SPORTING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20101, 18 May 1927, Page 13

SPORTING.

RACING AND TROTTING. FIXTURES. May 19, 21—Wanganui J.O, May bl.—Oamaru T.C. May 25—Otautau R.C. June I, 5, 4 —Dunedin J.C. June 3, 4—Otaki-Maori R.C, June 3,4, B—Auckland8 —Auckland R.C, Juno 18—Napier Park R.C. Juno ®—Hawke's Bay Hunt Club. Jure 24, 25—Hawke's Bay J.C. June 25—Oamaru J.C. July 2—Ashburton Count'’ R.C. July 12, 14. 16—Wellington R.C. July 21—Waimate District Hunt Club. July 28—South Canterbury Hunt Club. July 28, 30—Gisborne R.C. July 30—Christchurch Hunt Club.

Evidently Windbag is confidently expected to make good at the stud, as a cablereport states that he has been sold at a very big price. If racing counts, Windbag should prove a success as a stallion. The Gay Lad gelding, Philanderer, is again in work after a lengthy spell. His only placed performance last season consisted in a third to Goldspear and John Bradbury in the Ashley Handicap. Tall Timber is regarded in the north as likely to make good over hurdles. He was & horse with a reputation when racing on the flat. Following his usual custom, R. J. Mason will leave for Australia next month, and will winter in Sydney (reports our special correspondent at Wellington). There is some doubt about the team, but Agrion is a certain traveller. Eulalie will probably be left at hime. and two rising two-year-olds will accompany the A.J.C. Derby candidate. Nothing definite yet has been decided about these. At an early hour on race morning the drawer of Bright Sea in the Albury Cup telephoned to a Sydney Morning Herald representative asking him to lay the owner £IOOO of the sweep money, ’An urgent telegram was sent to the Herald correspondent at Albury and the following reply wu promptly received:—‘Owner Bright Sea appreciates offer, will take thousand to fifty.” The horse was not placed, but Mr Stan. O’Keefe’s (owner) cheque for £SO reached the Herald office two mornings afterwards. The following disqualifications notified by the West Australian Trotting Association have been endorsed by the Board of the Now Zealand Trotting Association:—H. C. Moran (lessee-driver) and the colt Canton for two years for not trying to win the Conference Handicap on the Perth course on February 26 last; E. C. Gosper (ownerdriver) and the mare Lulu Ribbons for two years for not trying to win the Kalgoorhe Handicap on the Perth course on March 5; C. F. Thomas (lessee-driver) and the mare Alto Child for two years for not trying to win the Kalgoorlie Handicap on the Perth course on March 5. Kilbroney has been sent to Auckland, where he will bo at the service of breeders nest season. Radiac is shaping well in his schooling over fences. The Polydamon horse Rowley is again showing promise in his work. He* cost 1000 guineas, but broke down whilst racing at Trentham. Peter Rosa is credited with giving a very promising display for a novice at crosscountry racing. The pacer Machine Gun is reported to have built up a good deal since ho was last seen in public. B. H. Morris is to have the mount on Civility at Wanganui. Birkpnella was nominated for the steeplechases at the Dunedin winter meeting, and, providing he goes on satisfactorily (says a 'Wellington paper), he will go south, and P. M‘Brearty will ride him. _D. M’Cauley may also take Hokioi if the trip eventuates, it all depending on how Birkenella shapes in the. interim. His owner, Mr F. Jensen, was at Hawera on Thursday, when Birkenella blundered at the sod wall. This will hardly be held against him. It is possible that Tuki may be brought back to Wingatui after racing at the Wanganui meeting. Kendall is reported to be sporting more robust condition than he did when racing last winter. ... Limerick was treated to a brief holiday, and is again in easy exercise. He is booked to return to Sydney in July. After a brief spell, Agrion, Eulalie, Shaliraar, and Philippic are again in

work. . Paleta's complete loss of form in Sydney is attributed in some quarters to the fact that somebody doped the youngster. It is reported that Comical’s efforts will probably be confined during the winter to cross-country racing. The Christchurch owner, Mr A. Louisson, purchased two Treclare yearlings at the Sydney sales. They were left at Randwick under W. J. Bryan’s care, but may come over later to Riccarton. •J. M'Combe has turned all his team out for a spell. Several novice hurdlers are engaged at the Dunedin winter meeting, but as usual some of them have got well on in years before being tried over the battens. It is a great mistake to allow a horse "to become old and stiff before being tried at a game which requires plenty of activity. It may be worth while recalling that The Yeoman won the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles as a three-year-old, and several four-year-olds, including the famous Redleap, also won the same race.

On the contrary, it may be remarked that five years is the youngest at which a horse has won the New Zealand Grand National Hurdles. St. Simon won the Great Northern Hurdles with 12.12 on his four-year-old back, but in this country the rules debar a horse from running in u hurdle race if under three years and six months, and in a steeplechase if under four years old.

The well-known Australian, J. Feilder, has decided to set up a training Stable at TV ingatui and will start operations this week, lib comes from Austjpha with the highest recommendations, and the records show that prior to becoming a trainer he ranked as one of the leading horsemen of his day. The races he has won in Australia include the Australian Cup, Geelong Cup, St. Kilda Cup, Oakleigh Plato, and many other important events. Feilder headed the list of winning trainers for three years in Australia, and his record strongly suggests that he will make a welcome addition to the ranks of local trainers.

Tarleton is reported to be shaping unusually well for a novice in his schooling over hurdles.

The charges made at Cambridge for accommodation for visiting horses has given rise to comment among trainers, and the opinion is that the charges arc very much too high. Ono trainer who had horses at the meeting and only used tho stall? for one night was asked to pay 25s for each horse (says an Auckland paper), but eventually had the charge reduced to £1 each. This is rather stiff, and if all clubs who provide accommodation for horses made a charge of 25s a day for each horse, tho effect would soon bo noticed in reduced nominations. Racing is an expensive game under the best conditions, and it is up to all clubs to make conditions as easy as possible for owners who have a hard task in front of them if they hope to make the sport pay. Tho news of tho possible resignation of Mr J. Higgins, the chairman of tho Australian Jockey Club’s Stipendiary Stewards will bo received with a certain amount of surprise. It has not been at all unexpected, however (says Vedette), in some well-in-formed circles, for, although many people think the Sydney officials have paramount powers, it is obvious that lately there has been a certain amount of restraint from the higher authority—the honorary officials. Signs were not wanting in tho spring that matters were shaping towards the curbing of tho stipendiary stewards’ actions, and j naturally, Mr Higgins chafed under tho I restraint. That his loss—if he goes—will , to a very real one, is the unanimous opinion of tho Sydney press. Like any other human, he is liable to err, but his general knowledge of racing and natural efficiency are such that in him error has been reduced to a minimum. In the event of Omahu figuring in tho list of contestants for this year’s Great Northern .‘■'•teo-dechaso, ho will have tho record of having taken part in the big cross-country race at Ellerslio on no fower than six occasions. On throe occasions (says ‘‘Phaeton") Omahu has filled tho role of runner-up. In the race of 1921 he rau second to Coalition, the succeeding year he beat all his field with the exception of Sea Do’il, while in tho race of 1924 he finished second to Sir Kosehcrry. In the race of 1925, when going in great style four fences from home, Omahu over jumped at the post-and-rail fence and fell, Omahu is rising 13 years old, and, though that is an age when most horses arc well on. the down grade. Omahu is referred to as a well-preserved veteran, and possibly he may register something more of an important winning character ere ho goes off 1 Some' time back a scheme was propounded wilh a view to providing increased trainin'facilities to meet the growing needs of local requirements by the laying down of new training tracks at Takamni. A few gentleQiea closely in touch with racing interested

themselves in the proposal and subsequently a company, now known as District Tracks. Limited, was formed and registered for the purpose of carrying out the scheme. Following this (says “Archer” in the Auckland Herald), the work was put in hand without delay, with the result that the tracks arc now practically ready for uso. The tracks are contained in an area bounded on the inside by a post-and-rail fence, and on the outside by a wire fence, and this should ensure safety. _ There is a plough track on the inside of about a mile in circumference and about 25ft wide. Alongside this is a splendid grass track about 75ft wide, nicely graded, with banked turns and a couple of line straight stretches. The grass track is carrying a good sole of grass and its layout should please. It remains to bo seen whether the provision of these facilities will attract many trainers to Takanini. So far there has been no move in that direction, but this could not be expected until everything was in readiness. The tracks should provide a good training ground for a number of horses and in time to come should become a training centre of ‘ ra P°f t f7' ce - The process may be very gradual, but there may be many factors to help its progress I and perhaps it may not be many years before a number of trainers become settled there. It is to bo hoped that the undertaking will prove a success, and that the I tracks will ultimately servo their purpose °The imported sire Spelthorne, who recently arrived in Sydney, was at Messrs William Inglis and Sons Newmarket stables nrior to being taken to Mr i - Miller’s Kia-ora stud, and was inspected by a number of breeders, who were favourably impressed with his appearance. Spelthorne is a bay, five years of age, standing over 16 hands high. He is by Spearmint (the sire of Spearhead, imp.) from Dutch Mary, by William the Third from Pretty Polly, one of the greatest race mares England has known. Spclthorue acquitted himself well _as a three-year-old. He finished third to Zionist and Foxlaw in the Ncwmaikci, Spring Three-year-old Stakes, one mile and a-quarter, and won the Sandringham Foal Plate, one mile and a-quarter, the St George Stakes, one mile and a-quarter, the Duke of York Plate, one mile and a-quarter, and the Irish St. Leger, one tnue and three-quarters. In his races he carried the colours of Lieutenant-colonel Giles Loder, whose filly, Cresta Run, won the Thousand Guineas. An article on the totalisator appearing in the New Zealand supplement of The Times is the basis for some illuminating comparisons by the racing correspondent of The Times. It is stated in the article that before the introduction of the totalisator to New Zealand racecourses bookmakers” provided the only means of speculation and contributed nothing to the revenues of the race clubs. Attempts to control them and tax them failed almost without exception. The totalisator quickly lessened the club’s anxiety concerning finance and finally removed it altogether. The amount invested on the machine lastyear was £8,445,859. • Of this some £7,183,136 was paid in dividends, £622,479 was absorbed’ by State taxation, and £671,483 was retained by the clubs. . ihc rules .of racing in New Zealand, says The Times correspondent, “require that the amount received by the club shall be paid in stakes during the succeeding year. Special permission may be given to expend part of the money on improvements to the club property or to compensate the club if it has suffered from adverse conditions. It will be seen that the money deducted from the total investments made with the totalisator is just over 14 ier cent., of which amount roughly half goes back to racing and half goes to ■ the Government. The total population of New Zealand is less than 1,500,000, and this population pays just over £1,000,000 to assist their racing and the Government out of their betting. The population of England and Wales is about 40,000,000, and from these figures it is reasonable to assume that they should be able to assist racing and the Government’s finances to the extent of £26,000,000. Yet at the present time the betting duty is not producing tiny appreciable sum of money at all in this country. As the article in question points out, attempts to make any money out of taxing bookmakers failed almost without exception. I cannot imagine a better argument in.favour of the totalisator. I admit at once that it would not produce £26,000,000, which on the New Zealand figures it should do, but even if it produced only one-third of that amount the advantage to owners- and breeders would be enormous. Incidentally, the New Zealand figures are very interesting. Before the betting duty came into operation some, bookmakers, of standing presented to the Chancellor of the Exchequer certain figures, which showed that if the tax on betting was 2 per cent, on the racecourse and 3J per cent, away from the racecourse, the total received would be £6,000,0(30. That amount indicates that it was estimated that the betting turnover in the. year in this country was £200,000,000, or somewhere near £6 a head, which from the figures in the article which I have quoted, is almost exactly the same as the amount per head in New 'Zealand. It is obvious, therefore, that if the totalisator were introduced into this country a very large sum of money would at once become available for the Government, for stakes, for owners, and, if necessary, to subsidise breeders.”