SPORTING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18757, 10 January 1923, Page 6

SPORTING NOTES

By Sentinel. FRACTIOUS HORSES. Ostennan could not be produced at the Invercargill meeting owing to injuries received at the Wyndhnm meeting. He went out favourite for the final event on the card at Wyndham and was standing quietly at the post when Raconteur, who was playing up. came along at a gallop and rammed him amidships. A start was shortly afterwards effected, much to the disadvantage of Osterman, who could not have recovered from the result of being winded by the impact. Raconteur got away on a move, and so did Frnnoaise at Invercargill, and in the final event nt (he latter meeting far too much consideration was granted by the starter to Eleus and Ardour, who both gave a lot of trouble at the post. A common mistake made by starters is in allowing notoriously bad horses to make any attempt to line up with well-behaved horses. It is most unfair for good horses to be kept waiting flat-foot for fractious horses, who not infrequently ' get all the best of a start when the field is finally sent away. Every starter who knows his business and is not afraid to exercise his authority should be conversant with the names of all horses who are notoriously bad at the post, and they should be given scant consideration, instead of being treated as if they were the only horse in the race. The Rules of Racing distinctly state that “The starter may place any horse which, in liis opinion, is likely by misbehaviour to prevent a fair start, in any position ho may think proper in the rear of the field. Some horses, whose nominations should not be accepted, hold up start after start. They should not be allowed near the barrier until they have shown improvement in manners. Their owners should ho quite content, and consider themselves lucky, if their horses are held two lengths back from the line. If they object to that procedure the clubs should have no option but to refuse the entry for a notoriously fractious horse THE ENGLISH.., TURF. There has been a controversy going on in England about the morality of the turf, and “Vigilant,” of (he London Sportsman, takes up an extraordinary attitude by stating that even when breaches of the rules occur it should not be mentioned, so as not to place a weapon in the hands of the enemies of sport. In the writer's opinion the greatest enemy of racing is the person who is paid to express an opinion and refrain from doing so even when the best interests of sport demands it. A conspiracy of silence is calculated to do more harm than good, as it encourages those who exploit racing for what they can get out of it. One coqld advocate a silent purification of racing if that system had been found satisfactory, but a long connection with the sport has found it an utter failure. The punishment of publicity is the best way to cure malpractices on the turf. Such publicity holds evil-doers up to the disdain not only of the sporting world, but to everybody who reads the newsoapers. Publicity wakes up racing officials to a sense of duty, and creates a weight, of public opinion wmch practicnlly forces them to take action when all other means have failed. To merely hide an ulcer from sight does not tend to cure it, and much the same applies to the evil spots on racing. These require prompt and drastic 'treatment so as to make sure punishment act as a. deferent to those whose moper place is a thieves’ kitchen, and not a position which allows them to figure on the turf. We all know the pleasant side ot racing, but there would be no pleasant side if the shady side was allowed to throw evil shadows and darken the whole world of sport. If racing was controlled by thoroughly competent officials the dark side of racing would soon be swept away, but, unfortunately that is not the case and hence we still have people connected with the sport whose existence stands as a menace to its welfare. To put, it another way. it may be said that if racing officials fearless v and competently did their duty there would be nothing but, the pleasant side of rac ng to write and talk about. ,To existence of the evils of racing and ™ « seemingly the natural tendency of some people' M exploit it for all they are, worth is to encourage the evildoers. Public e .* posure does much to eradicate the undesirable spots on sport, as it arouses the officials to a proper sense of duty, and this could not be done if occurrences demanding censure were passed over without recognition. No one who is fond of racing derives an; pleasure from harping on the ev , d V^ r^" s with a view to the recognition of their exist ence and eradication, but it becomes a duty -particularly the dulv of a racing enUcto do so when those officially connected with the sport continue to exhibit an incomp ,- which allows the so-called smart oimrion to do what they like as often as they like with verv little risk of punishment. Some critics may be fully, aware that something wrong has occurred in connection with a raoe but they are either not allowed or do not care to draw attention to it in cold print Perhaps they are wise because the writer’s experience of criticism off ®” d effort to itnnrove the turf has been that it creates hostility to the critic, no matter on how solid grounds opinions may be based. \o effort is apparently made to prove the value of criticism, the entio suffers not because he is right or wrong in his opinions, but because he has the temerity to offer them to the public. A NOVEL IDEA. The state of the turf in England has lately been receiving a good deal of attention in Home papers, and a somewhat unique reason has been advanced as a claim that it is much cleaner that generally sup posed A firm of bookmakers recently wrote to the London Sportsman and stated that it had lost on six days out of seven dav’s racing, and th e fact proved that there was' v?ery little, if any. cooked■ inn It seems to be taken for granted tl«t if horses run to their correct form racing is consequently beyond reproach. Some horses may run to their form, but not always, and some are occasionally prevented from doing so It is inevitable that a bookmaker should lay a ' ar K e V pr ‘ centage of winners, particularly when operating at starting price, ns at that Sod of betting horses are generally selected as specially worthy of support and hence they represent a greater risk to the fielder. The fact that a starting price bookmaker has laid a large Percentage of winners cannot be accepted ns proof that there is no crooked running. Fn fact it may be said that those ovvneis who principally support their horses at starting prices arc generally responsible for crooked running as. they only try to win when the market suits them. There .s an awful lot of humbug spoken and written about racing, and the greatest humbug of all comes from those who express opinions based on ignorance, but who nevertheless wish them to he accepted as facts. . Sporting writers of the highest standing in England have frequently dravyn attention to cases of unsatisfactory running and the agitation that has been made in favour of stipendiary stewards shows the English turf is not altogether free .from malpractices The'greatest imury is.dono to the sport by those in power being blind to questionable practices when they crop un occasionally instead of administering a sham lesson which would soon 101 l nnv tendency to depart from the straight path and real sportsmanship. Nominations for the Dunedin Cup meeting are duo on January 12 at 5 p.m. Foo Chow is reported to have broken down badly and will require a lengthy spoil. Silent King was under offer at 300 guineas last week but the deal was not completed. Miss Muriel allowed more pace in her races at Invercargill than she did at WmgatUQne of the winners at the recent Southland meeting was very lucky to escape unquestioned. Nominations for the Forbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting are due to-day at 5 p.m. The Kilbroney gelding Loughrea can bo ticked off as one of the moat promising sort* seen out at Invercargill. Pommety, the dam of Income, who has proved himself a out above tho ordinary, is believed to bo by Johnny Pan. from an Aacot marc. The Sunny Lake—Murcia gelding Sunny Jim was sold at a figure over IOOOgs to an Australian buyer. Returned visitors to the Auckland Cup meeting state that Glentruin was unlucky in her race.s at Ellerslie. Bon Spec gave a very poor display in his races at Invercargill, where he was beaten a long way from homo. Londonderry injured one of his feet at the Wyndham meeting, and may have to be treated to « compulsory spell. Happy Voyage is to ho stepped against the mile record on sand at (ho New Brighton gala, which comes off on Saturday next. The Egypt—Finery gelding Uleahorg ran fairly well at Invercargill, although he found others too good for him at (he weight*. Songbird was only produced ones at the southern meetings, and scored a win in his onlv effort under silk, when he won in fine stylo. Sur.art has shown a, return to form, and if he stands up to his work should give a good account of himself at the Wellington Cup meeting. Bella Lake is staying on well, and showing improved form. She is a half-sister to Kilbrogan, but much more reliable than he proved himself.

Kerb stopped badly at the end of both her races at Invercargill. Mantua is a plain, ordinary-looking mare, but she is lust about as solid as they make them, and is always worthy of consideration when in a race. . , . Nunorrant, the winner of the Waikouaiti Cup, is a. daughter of Pitch' and Toss, who was a well-known performer in the old days at Porbury Park. Silver Peak ran a good race in the Invercargill Cup under her penalty of Ulb. The race would have been a gift for her at the original handicap. lileus continues to stand up to his work, and, as he is coming down in the weights, may be found catching a race before the season is much older. As a rule the Solferino stock are wellmannered, level-headed sorts, but Francaise is an exception to the rule, as she is very fractious at the post. Perfect Pointer was well backed in his races at Invercargill, hut he failed to get amongst the money. The heavy going appeared to be the anchor. Baldowa put up a brilliant performance at Wyndham, and should win a good race before the season ends in belter company than be defeated at the southern fixture. One of the most promising young horses seen out this season is Pilliewinkic, who has been engaged in the Douro Cup, to be run at the Wellington Cup meeting. The North Otago stallion Solferino was well represented at the southern holiday meetings, where he had winners in the shape of Solfa, Listening Post, and Mantua. Rapine’s form at the Auckland Cup meeting suggests that he is not so good as estimated in the spring of the season, when handicapped at 7.8 .in the New Zealand Cup. Kilbroney’s name cropped up frequently at the Wyndham and Invercargill meetings, where he had winning representatives in the shape of Songbird, Warbavon, and Loughrea. Red Admiral landed both hurdle events at Invercargill, and should win again over the sticks. He jumps a bit big and and wild at times, but should improve with more schooling. Don side was a very distressed horse after running in the Roslyn Harness Trot Handicap, and lack of condition rather than the alleged interference was responsible for his defeat. , As a rule Corn Rigs does not show much fight when pinched at the finish of a race, but in the Southland Handicap he came on again just when Silent King appeared to havo him beaten. Raconteur should be tried over hurdles. Horses that proved to be just as bad as he is at tfie barrier havo been made racehorses by a course of schooling and racing over the small sticks. Judging by the way he raced at Invercargill, Listening Post was improved considerably by Iris racing at Wiagatui, where he landed at the post looking somewhat on the big side in condition. There is a probability that Mr W. T. Hazloft will be represented at the Dunedin Cup meeting by Gold Light and Razzie Dazzle. The two-year-old is engaged in the Dunedin Champagne Stakes. In the Southland Handicap Twinkle finished in front of Vice Grand, who was giving 41b. For some inexplicable reason Vice Grand is asked to give Twinkle 71b in the Otautau Cup and Wairio Cup. One of the horses at the Wyndham meeting punctured the sole of a foot. It may have been caused by treading on some broken teeth that were probably dropped at the home turn by some of the runners. Avisjjado cleared out from the others in the Slimmer Handicap, run at Invercargill, and showed a very marked improvement on his form at Wyndham. Avispado showed so much pace that he looks sure to win again. Apparently Roseday has not forgotten the gruelling race he had in the New Zealand Cup when not thoroughly tuned up for such a severe task. He broke out in a sweat prior to the Invercargill Cup, and collapsed badly after lending into the straight. Norma Dillon was nicely handled by J. M’Kewen, jun., when she won at Invercargill. He waited in front with the mare, and won nicely at the finish, after shaking off Donside, who was very distressed after his race, and did well to get second when obviously unfit. Enthusiasm has added her name to the select hand - that has won both the New Zealand Derby and Great Northern Derby. The list includes Winning Hit, Gloaming, Estland, Desert Gold, Cherubini, Bon Reve, Danube, Husbandman, Zimmerman, Menschikoff, Medallion, and Disowned. In the Fendalton Handicap King’s Trumpeter easily outstayed Enthusiasm, and looked sure to beat her in a sound-run race if they met in the Great Northern Derby. King’s Trumpeter, however, did not reach the post, and the stable had to rely on Rapine, who could not beat the Panmure filly. Sunny Loch scored a popular win in the Invercargill Cup. He should have Won the race last year, and only lost first place through suffering interference at the finish. Sunny Loch was unlucky on the second day, when interference cost him what must have been, a good winning chance with a clear run The programme for the Wellington Cup meeting attracted eplendid patronage from horse-owners. , The South Islanders Royal Mac,'. Pluto, Cupidon, Winning Hit, Angelo. Scrimmage. DeucaJion, Many Kittle, Royai Star, Boadicea, Silver Peak. Rbscday, and Palestrina are engaged in the Wellington Cun. Mazama ran five races over hurdles in a week, and his record was two seconds at Wingatui. a win at Wyndham; and a second at Invercargill, where he also dropped his rider in the first race at the meeting. Mazama- ran a good solid race on each occasion. and has improved considerably as a hurdler. Ardour won well at both Wingatui and Invercargill, but on the second day of the latter meeting seemed to have thought she had enough of the game for the present. She plaved up at the post, and really ran a race before the barrier rose. She afterwards led into the straight, but had nothing left when challenged by Mantua in the run heme. At the Gore meeting Red Admiral was handicapped to give Calibration 61b when he won the Murihiku Handicap, in which he ran under the benefit of a 7lb allowance. Red Admiral bolted in whilet Calibration was unplaced, and it is difficult to see how the latter can have » chance with a difference of 4lb in the Waikouro Handicap, to be run at the Otautau meeting. No one takes " defeat better than J. M'Combe; but after the bad passage -Sunny Loch received in the Southland’ Handicap he could not resist lodging a complaint against T. Metcalfe, the rider of Vice Grand in the race. Vice Grand appeared to interfere with Sunpv Loch on two occasions as they ran along the back stretch, and the interference appeared to be inexcusable as the two hordes were running clear of the rest of the field. As a rule Metcalfe rides a clean race, but on this occasion he appears to have lost control over his steering gear. General Advance is generally -tllowccl to dawdle along behind his field 'in the early ■part of a race, with the result that he has’ too much ground to make up at the business end. He looked dangerous in the Wyndham Cun. but had his chance spoilt by Using taken round on the outside of the field at th<* home turn. He had been trailing Silver Peak up to that stage, and bad be followed her through at the turn must have been much closer to the money at the finish. The General wants shaking up a bit. mor*in the early part of a race., so that he will not be continually asked to give a big start to the rest of the field Mr A. D. M‘lvor was not in qu-te his best form at the barrier when starting at the Invercargill meeting. He allowed far too much latitude to unruly horses, and made a serious mistake in allowing Corn Rigs to change from an outside to an inside position at the start of the Southland Handicap. and so secured an advantage which materially assisted him to win. A rider cannot be blamed for making use of every opportunity: but it would be useless to draw for positions if riders can take up any position at the barrier. Mr M’lvor also came in for eome well-merited censure for allowing a driving whip to he used at the start of the (Shorts Handicap, when Francaiso declined to join the rest of the field.