THE TURF.

Northern Advocate, 16 August 1919, Page 3

THE TURF.

VALIOUS JOTTINGS

WHANGAREI MEETING

Mr A. H. Nisbet, of Whangarei, has in hand at present thre e likely competitors at tne forthcoming meeting oJI the Whangarei Kacmg Club, viz., Tom Moore, dyrs, oy ac. raul —Maggie Moore mare; Farmore, 4yrs, by Foremost —Maggie Moore; and Fastmaster, by Masterful, and an unknown mare. Wyatt, the trainer of Petty Ethel, has also four other useful horses under instruction, and they may possibly be seen upon the track shortly. The Whangarei Club has lost no time in starting work on improvements to the buildings at Kensington. Carpenters are now at work upon the totalisator house, and the alterations should be completed before long. The programme for the Whangarei meeting has been approved, and should shortly be in the hands of trainers and dwners. In the course of a chat this morning Mr Harris, secretary of the Whangarei Racing Club, said there were excellent prospects good nominations for our meeting from all quarters. Enquiries had already been made for programmes from Ellerslie, Waikato f and Northland. Outside horses might b e expected in I larger numbers than in previous years. The club is this year assisting owners with the cost of shipping freight on horses journeying to the Whangarei meeting. Free straw for bedding purposes is also being supplied. Every effort , will also be made to make arrangements on behalf of owners and trainers for stalls and boxes. As an indication of the increasing interest in the Whangarei meeting, it may be stated that the secretary has already received no fewer han 25 applications for accommodation by owners and trainers. * ♦ * ♦ Of the 35 horses weighted for the recent Durban T.C. Handicap, of £1500, only seven were bred in South Africa, th c remainder being imported. * * o * The well-performed New Zealand two-year-old Surveyor, who is to race in Australia in the Spring, is reported as wintering really well. Surveyor is not in the A.J.C. Derby, but is in the Victoria Derby. * ♦ * * Racing is booming in England, the attendance of 137,763 for the three days at Chester, in May, being a record for that fixture. The receipts aggregated £36,656. * * ♦ ♦ At a race meeting at Lewes (Eng.) recently the fog was so thick that the runners could not be discerned by those in the chief betting ring until they were within a few yards of the winning post. In one race wagers were recorded up to the ,tim e the winner was passing the judge's box, and the starting bell had not finished ringing. * * * * In America recently a sensational trotting youngster named Queen Pointer, aged 14 months, made its appearance. Queen Pointer stepped two furlongs at the rate of 151 sec, and a half in 1.5. Her last go vas a mile in 2.20*, getintg over the last half in 1.5. * * * ♦ In England in 1918 the races on the flat totalled 364, of an aggregate value of £157,537, while 322 races wore run in Ireland, of the value of £57,130, and Scotland had none. The totfis for 1913 for the three countries named were as follows: England, £581,673; Ireland, £40,223; Scotland,, £13,385;. Altogether, 2214 horses competed last year in the United Kingdom, compared with 4055 in 1913. * * * * S. Donoghue, with 50 wins for 172 mounts, was an easy first in the list of winning - jockeys in England up to May 30th. Carslake, with 32 wins for 99 races, was leading in percentage. Other jockeys prominent were V. Smyth 22, and J. Shatwell and G. Colling, 20 each. Donoghue first headed the jockey's list in England in 1914, and has been on top eve? since. His wins that year total--1 led 129, and they have since been 62,, 43, 42, and 66 respectively. Shatwell, who has spent the greater part of his caree r on the Continent, was a prisoner of war at Ruhleben fo? three years. * * * * The Durban Turf Club will not accept the nomination of horses owned by bookmakers. At least they will not accept them in the names of bookmakers for it is safe to say the j latter get there judt the same. Bet- ' ter far that a bookmaker should racj in his own name than jn spmepna else's. Under the latter condition 3 man inclined to do anything crooked might take risks he would not otherwise dare. Disqualification weighs heavily upon any bookmakjng owner, as it means forfeiting his ljyeljhood, and for that reason alpne he can generally b e relied upon to be even more circumspect in his conduct than the average owner. Even though racing rules may set forth to the contrary, any bookmaker wishing to own and rac e horses will do so, and it is therefore better he should work in the open. The principal racing bo3ies of New South Wales and Victoria look at matters In that light, ami bookmakers are therefore not debarred from ownership in eitker, State.

'Gazi-que was greatly fancied each start at Trentham, and tht , right people backed him. On top of the ground he might have won. Re will start in the Winter Cup.

BenDeeley is recuperating in Gisborne and takes full advantage of the lovely beach. * * ♦ * Mr C. J. Bennett, of Poverty Bay, has nominated a half-sister by Heather Mixture to Gazique in the A.R.C. Welcome Stakes, Great Northern Foal Stakes, and 25th. Royal Stakes. * * * * Over There, a chestnut by Gazeley —Pauleen, a brother to Gazique, is also nominated in the Royal Stakes by the same owner. This gelding is built on different lines from his brother, being low-set, and has any amount of driving power. & * * * Mr W. Dunbar, Gisborne, has a nice three-year-old colt by Demos thenes from Shona May. He is a black, a compact little fellow, and if appearances speak, should come early and go fast. He is nominated in the A.R.C. Royal Stakes. * * * • Mr W. L. Rutledge has also nominated Heather Sprig (Heather Mixture —la Sabine) for the Royal Stakes. This is a well-grown youngster, and has had tuition from Joe Oldfield, of Greenmeadows. He is a good one, and will advertise his sire; he wants time. * * * * Percy Taylor has disposed of Secret Code and the rest of his horses; in future he will reside in Auckland- * ' ■ '*.„:.■... • ' • There is a growing feeling everywhere that the regulations prohibiting the publication of dividends, so far from serving any useful purpose, are encouraging fraud and deception, and actually playing into the hands of the less desirable class of bookmakers.