GRASS-FED RACING.

NZ Truth, Issue 98, 4 May 1907, Page 2

GRASS-FED RACING.

"Spreader" ! writes :— "The term 'hack? as understood' m this country is not at all to be conflicted with the same term as applied elsewhere/ to horses racing under that oate^ gory. A hack m Mtew Zealand is a horse that has not won a ;certaoa amount of moneys, and so it is qnrtg possible for the" Derby favorite of the year, or the New Zealand . Cup faVoTJi'te to te a hack. Untried atfrl 'maiden' horses should undoubtedly, as is the case, have faces for their ienefit, from which successful performers'' should be barred. The present definition of a back, as laid down i V the principal clUbs m New 1 Z&-1 n}, has no doubt a tendency ttf kcc .1 up the status of horses com*. P6l »«.«;• for. .public prizes, but on .the pt'ici' hind-, ( it-,has the eflect, one can" safely' say, of keeping m .'the paddcck many enibryo handicap horses of first rank. In a hack handicap" the principal breeders of . the Country have the option of compel ing . against the minor class of racifa» nien, naturally to the disadvantage of the letter, as they have not the same class of hotses, either m number or quality, with whiich to enter the sporting ' airena. A fadf M^ tiatio-n into the rabins world for bqna fide hacks could be managed by having/ included m the -principal sprine; : and summer meetings one or two grass-fed handicaps— as was the ptyie 'ia Queensland m the "nineties." The clerk of the course, or such other ' official as the stewards nia'ny appoint, to take charge ot all grass-fed horses, and .graze them m the racecourse or at auch place as may be determined upon for. one month, the horses tp be handed back ,to the owners a clear fortnight before the meeting takes place, to corn-feed or prepare iii awy other way they think advisable. Some of the advantages of thas system of 1 racing are that the horse's form ds i -? op. considerable extent shrouded by the" miked conditions under which he is pi^pared. A great nltmber of the iittbli&'fttt tempted to eate* boks?s

that would otherwise never see a training track ; it giives an owner on a sn>all- scale a greater chance of testing the ability of his horse against the stock of more affluent owners on wham the cost of feediteg and training expenses fall lighter. Of course, geldings and niaires would naturally be the only eligible classes under this heading. This system m Queensland was the means of unearthing many first class performers, and it has' alwaya been a great success m that country. Is there any tangible reason why it shouldn't act. here?" ■ \ ■