RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21539, 11 January 1932, Page 10

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel.

The Dunedin Cup programme contains Wght races on each card. Two high-weight handicaps replace . the hurdle races which figured on the Dun•din Cup programme last season. Motere broke down in the Auckland Cup, but the trouble is not considered ■erious.

It is reported that the Southland Ractog Club’s summer meeting resulted in a profit. The death is reported from Wayerley W the imported horse Callaghan, sire of the last Grand National Hurdles winner, Callamart. ■ > ■ .

The distance, originally attached to the James Hazlett Gold Cup was ■even furlongs and remained at that journey for four years. It was extended to a mile In 1918 and has noty been curtailed to its original distance. Palermo won the Telegraph Handicap at Wellington last year with 7.0, and this year has been allotted 8.1. The going was in his favour last year, and it to.ok 1.14 to run six furlongs. The principal events on the Riverton programme will be the Riverton Gold Cup Handicap, of 505sovs (including a gold cup valued at 100 guineas), Great Western Steeples of 375soVs, Southern Champion Hack Handicap of SOOsovs, Easter Handicap of SOOsovs, Riverton Steeplechase of 250sovs, and other stakes worth 200sovs or more.

A prominent Auckland owner lays a serious charge concerning the control of racing in the north, and at the same time one of the leading trainers at Riccarton levels another at the lack of control at several of the South Island meetings •which have taken place this season. The opinions expressed make interesting reading, as they closely follow an official refutation that there is anything wrong with racing or trotting and, incidentally, administered a rebuke to anyone who had the temerity to say otherwise. The report that the Southland Racing Club’s summer meeting resulted in a profit makes interesting and pleasing reading, because it was held under circumstances that generally spell disaster. Heavy rain fell during the mornings of both days and was quite sufficient to S' many racegoers at home._ Fortun- ’, the southerners are not fair-weather sports, and despite the adverse conditions quite a good attendance witnesed the sport provided by each card. Under more favourable conditions the meeting would have been a big .success, and the result goes to show that racing can be carried on, although in the meantime owners are compelled to run for comparatively small •takes. Twenty-two .horses figured on the card for the, Riverton Gold Cup run last seaion, and it was saved from being run in divisions by the use of the scratching pen. Nevertheless, two or three still went to the post with a very remote chance of success. It would have spoilt the race if run in divisions and to discourage owners from merely filling the field with horses without a chance the writer that a sweepstake of fisovs should be included when the acceptors number more than the safety margin. This idea has been adopted, although it is understood that the proposal met with some opposition. It is, however, a general sweepstake for starters and not one imposed with the object of reducing the field to 19 if the acceptors exceed that figure. The sweepstake could be dropped if the safety number was not exceeded, but, in any case, the sweepstake will probably mean that the winning owner may receive much better odds to his f 5 than he would receive from the totalisator.

The programme for the Dunedin Cup meeting has been issued and has for its chief features the Dunedin Cup, of Ssosovs, one.mile and a-half, including a fold cup valued at SOsovs; the D.J.C. landicap, of 225sove, one mile and aquarter; the James Hazlett Gold Cup, of 200sovs and a gold cup valued at lOOsovs, seven furlongs; the Publicans’ Handicap, of 200sovs, six furlongs; and Champagne States, of 250sovs, six furlongs. The balance of the programme is made up by stakes ranging in value from lOOsovs to 175sovs. Nominations are due on Friday. January 22. The sum of £20,052 18s 5d was paid to the Government' in taxation by the Auckland Racing Club in‘connection with their summer meeting. It was made up as follows; — v, , £ s. d. Totalisator tax .. .. .. .. 9,899 3 6 Dividend duty 8.661 1 0 Stakes duty 917 0 0 Amusement tax 575 13 11 £20,052 18 5 Bronze Eagle is the fifteenth horse to win both the New Zealand Derby and the Great Northern Derby. His predecessors in taking the classic double were Disowned, Medallion, Renown, Menschikoff, Zimmerman, Danube, Bon Reve, Cherubini, Desert Gold, Gloaming, Winning Hit Enthusiasm, Count Cavour, and Commendation. In connection with the Foxton meeting next week, the charges for admission are well in keeping with the present times. A flat rate of half-a-crown is charged for admission at the “ outside ” gate, and the extra charge for entrance to the lawn is two shillings for ladies and four shillings for men. In taxation on its recent Christmas meeting the Manawatu Racing Club has to pay the sum of £5222 to the Government. The amount paid in taxation last year was £8075, and for the previous year £9836. The taxation is made up of totalisator duty £2587, dividends duty £2236, stakes tax £lB5, and amusement tax £lB6 Us.

Mr W. R. Kemball’s good mare, Lady Pam, who was brought to Auckland after running second in the Manawatu Cup on Boxing Day, was not able to race again at Ellerslie after running unplaced in the Summer Cup owing to an injury to one of her forelegs proving troublesome. Lady Pam received the injury when she was kicked at the post before the start of the Manawatu Cup, and symptoms of poisoning developed after she had contested the Summer Cup. One of the most-improved horses seen out at the Auckland Racing Club’s summer meeting was Jaloux. Hie form in the Auckland Cup did not come quite up to expectations, but he afterwards ran two fine races for a first and a second. Only for getting badly away after being severely kicked at the post, and then having to go round on the outside, Jaloux would have won. the Grand Stand Handicap (says “Archer”), instead of being narrowly beaten, and his performance in the circumstances was really good. Jaloux is now a so!id_ racehorse, and unless the wound he received when kicked proves troublesome, he should continue to race well in middle-distance handicaps. Speaking at the Waiau Racing Club’s non-totalisator meeting on New Year’s Day the Prime Minister (Mr Forbes), mentioned the fact that the club had kept up the amount of its stakes, and congratulated it on ite attitude in this respect. One inference that might be drawn from this is that clubs which have to reduce their stakes cannot be congratulated. They have no choice in the matter. It would be a gain to racing and indirectly to the Government if they could maintain the prize money (says an exchange), but throughout the country clubs are in financial' straits through the drying up of their sources of revenue. Racing has gone past the stage when it can be regarded simply as a luxury (says the New Zealand Herald), at least for the thousands of owners, trainers, jockeys, and stable hands, to whom it represents a business and a - livelihood. Owners the ones upon whom racing depends for its existence. One direction in which the Goverment might give them appreciable relief is in the cost of travelling. Railway freight charges for horses are so high that owners

do not patronise outside meetings to anything like the extent that they once did. Clubs have had to make concessions' in various ways, and the Government might well explore reasonable avenues of' relief open to it.

The greatest disappointment of the two-year-olds was Lack, whose previous successes in the Wellesley Stakes and the Welcome Stakes had indicated that he was above the average (says the Auckland writer “Archer”). Lack’s only Tun at the meeting was in the Great Northern Foal Stakes, and his admirers received a, shock when he was beaten into seventh position. Unluckily, he did not get away too well, but he ran to the leaders quickly, only to fade in the last furlong. It would be unwise to discredit Lack for one failure, more particularly as he has a brilliant burst of speed, and it may be advisable to wait until he has had further opportunities before taking Too much notice of his defeat. Lack is a tall ‘‘youngster, who is probably growing rather quickly, and the chances are that the best was not seen of him here.

I must confess to thinking Vertigern’s suburban failures were due to his being over-rated by our handicappers (says the Referee writer, “Pilot”), but his Summer Cup win disposes of that idea. He had the race won a furlong from home, a. d his success emphasised the difficulty of following form. In the Holiday Handicap, the previous Saturday, he could only get sixth, and as in the Cup he met Spearman 31b and Gemlight 14lh worse, and Salvador on the same terms, it was reasonable to expect one of that trio to again get home ahead of him. However, the intervening week, and extra distance, did most for vertigern, though it must be added that Gemlight was lame on pulling up. Although well backed when beaten on some previous occasions, a section of race-goers reckoned “those New Zealanders ” Had put something over, and Relieved their feelings by hooting, and requesting the stewards to “ rub them out,” when Vertigern returned to weigh in. How Mr Richard Wootton, now of Sydney, was deceived by a gang which made large sums of money by dyeing horses and running them in other names, is disclosed in an article by Mr Edgar Wallace in the London Sunday Graphic. *Mr Wootton is father of Stanley and Frank Wootton. former jockeys and now trainers in England. Mr Wallace says that the gang purchased one of Mr Wootton’s horses, dyed it, and entered it for a small selling race at Doncaster. The horse was doped on the day of the race, but on the way to the barrier it became uncontrollable, gnawed through the reins, and broke them. The jockey lost control of the horse, which bolted. ' Mr Woottou, by an extraordinary coincidence, caught the horse, and led it back to the saddling paddock. Mr Wootton, however, did not recognise it. Another good Australian stake was credited to a New Zealand stud on New Year’s Day, when the five-year-old Bonny Note won the Perth Cup, for which he was one of the outsiders. Bonny Note was bred by Mr I. G. Duncan, who sold him privately as a yearling in Sydney. He is by Paper Money from Bonny Helen, by Boniform from Helen Portland. He is owned by Messrs Lee Steere and Forest. He was a winner at two and three years, while last season his only success was scored at a mile and three furlongs. His latest win, however, was easily his best effort, and the fact that it was achieved at two miles would be especially pleasing to Mr Duncan, his breeder, as well as to the North Canterbury studmaster, Mr Norman M'Lean, who now has Paper Money. There was next to nothing between the first half-dozen in the C.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap when the order at the post read Compris, Gay Crest, Jaloux, Black Duke, Ephialtes, and Admiral Drake. Since then Admiral Drake has won the Auckland Cup. A comparison between the figures for the Metropolitan and Wellington Cup reads as follows: —

The above figures make Jaloux read the best-handicapped horse in the above lot. lu is stated that a kick at the post cost Jaloux the Grand Stand Handicap, m which he ran Great Star to half a length after getting badly away. Jaloux meets Great Star at 11b better terms over an extra quarter of a mile in the Wellington Cup, and the extra distance is in favour of the former. Peter Jackson was third to Great Star and Jaloux, and has the worst of the figures by meeting Jaloux ou worse terms in the Wellington Cup. Compris was unplaced with 9.4, and now meets Great Star on lib and Jaloux ou 2ib worse terms. This savours of penalising Compris for defeat, but the figures may be justified by the fact that he is a better, stayer than either Great Star or Jaloux.

The Auckland Cup was run at a solid pace, and so may be taken as a line to the stamina of the field engaged. The horses that ran in the Auckland Cup and are handicapped for the Wellington Cup have been treated as follows:

Both Gay Crest, Compris, and Jaloux are up 61b, Peter Jackson 51b, and Admiral Drake 141 b. The two first-named have received an increase on an already substantial burden, while Jaloux still has a burden comparatively easy to carry. It is claimed that Arrow Lad won the Manawatu Cup through being allowed to hold up the pace, and hence won on speed. He will be up against a more solidly-run race at Trentham. Spearful, with a win in the New Zealand Cup and other form to his credit, reads nicely treated at 7.9, and he is the most likely to dispute favouritism with Jaloux.

“ Sufficient vigilance is not exercised m the conduct of racing in the Auckland district,” said a prominent Auckland racehorse owner. “ There is far too much laxity and vital rules of racing are often observed in the breach. While the falling-off in totalisator returns is largely due to the economic depression, 1 fee! sure that the figures would not be nearly so low but for the fact that followers of the turf are timid about investing owing to the impression that they may not get a fair run. The Auckland district has gained an unenviable reputation in this i-espect, and owners, trainers, and jockeys in the south have been frank in their criticism of methods in the north. There is a suggestion that senior jockeys receive preferential treatment. They have frequently been known to cross over before they are the regulation two lengths clear, and nothing has been said, and they have galloped on other horses without comment being raised. With experienced riders this should never occur. Juniors are not permitted to do this sort of thing. They are brought before the committee and punished or cautioned. At the recent Ellerslie meeting, in a race where only experienced riders were engaged, one horse galloped on another, and apparently no notice was taken by the authorities.” Dealing with inquiries by judicial committees. he said ho was strongly in favour of the jockey concerned and the committee being represented by counsel, and the proceedings being open to the press. The present system was not productive of the best results, and he felt that the whole of the facts were not revealed. Crossexamination by counsel would clear up many doubtful points. The way inquiries were conducted at present made it possible for a dominant committeeman to influence a decision. Such an eventuality would not be possible under a system

providing for legal representation. “ Stipendiary stewards should have greater powers,” said the owner, “They are diffident in bringing cases for fear of not being upheld. They should have wider powers and be generally supported. The public is certainly disturbed at what appears to be happening, and are losing confidence in the conduct of racing. It has been admitted by jockeys during the course of inquiries that they have been approached by others as to the result of a race. The Buckland Handicap inquiry, as a result of which several jockeys were punished, brought to light the fact that all was not well with the racing game, and it makes it all the more necessary that a .strong stand should be taken by those in control to prevent anything similar recurring. If confidence is not restored racing will reach an extremely low stage.”

Well’ntn Metro. Gay Crest Cup. Handicap .. 9.6 9.3 Compris .. .. .. 9.0 8.9 Lady Pam .. 8.9 9.0 Admiral Drake .. 8.8 7.9 Spearful .. .. .. 7.9 8.0 Black Duke .. .. 7.9 8.0 Jaloux ,. ., .. 7.8 7.7

Auckland Wellington Cup. Cup. Gay Crest .. ..' 9.0 9.6 Compris .. .. 8.8 9.0 Admiral Drake .. 7.8 8.8 Jaloux .. .. .. 7.2 7.8 Peter Jackson .. 7.0 7.5