THE TURF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19196, 12 June 1924, Page 5

THE TURF.

By Sentinel.

THE DUNEDIN WINTER MEETING. Apart from the accidents which wore followed by most serious results, the Dvinedin Winter meeting will go on record as oiio of the most enjoyable outings ever held on the course. The programme was fortunately assisted by an accompaniment of good weather, and this was a great factor towards success. Each card provided some very interesting racing, and drew la attendances, whilst the combination resulted in iinocial returns which will encourage the club to continue to cater for sport with as progressive a policy as possible. No great progress, however, can ho made in connection with sport so long as it has to carry u load of unjust taxation. Eields were on the small side in a large number of races, and this no doubt had a restrictive effect on the tofalisator investments. Despite this drawback, the returns were substantially greater, than last year's figures, awl this creates tile thought that the meeting would have been a very great success, if something nearer the usual average of nominations had been found filling their engagements. The fields at times thinned out in a -,iost disappointing manner, and whilst various reasons could be advanced as to why that was so, there is no doubt that the nine stone minimum for the third card and the consequent heavy loads on the top weights kept many horses in their boxes. If is a remarkable fact that Captain Sarto was the only horse handicapped at top weight which went to the post. In most rates the first two or three at the top of a handicap dropped out, and in some eases even more were "found amongst the missing." It woidd thus seem to be a wise move on the part of the club to dodge the nine stone minimum which automatically comes in each season at June 7. A remarkable record was achieved when three dead heats were recorded by Mr R. IT. Aldworth. Close finishes are generally and sometimes erroneously attributed to good handicapping. If they are the result of clever weight adjusting, then Mr N. B. Lusk is entitled to be highly complimented on his work. The season just concluded marks the end of Mr T-usk s first season at Wrngatui. One could not agree with some of his adjustments, but even so, it must be granted that some interesting racing and a lob of close finishes have been seen at Wingatui this season. That, however, by the way. To rettirn to the recent meeting. It must be said that Mr A. D. Mclvor's work at the barrier left very little to be desired in the way of improvement, except that ho gave rather too much latitude to fractious horses, and so ran the risk of upsetting the tempers of wbut are usually well-behaved horses at the oarrier. The general tone of the racing l-oth on the flat and over jumps reached a high standard, and was pleasingly free from suspicious incidents, which sometimes mar the pleasure of witnessing a day's racing. Perhaps racing will never be entirely free from suspicious practices, but it would not be impossible to bring it reasonably in line with the reputation enjoyed by Mrs Julius Caesar. There is no doubt the various races appeared to be contested in a good sporting sj+irit, with the riders anxious to give each other a fair go on' the journey from a start to the winning post. It is such sport which holds and wins fresh followers to the game. It. is certainly the brand of sport that every sportsman desires to see in continuous evidence. TIRF LEGISLATION. There is a fairly formidable list of remits to come before the next .Racing Conference, llie pioposed alterations and additions to the existing Rules of Racing supply evidence that there are many sportsmen in New Zealand who seem to be continuously al work in order to bring (he machinery controlling sport into as perfect working order as possible. Some of the alterations may not be of any great importance, but, taken collectively, the lengthy list of remits shows thai some people with the best interests of sport are always endeavouring to make the rules perfect, and must expend a vast amount of their time and thought in doing so. In framing a multiplication of rules to govern the sport and those associated with it so closely as to bring them directly under the control of the racing authorities, it should never be forgotten that, after all, there is only one rule to obey, and that is the sportsman's code of honour. Rules in themselves will not make sport reach the highest possible plane. They are, in very many instances, named with the object of preventing some few trespassing against the code of honour. They are the fences erected in order to keep undesirables "from trespassing into the real sportsman's domain; and if anyone enters and misbehaves himself they supply all the machinery necessary to promptly place him beyond the pale. There always seems to bt something new to learn in connection with racing. The sport itself is the same in spirit and principle as when the first racers carried colours. Rales were necessary even in the days when matches were the dominating feature of the sport, and if they were necessary in the days of single combat it is obvious wr, must have them to-day, when racing has reached such vast importance as a national pastime and industry. A GOOD PROPOSAL. It, remained for the Rangitikei Racing Club to frame a proposed rule which has always been an obvious necessity. 'fho proposed rule will make it necessary for every paid official in connection with racing to hold ifti annual license from the Racing t Conference. It is perhaps just a step in the right direction, as it will still leave individual clubs power to appoint their own paid officials instead of them being selected and placed in office b v the T? ao ing Conference Selection bv the Racing Conference would, it is to be hoped, make it necessary— or one should say, an absolute necessity—for those holding such license to supply some satisfactory response to a test of ability. At present' it is feared that competence runs second to influence in the appointment of some paid officials holding very responsible positions in connection with racing. It is a fact that paid officials continue to bold ttieir positions long after it has be°n recognised that, well, to say the least, they are not so competent as they should 1 e. Tbi" '-ould not be the case if the best interests cf racing were the sole and only consideration in making appointments. These remarks chiefly apply to hanrlicar.ping. Tl is miite cl«ar that practically ali our racing is based on handicapping, and vet we have so-called weight adjusters who penalise losers more than winners, and, in many cases, allot weights that arc bv no recognised rule or theory calculated to balance form. Before any offi'ial is granted a license, he should be subjected to a test which would supply proof of ability. After satisfactorily' emerging from a test of ability the Racing (Vnferr'nce should license all bnndicnppers and allot them to particular districts, irrespective of the individual desires of a club. Ilandicoppers should be compelled to see all racing, or as much of it as possible as deemed necessary to obtain a personal knowledge of form on which thev have to frame tbejr handicaps. The appointment or stipendiary stewards does not rest with an individual club, and the same thing should apply to hnndicanners and other officials. The rnndicapper is far iriore important than the stipendiary steward, even wl'rn the. latter i» a reallv comnetent man. The suggested rule to be brought un by the Rangitikei Racing flub is a good one bearing on the most important side of racing. It would mean that no one could hold a paid position unless he had suppled some proof of and that a club could not appoint any paid official unless he lipid a certificate of fitness. It, might lie «aid that the Racing Conference has not been too happy in its selection of stipendiary stewards and would very likelv also go astray in a selection of handicappers. Tt would, however, bp a simple matter to reduce the ranks of those aspiring to bp considered bandicapners by asking them to furnish their opinions a.s to the relative value of weight and winning margins over any distance up to a couple of miles on the flat. ATTEMPTING IMPOSSIBILITIES. When any racing club or person with authority to bring up an addition or alteration to the existing Rules of Racing contemplates doing so they should first consider whether any such alteration or addition is likely to be obeyed or flatly ignored oven if it is converted into law. A suggestion is to come before the Racing Conference thut no trainer's license be granted except under the express condition that the holder thereof will neither directly nor indirectly make any wager with a bookmaker. There is no reasonable chance in the world of any such lav/ proving effective or being obeyed except by nn extremely rare bird in the shape of a trainer who does not bet at all. It has to be recognised that, racing is generally considered a gamble, and to attempt to restrict the operations of the principals in a gambling concern is beyond the bonds of possibility. It would be. and already is, one of thos? laws which no, one would have the slightest compunction about breaking if it suited them to do so. If the uverage trainer has a likely winner in His stable, the first things he sets about is making a good bet. It is the most n*iu*.# thin* ia &« world that he should

do so. It is the most natural in the world that nearly every man associated with racing would do so. 'lhat is an undisputable fact. It is also an indisputable fact that in England, the homo of racing, the bookmaker is freely recognised as much a necessary part and parcel of the game as the horse and its rider. tTiere could bo no racing without horses and riders, there could bo no racing without betting, the spice of the game, and there can be no betting without bpokmakors. If there is no legal recognition of bookmakers, it. merely means that they are legally non-existent, except when caught by making an unluck v bet, but the cold fact remains that all the laws that have been made, or likely to be made, cannot suopress them, because whilst we have racing we will have betting, and whilst we have betting we will ba"? bookmakers of some sort or other. The enforcement of a law against betting merely results in making a man. as it were, drink out of a glass instead of a cun or pewter pot, which is perhaps infinitely preferred as more suitable to the taste. In other words it is praWlcallv a useless law. It is just as natural with half of the world to make a bet, as it is to quench a thirst, and the law has yet to be formed and framed that can absolutely restrict and kill the natural impulse. This ™en i-- Ihe sort cf law v>e have embodied m the Rules of Racing. It is to be retrimmed or perhaps put in another suit of clothes, but it still remains a law that in the natural sequence of things is observed very much more in the breach rather than the observance. If it were otherwise, why is it that we have more bookmakers in New Zealand to-day than we had, say, five years ago. Wc adopt far too much legal camouflage in connection with racing. Wo have Tattersalls sweens, but New Zealand fattens them lust the same. Commonsense says we sbou’d keen the money in country, instead of sending a continuous flow of it to Tasmania. We can neither kill nor cure a tendency to bet or invest in a sweep, and if that is so we should not recognise and make bookmakers and sweens pay for their existence the same as the totalisator. instead of keeping up a foolish pretence that they can lie made unnecessary and apart from racing. There, is good reason to believe fibat some people have made and are rnokinff millions of dollars out of prohibition in the United Slates, and it is ro=tinc milbons of dollars in attempts to enforce a law that is broken by a very large section of the American people without a twinge of conscience. We stand exactly ri Hie same li>rht in' New Zealand in connection with racing. W’e make laws and pretend that they will prevent racing from being robbed of revenue, whereas they are just about as effective as it would be to try and catch Niagara Falls with a salUpoon. T. W. O’CONNELL FUND. Subscriptions handed to “Sentinel on behalf of the T. W. 0 Connell Fund amount to £97. 14s cash and cheques promised will brnip: the total up to ■klls 6s. The casdi and list of names have been handed over to Mr 11. L. Janies, and will go under the control of the Dunedin District Committee. Palencia still requires a lot of making as a Drift looks an improved horse, but had the luck against him last week. Mantua, although showing signs of soreness, stood up to three races last week. be Forte shapes like a horse that would be suited by longer journeys than he tackled last week. , . , , . , , Happy Warrior looked bright and heathly, but perhaps a bit too big to reproduce his ran good races last week, but found others rather too superior for him at the weights. Paddy’s Hope is a much better horse at present than some of his earlier form would lead one to expect. Kipling cost ar.ound lOOOgns as a yearling, and ranks as a half-brother to Bobrikoff and several others of lessor note. C Emmerson has been riding m consistently good . form right through the season, and wts at his best last week. Red Kriss bears a much improved appearance, and with ordinary luck looks sure to win ’a goed race over hurdles. Dancing Dfva has. added stamina to her well-known brilliancy, and finished on strongly at the end of her 1 races last week._ Weldone, the winner of the Tradesmen’s Handicap, was bred in Australia, end got by The Welkin from the New Zealand-bred mare Land Rose. Proposed amendments to the Rules of J rottin" are largely a reflection of recent events, which it is very desirable to guard against in the future. , If some of our racing clubs do not soon realise that the sport has been riding on the way to sure retrogression there is a bad time ahead. Nominations arc due ■ to-morrow for the M’Lean Stakes of Todsovs, Champagne SUkes of 750sovs, and Dunedin Guineas of 750aovs. Kerb looked too big in condition to reproduce her best form last week. Nevertheless she was finishing on well at the end of the Empire Handicap. , , The price paid for Captain Sarto is said to have been 525sovs, and a further consideration in the event of a win. He should prove a cheap horse at the price. Franoaisc looked well to the eye last week, and big and stronger than usual, but she found the journey in the Birthday Handicap too long for her. The sticky going on the second day of the Wingatui meeting seemed to tangle some horses, and make them diffident about taking off at some of their jumps. Clareina is only a handful, but under 10at she was coming on towards the finish of the King George Handicap when Bonnie Winkie blocked the way by falling. On Saturday the Otago Hunt will meet at Mount Grand, where a gpod run is obtainable over a line of country mapped out on ground owned by Messrs Dalziel and Blackwood. Patrons of Wingatui last week were very fortunate in striking good weather right through the piece. The fine weather materially assisted towards making the meeting a success. The Gor© Racing Club is bringing up a I-ioposed rule which will make a change of ownership in horses to be compulsorily notified in writing to the secretary of the Racing Conlercnce. Queen Balboa created a mild surprise by the manner in which she fought out her race on the last day of the meeting. She is only a three-year-old, and should be useful next season. Cassels tried to treat the stand double and go through it like a clown through a paper balloon. As a result he sported a much enlarged knee when he ran on the hist day of the meeting. Straitlace, the dam of this year’s Oaks Stakes, was got by Sou-in-law (son of Dark Ronald) from Stolen Kiss, by Best Man — Breach, by Hagioscope from Mitrailleus, a mure out of Muskets dam. A. MKay sustained a fractured skull when Wapping was brought down in the King George Handicap, and was removed to tiio Dunedin Hospital. At latest reports lie was showing signs of improvement. Kipling will remain under the care of R. Hatch, who has done so well with the Demosthenes gelding. Kipling is a beautiful jumper, and if lie stands up to training, he soon win again before very long. A youngster by Tractor from Take Down and a filly by Paper Money—Sister Radius created a good impression by the pleasing manner in which they sprinted down the straight during an interval uetween the races at Wingatui. Ayrburn was not apparently suited by the going last week until-he ran on the last day of the meeting. Even on the improved going he did not race up to the expectations of those who placed both coin and confidence on his chance. A proposal will come before the Racing Conference which, if carried into effect, will debar any licensed trainer from acting as handicapper. It is also suggested that no paid official of a club, other than'the hamlicuppcr. shall frame the handicaps for any club. A proposed addition to the Rules of Racing, if made into law, will make it compulsory for every trainer to send the secretary of the Racing Conference full particulars concerning every horse within or.e week of it being received into his charge. Radial scored a popular win last week. He is one of the most consistent horses in training, and although he has been at it for several seasons he is stili as generous a galloper as ever. Radial was foaled in fait, and the writer was acting as an agent when he picked him up as a yearling for Signs. Palestrina, the winner of the Birthday Handicap, has always been recognised as a good galloper when dressed in her best, and with a track and going allowing her to stride out to hep full capacity. She was bred to stay, as she was got by Clarenceux from Judith, by Martian from Hebrew Maid, by Orion. Boadicea stayed on better than expected in lb© Birthday Handicap. In fact she took charge of har rider, and so ran herself out, otherwise she would have been harder to beat at the finish. She made no mistakes on the second day, although at the finish she was kept busy when Bonnie Winkie arrived on the scene. Scion was purchased on the eve of the Dunedin Winter meeting by Mr J. Biggins, of Tirnaru, and ran in his interests in the Birthday Handicap. Unfortunately Scion was galloped on during the race, and so lost a, -mod chance of winning, as he was going well when the mishap occurred. He came back with a damaged hock, and it was deemed ad*isable to keep him in his box during the rest of the meeting. Scion has been placed in P. T. Hogan’s stable.

As a result of his. second to Clnudhu at Riccarton, the imported colt Last Dart was si good fancy for the Brighton Handicap, and he won in pleasing 3tyle by staying on under strong pressure, lie is a iat!u:r well-grown and handsome coll, and was got by Spearmint fro;n Ultima .by Winkfield--Osy by St. Simon from Sweetwater by Hampton. Bonnie Winkie has rather upset the opinion which declared bim to be a rogue. no finished on well under strong pressure in the Provincial Handicap, and had a winning chance when lie slipped iin in the King George- Handicap. He seems to require a lot of getting quite right, and as he is not too sound it is a bit risky to subject, htm to a hard preparation. The welter scale of weights on the- last day of the Wingatui meeting no doubt anchored some horses who had run well earlier at the meeting under a light scaleof weights. The scale of weights shonld not be changed during the currency of a meeting, and a club should be allowed to finish at the same stale is at which a meeting started. t For the first time for very many years the Auckland Spring meeting will not clash with the N.Z. Cup meeting. This will mean that a horse will have a chance to race in some valuable events at Ellerslie and then appear at Riccarton. The Auckland meeting will bo held on November 1 and 3, and the N.Z. Cup meeting starts on November 8. If these dates are adhered to it will confer a benefit on owners and prove beneficial to racing generally. After seeing him race at Timaru, and noticing the fact that Kipling did not run up to expectations there, the writer was not inclined ■to fancy him at Wingatui. He, however, trained on and improved with racing, and his excellent jumping gave a record of two wins and a dead heat for winning honours. It. Hatch gave Kipling a lot of long, slow work at Wingatui on off mornings, and nursed him along in a manner seldom or never seen nowadays. Captain Sarto, who won twice over hurdles at Wingatui last week, was bred by Mr D. Buick, and got by Sarto from Tangimoana, by San Frau from Waingongora, by Torpedo from Cascade, by Sledmere —Waterwitch, by Camden—Mermaid. Ciiptain Sarto shades very promisingly for a young horse, and looks sure to improve with age. His knees arc a bit unsightly with swellings above them, but he appears to be thoroughly sound. Captain Sarto has Jaeen schooled over I) 'eiv rj , -nd is said to shape well. Very few were game to tackle Pamplona in the Otago Steeples, and the result and the manner in which he accomplished his win bore out the correctness of their views. Pamplona looked, a foregone conclusion as a winner, as he was handicapped in that direction, and so there is really not so much merit in his performance as some appear to think. There is r.o doubt that Pamplona is a good horse, but there is not a tremendous amount of merit in beating other horses who have already been defeated at almost the same terms. The Auckland Racing Club appears to have been making considerable use of its "thinking cap" during the past twelve months, as it is fathering somewhere about 27 suggestions for alterations in the Rules of Racing. The proposed alterations extend over a column of the official organ, and this means that about one-fourth of the business to be transacted at the next, Racing Conference will be consideration of ideas suggested by the Auckland Racing Club. If every suggestion entails an explanation as to the why and wherefore the conference is booked for a long session. It has often been said that horses cannot be expected to run to the same form everyday of the week. If anyone takes the trouble to analyse the form displayed at Wingatui last week it will be found to be remarkably consistent right through tho three days of (he meeting. It was honest running, and in only one or two cases did a mild suspicion arise that some rideis were not as energetic as they might have been. The suspicions may not have been based on facts, and if that is so the form of the horses was remarkably consistent each time they carried a saddle. R. Hatch is not content to let his ambition rest with being a successful rider and trainer. There is another rung to climb in the ladder of liia ambition, and it rests in the fact that he is anxious to have a shot at starting. Some of the best starters ever found were good men in the saddle, and in fact knowledge of horsemanship is essential to unyorie anxious tc become a really successful starter. It is necessary, because without the knowledge a starter cannot correct faults made by young riders, or be aware and wise to some riders' tactics to get the best of a start if possible. Men such as Hatch — young, keen, and knowing the game—arc just the sort worthy of a chance. It is a long lane that has no turn in it, and they exist in the racing world as well as elsewhere. The House of Derby founded the English classic named after if, and eventually it became the best-known race in the world. It is not only the best known race in the world, but' it rlso sots a higher seal on a winner's fame than any ether event decided on the turf. It is well over a century since the Derby colours frir.tnphcd al Epsom This year Sansovino, bred and raced by Lord Derby, carried thf colours home amidst great enthusiasm. S.msovino won twice as a two-year-old. and his .wins included a success in the historic f'iiTtcraok Stakes. He was got by Gwyuford from Gondolette by Loved One from Dongold bv Doncaster Dourance bv E?osicrucinn. Gwynford was got by John n' Gaunt —Canterbury Pilgrim by' TristanPilgrimage. Sansovino'is inbred to Pilgrimage, whom he knew as the dam of Pilgrim's Progress, the sire of Signor and other good winners. Ros'ierucian, the sire of Sansovino's third dam, is best known a<-th-i sire of Pulchra, who greatly enriched the N.Z. Stud Book with such names as Multiform, Cruciform, and other high-clas? performers descending from her. It seems to have escaped notice that Sarto, the sire of Captain Sarto, died a few months ago. Sarto was a fine big and well-topped horse, but malformed in the near front leg below the knee. He hod a twisted cannon. This fault was not particularly noticeable, but it (Time out badly accentuated in some of his stock. Amongst his first crop ot yearlings was one whose near fore toe was ■turned right round and pointed towards the wall of the off fore foot. Another became known as Bandy, and won races, but he was both unsound and bandy by name end nature through the fault of his sire. Many sires occasionally get malformed stock, which are generally sent to as near oblivion as promptlj as possible, but despite advice to the contrary the twisted-legged yearling was sent to the Christchurch sales, where hi failed to extract a bid. It is quite obvious that the a.ppearance of such stock must seriously damage a sire's reputation, and brings about a reduced demand for his services. The breeder of Captain Snrto took a fancy to Saric, and sent Tangimoana on a visit to him, with the result that we have a good hurdler with us. Sarto also got a Grand National Hurdle winner in Art, and another gnnd horse in Sartorze, who, although a, good . winner, failed to stand training for any great length of time. It is said that lawvers' mistakes swing pronle six feet above the ground, and that doctors' errors go six feat beneath the surface. There may be no easily seen evident of error, but once a mistake goes into cold nrint there it stands. When a handicapper "blots his copy book" with an error* it seems to be forgotten as soon as the race is over, and they frequcnt.lv get round ablunder in a way which baffles their critics as well as all recognised rules of handicapping. For instance, Weldone won the Tradesmen Handicap when carrying 7.B'* for more) according to official, declaration! He brat Avispado a length, and yet, when the handicap were declared for the Wairongoa Handicap, it is found that the defeated is penalifd more than the winner. In other words Weldone is sent up 3tlb, whilst Avispado is raised 9ll> on nctiia' weight carrir-d. Kven with the allowance of slb, Avispado still met Weldone on worse t<-rms for defeat instead of the reverse ly»ing the. case. This would lead one to think that it was a million to one on Weldone beating' Avispado again, but the opposite proved to be the case. It really seems sometimes that all accepted theories of handicapping are completely wrong, and that the framing of a handicap should be made according to fixed scale and not per the ideas of highly-paid officials.