Sporting Notes..

Lake County Press, Issue 696, 20 February 1896, Page 2

Sporting Notes..

[By Peeping Tom.] Mr McNulty informed me a short , time ago that Gazelle was mated with; First Lord this season, not with Stepniak as was at first intended. Thelatter’s subscription list was full when, the Guy Fawkes mare arrived at Elleralie, and First Lord was decided on as; being a. very good substitute, and no v doubt a youngster from two such, wells bred ones ought to turnout well.. Stimulant who is now doing good? work on the tracks at Dunedin, is further evidence of what old Amulet’s value as a sire might have been, had he been mated with suitable mares, during the many years he stood in this dis- - trict, and truth to tell was not over - ranch thought of. Stimulant-is a good , little horse, that we have not seen the - best of yet, and it is quite on the cards : that he will , win a race at Dunedin this, week.. Horses that will most likely win c races on the second and third days at, Dunedin are Skirmisher,- Revolt, LorJ'. Roslyn, Maremma, Ilex, Liberator,, Salvo, Lady Spencer, Saracen, Hippomenes and Silver Spec.. Still another “ ring in ” and prompt discevory at Maniototo, in the first: day’s Trot, result—disqualification of ' horse, and all connected with it, for life, and quite right too. These constant attempts to “ ring in ” old performers and palm them off as maidens is becoming far too common, and‘naturally makes one look for the causethat has in very many cases prompted; the desire to try and work a. swindle. I think we can, in too many instances, ascribe the blame to the Totalisator system of betting. In the good old racing days, before the introduction of' the machine, I cannot call to- mind, many instances where horses’ names were changed in order to baffle the handicappers v and give the bookmakers, a knock. Then the sport was more confined to men who could afford to race and bet, bat their doings, in matters turfy, were not brought so prominently before the public, so to speak, as by thepresent system of Totalisator betting. Of course no fairer medium of gambling could be introduced and. sanctioned by act of Parliament, than the Totalisator, and as a means of providing revenue for racing clubs, its merits are undeniable, but it has its corrupting influences, in so far as that the whole of its transactions are carried out under the very nose of the public. The loser strolls by with; head downcast, but the lucky investor flashes his roll of notes in the faces of his sisters, his cousins, and bis aunts, .until they in their turn, must have a little bit on, and in the end, the gieed: for gain, and the excitement of betting becomes a passion, not only with racing men, but with women and in many instances little better than children. So it is with the “ ringer in ” Through the Totalisator and the books he sees a, chance to make-a rise quick and lively as the saying goes, and works his plans, accordingly. Men, who in all other business transactions have proved themselves to be as straight and honorable as they make them, have been known to attempt the ringing in business, in. order to make a good haul off the machine, and. at the same time get the name of being a jolly smart fellow. There is a peculiar facination about receiving money from the machine in front of an admiring crowd, and I make bold to assert that the Totalisator haa been, a greater incentive to “ ringing in ” than the old system of betting with the Bookmakers.