canterbury owners find it much cheaper to race at Trentham than travel to, say, WTngatui or Oamani, not to mention Southland. The Wairarapa trainer \V. Garrett having a fine run with horses trailed bv him for steeplechasing, for after feu Rosebery had done hini good service at the Efemont and Auckland meetings, Mahuru was taken to Napier Park where she credited the stable with a “double,” and followed this up with a win in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase. W T hile the South is weak m jumpers, there are several promising horses racing on the flat there, and it would not be surprising should the southern team that comes to Trentham do. well during

the meeting. The Dannevirke Hunt Club have made a desperate effort to part with the racing permit held, by that body, but in two attempts were unsuccessful. On the first occasion they thought it was only a question of the Waipukurau Racing Club accepting tbeir terms, but opposition from other clubs stopped the deal. Then the Wellington Racing Club east eyes on the unused permit, but Sir Francis Bell ruled that only a Hunt Club can use it, so there is a chance that' the Manawatu Hunt Club may use the permit. An English writer, in stating that the recent mishaps have in no way impaired the Prince of Wales’ ardour for racin o " and riding, quotes the follow - iim: '"’Only yesterday morning he went to” Ep«oih as early as S o’clock, and rode some of Trainer G. Bennett s horses, inclusive of several jumpers. The Prince came across M. Beary, the jockey, -who had been for a spin on Lord Coventry’s city and suburban candidate Verdict, and they cantered back in company. Little did the onlookers imagine that ft was His Royal Highness, who, with his cap on the ieverse way, was Beary’s companion. Bu«tler, which started only once at the Auckland meeting, put up a fine race against Sir Rosebery m the Greenlane Steeplechase, and the latter showed such excellent form on- the subsequent, that it certainly appears as if Bustler will have to he reckoned with in such races as he competes in at the Wellington meeting, where the gelding is freely engaged. __ Although the Wellington and Canterbury Clubs are the only New Zealand racing clubs to adopt the false rail, an effort will be made at the forthcoming racing conference to make these clubs abolish* same, and also prevent other clubs from installing the. false rail. Just why a remit in this direction is necessary is hard to understand, as the fact cannot be denied that the false rail has worked well at Trentham. An argument used against this novel way of giving other than the leading division of horses at the straight entrance an equal chance is the clanger of the leading horses “cutting in,” with its risk of causing a bad accident, hut my experience of the false rail is this: Directly; say, number one, two and three cut in to the original rail, the horses following immediately take the line originally held by the leaders. Of course one finds riders foolish enough j not take the advantage given by the' leaders boring in, and, amateur-like, they call on their mounts to. follow in the steps of the leading division like so many sheep. For this class of rider the false rail is an absolute necessity,

if owners are to secure a fair mil. However, there is certain to he strong opposition to this demand of the .stipendiary stewards, despite the factthat only the two. clubs named above have taken advantage of a useful innovation. Not long since it was pointed out in this column that according to rule 18, pai’t 29, it was necessary to pay out the'" full dividends to the winners of divisional races. The rule referred to reads thus : “In the event of a race being run in divisions, all the numbers of the horses weighed out shall be allotted on the totalisator before the start of the first division, and the totalisator shalU.be closed on the race before the start of the first division. In the case of the. race being run in divisions, the dividends; shall be paid in the proportion of fifty per centum to the first horse in each division.” The rule is perfectly clear, but was an undoubted hardship to c-lubs that were forced to divide races. At the recent Auckland meeting the Jervois Handicap was run in divisions, but the club did not adhere to the rule, but paid two dividends in each division. This was pointed out in this paper, hut a few days later the writer noticed a reply to. an inquirer in the Auckland Star, in which the reply stated that the rule was not broken by the Auckland Club, the writer showing this by an interpretation of his own. Evidently the committee of the Auckland Racing Club do not .share the view of the Star writer, for at the coming conference they have a remit, which, if carried, will do away with rule 18, part 29. The southern-owned Golden Prince, which was useful when at his best over short course steeplechases, was veiy lame on returning to the birdcage at Ashburton, and he can he written out of this season’s racing. The Auckland hack Rafa, which received solid support but; failed badly in the concluding event at the late meeting, is engaged at the coming Wellington meeting, so his ’connections are possibly bent on “getting even.”

A surprise entry tor the steeplechase events at Trentham is the Awapunitrained Cushat. W hile not a success at hurdle racing, Cushat jumps high enough to suggest that cross-country racing may show up this well-bred gelding in a move favourable light. Over the first two days of the Australian Jockey Club meeting the iota lisator figures showed a decline of ,£22,<)()(> as compared with the corresponding days of the last winter meeting. Some may put this down as a sign that the mechanical bettor is waning at Randwick, hut the correct solution may be that in Australia, like New Zealand, money is not as plentiful as in days gone by. Trainer J. Lowe, with Carawoek and Peach Brandy, arrived from Sydney to-day (Wednesday). The pair named should be well seasoned for the Wellington meeting. Although Merry Singer has had a couple of defeats registered against him in hurdle races, he is on the improve all. the time, and in the near future this son of Merry Moment may win a good hurdle race. En Route was fancied bv his trainer for his Hawke’s Bay Hurdle race engagement. and although he heat all his opponents with the exception of Alteration. there was not a great deal of merit in his performance, and the black gelding has certainly fallen short of the good ooinion many formed of his capabilities when he first made his appearance over the battens. That the ex-New Zealander, Chrysostom, is a good one was further demonstrated at Caulfield last Saturday, when he carried 11.13 in the Wanda

Wanda Steeplechase, and ran the two miles in the time given as 3.44£, which, if reliable, is a wonderful gallop over a steeplechase course. When Chrysostom recently heat Carawock in the Australian Steeplechase he cut 83seo off the existing record for the race. The imported Musketoon has been nominated for the Parliamentary Handicap and Winter Oats to be decided at the forthcoming Wellington meeting, but if one accepted the form of Musketoon at the recent Auckland meeting it would be useless running the imported one even in the Trial Plate. Three “hacks” which have shown excellent form in this class are engaged at the forthcoming Wellington meeting. I refer to Wassail, Yoma, and Te Kawa, and judged on their past performances all three should he quite capable of playing their part well in the better class which they may he called on to meet.

In some quarters Carawock is ticked off as “good” for the Wellington Steeplechase, based no doubt on his running in Australia. While the form of Carawock was consistent there, it certainly was not such as to convince one that the chestnut gelding is likely to be “good” in such excellent company as is likely to compete at Trentham.

While the Gaming Bill will cause a vigorous debate in the House of Representatives, it is equally certain.that many of the remits which appear on the order pap'er for the coming meeting of the Racing Conference will be just as strongly debated and stoutly resisted by many of the delegates. While some of the remits would be for the improvement of racing others are hard to fathom, and certainly appear to be inspired for a set purpose. While admitting that his chance of regaining the form shown by him in 1920 is remote, Lochella ran well enough in the Great Northern steeplechase to suggest that with theAveights he is now receiving in cross-country races one of our biggest steeplechases may he within his capabilities in the near future.

In writing on the present-day steeplechase rider a southern scribe stated that some consider that many of them look for the easiest way to earn their fee, and often baulk or run off their mount early in a race. This the southern writer would not agree to, but after watching the actions of some of the riders at a couple of meetings held recently one is forced to the conclusion that many of them refuse to take the risk their calling demands, or they are wholly incompetent. _ Let us hope' it is the latter, as with time they may overcome this failing.. A. remit from the Canterbury Jockey Club to come before the coming Racing Conference asks that all horses trained by the same trainer which comnete in the same race shall be “bracketed” on the totalisator, the onus for same to be put on owners and trainers, who must notify the secretary of the club concerned an hour befoi’e the acceptances for such race closes. If notice is not given those responsible are liable to a fine of not less than five or more than 100 sovereigns. This is already a rule of trotting clubs, hut is certain to receive a lot of opnosition from the followers of the galloping sport. While having some advantages this remit, if passed, will cause endless trouble between owners and trainers.

Prior to the Napier Park and Ashburton meetings M. McCarten and C. Emmerson were level for the jockey championship, but- Emmerson’s win on Paddy’s Hope at Ashburton has given him a lead over McCarten. Of course there is more merit in McCarten’s record, as the majority of his wins have been registered against the best of riders at the bigger meetings, whereas Emmerson has not very strong opposition in the south, ceriaiuly nothing like the class that opposes one riding even at small meetings in this island. Quite a number of horses have been relegated from flat to hurdle racing in this Dominion this season, but so far

this writer has not seen one which one could sav gave prospects of turning out above the average or that has bright prospects of winning the Grand National in August.' Some will have you believe that the performance of Boomerday in his races at the Auckland meeting argue well for his chance in the

future big hurdle races, but as a matter of fact there was little merit in his performances, as he was remarkably well handicapped for his races at FJlerslie when we remember his performances on the flat, and even then Boomerday had to do his best to head off a palpable non-staver in King Abbey. One redeeming feature about the performance of Boomerday was the fact, that bis success was gained at bis second attempt at hurdle raring, and therefore we can look .for much imnrovoment in Boomerday’s future efforts over the battens.