SPORTING.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 23 May 1917, Page 3

SPORTING.

According to Wanganui writers, fetyrax has not been pleasing the touts in his schooling essays over big country^ but gave an improved display on Monday morning. ■' The imported horse Panmure ran his last race at the Manawatu meeting, and will now go to the stud. The Lowry stable won about £1300 at Awapuni through the successes of DeSfcrt Gold and Estland. It is stated thai a number of Mr Lowry's horses are. to be sold shortly. ft is believed that Indigo strained muscles of his shoulder when he came down in the Hawke's Bay Cup. A. lengthy spell may be necessary before he can race again. L. H. Hewitt has accepted a retainer to aide for the Hon. J. D. Ormond's stable. Two torses trained by the Hawera mentor M. Brough won races at the Manawafcu meeting, namely, Antwerp and White Ranger. Th© Uawera jockey, O. McCarten, who was drawn in the last ballot, has beeu passed as fit for active service, and^ goes into camp next month. Tracer 0. Cox was passed for home senfirce. - " The Auckland sportsman, Mr W. J. Ralph, contemplated a trip to Victoria tins-winter with "El Gallo, but the proposed Australian campaign has been cancelled. The Vasco mare, Tango, iaif-sister fto Pavlova, will be raced at the Otaki meeting.. Her lease mil expire shortly, and as? her owned has' leased a younger half-sister^, by Soteby, he may return Tango to her breeder, Mr J. F. Reid. £ The well-known jockey,, S. Reid, who was drawn in the last ballot, has failed to pass the medical test, but has been accepted for home 'service. The two-year-old colt, Fisher's Hope (Comedy King —Lady Fisher), owned, by Mr. E. J. Watt, has "been sent to , Brisbane, and it is not improbable that Pro Tern amd ®ilk Tress, in the same ownership, will be given ;a trial in the northern capital. If so, the latter may remain there in charge of P. Nailon. j The Wellington Cup winner. Bunting, lis also destined for ±he' morth,, his special mission being the Brisbane Cup. Ashley Reed may go acress to ride him if he can secure the necessary permit. The gallant iPrench generalissimo, Nivelle, was in his young days a gentleman rider of mark in his own country.. La Orronique dv Turf of February 14 reminds its readers that General 3Srvelle some thirty years ago was a well-known lider in military races, said that he has ever since then remained » ifer-veni radmirer of -the thoroughbred. He has just been presented, as a charger, with the fivei 3 ear-old Giaour, by .Cheri (winner of j the Grand Prix de Paris) out of j -Gahzal, by Little Duck (also .a Grand I Prix winner*) out «f Gavotte. General j NiveJle's .chief sucassses as .a crossI country rider were gained on Comte de Cnar^exejS' mare Sapho, on whom he won three steeplechases in great style in 1887 at Paray le JMonial, Moulins, and Roanne in the course of as many weeks. Since those far-off days General Nivelle has earned other laurels than those on the turf. The ampoiited horse. Buckwheat, who was recently imported to New South Wales, had a few representatives racing in I&nglantl :and Ireland last season, four of them .being winners. At a srecent Caulfield meeting the j stewards jiaid :a surprise visit to the ! jockeys' room, :and searched the bags I and kite belonging to riders engaged during the afternoon. Nothing of a suspicious ■nature .was found, and it is understood that -the official objective was electric batteries. The 2608 guineas paid.for the imported mar k e Prunelle is believed to be the highest price pai3 for a brood mare under the ■•hammer in Australia. Prunello had a oolt foal by Wallace at foot, and carried -a service by Trafalgar. The next best price for a brood mare under the hammer k "the 2&00 guineas paid for Mersdy with a Nordenfeldt c&lt at foot, when the da-m of Carbine was sold at tho dispersal of the "New Zealand Stud Company's stud in 1891. These prices were easily beaten, however, hy Golden , Slipper. ?rho 'brought 4500 guineas .it ;

a, /three-year-old when disposed of at the clearing sale of the late Mr G. Gr. Stead's horses. - . *' Harold Young was the most successful rider at the Manawatu meeting^ securing first honors upon four occasions, ™ree being on the second day. J 0 Shea and a Emerson each rode three i winners, a-ncT^E. Copestake, L. Berry R Reed, J. Brady. B. Deeley, and* E* Manson' each rode a successr al horse. ' Ihe totahsator is getting a very Strong hold m America, and in a re-" | cent interview relative to tlie outlook ot racing in that country, Mr A Bel mont chairman of the Jockey Club delivered himself as ToTTows on the betting question:—"The principal objection ?to racing has been tne betting, wnich in nearly every instance accompanies the sport. Legislation has b.een directed against bookmaMng—by that 1 mean the system which fixes odds so that pool-rooms know the quotations before a race is -run. This is an incentive tor general gambling arid enables people in large cities to bet. on the races snap. ly as a gambling proposition ana w,u. out the accompaniment of the sporting, spirit. It also provides a definite pricetor wagers tnat are made in handbooks Ihe pari-mutuel system would be a diskinct improvement on the old \vstem, as the odds are determined only "after the race and by th.c actual amount of money invested on each starter in the race Tib is a notable fact .that in Canada'and in states ot the Union where pari-mutuela have been substituted for'the old bookmaking method, handbook makers have disappeared, and bookmaking, which hasc *nisedm? much c.riticism, is at a standstill. The question of introducing the pari-mutuels in England has been discussed recently, and has received the support of prominent sportsmen across the water. Ido not know whether it is possibly to introduce this system in the State of New York, as it probably would require a change in the Constitution of the State, but there is no question m my mind that it would provide a much more satisfactory means for the* public to wager on the chances of so horse race, if such wagering is to l& permitted^at all."