RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21981, 16 June 1933, Page 13

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel The first race at the South Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting will start at 11.45 a.m. ... It has been decided to retire the imported horse Lord Buchan tp the stud. Zeebrugge is the ruling favourite for the Prince Edward Handicap, to be run at Timaru to-morrow. Grecian Prince is back.in work, again and looks big and lusty in condition as the result of a spell. . The three-year-old Kuvera, trained by George Price, brought his winning record to over when he won the Kings Cl Shaniata, the sister to Bold Brigand, met with a fatal accident when turned out for a spell after the Dunedin winter meeting. „ , , The Oamaru Jockey Club s programme for July 1 has attracted good 'fields for each event and promises to make an attractive card. When the last mail to hand left Melbourne, Paris was in a group ranking as sixth favourite for the Y.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase. _ . ' . The annual report of the West Australian Turf Club shows a loss of £4521 after the Writing off of £3104. Paradoxical as it may seem, some horses have a better chance of winning with a moderately good rider on top than w h® n a so-called A crack ” horseman is in the saddle. This has happened on rare occasions, but has been recognised too mte to effect a remedy. ' _ _ r , . Recently the New South Wales Workers Compensation Commission awarded _£/»t 125,t0 Mrs Troy, whose husband, J. iroy, was killed when Burraform fell with him in a race at Randwick two years ago. The matter was referred to the commission to determine whether the Australian Jockey Club was liable for a sum greater than £425. •< . , „ . Chatelaine, who won the English Oaks recently, is owned by .Mr ihorntonSmith, an antique dealer in London, and a member of the syndicate which paid £IOO,OOO for the English and Irish. Free State’s rights of the Julius totahsator. The machine was not accepted by the Betting Control Board. . The King John gelding Magna Charta, who is aiiibngst the acceptors for the Pukaki Hurdles, to be run, at Timaru, has been off the scene since he won over hurdles at the Dunedin winter meeting ot, 1929. He was then a five-year-old. On the first day of the meeting Magna Charta ran third to Amorist and Nine of Spades in the June Hurdles. He unproved so much bv the experience that he made a one-horse race of the Greenfield Hurdles, run on the third day of the meeting. The Canterbury Jockey Club has leceived a very good list of entries for the classic races, which closed last Friday. The figures are as. follows, those for last year being shown in parentheses; —Welcome Stakes 55 (55), Middle Park Plate 56 (54), Champagne Stakes 79 (u). Challenge Stakes_ 61 (55), Derbyl-O (119), Oaks 58 (69);—total, 429 (427).. Talk of a board of control for . racing in Queensland has been revived in governmental circles recently by a section ot the Labour Party, but it is expected the matter will again be shelved, as it has been on former occasions. The law now in force gives the Queensland Turf Club virtual control, with the Governor-m-Council having certain discretionary powers, and as the method is w.orking satisfactorily, it is likely, to continue. A rank outsider had just won a big race in England at 100 to 1. One of the bookies was rather hard hit because one of his clients, an American, had backed the winner for a fiver. “ Cee. exclaimed the lucky winner. Amt it a wow? I backed that .horse because his name was Mauretania, I travelled across the Atlantic in’ the Mauretania, you know.” “Ah,” said the disgusted bookie, “did ye now? I wish to the Roosevelt you’d a picked the Lusitania. ■■ Riding engagements for the boutm Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting include: D. O’Connor, Membo; G.' Salt, Advance Camp: H. Turner, Sports King, Valves; L. J. Ellis, Ranelagh, Palantua, Heather Glow, Quite Soon; A. E. Ellis, lans March, Merry Peel; E. Ludlow, Gay Robe, Double Shot: G. Humphries, Ramo Lady Valkvrie, Red Rioyal, Imperial Spear; A. Messervy, Tea Garden, Cherry Queen; A. H. Eastwood, Silver Sight, Steeton, Kakara; M. Kirwan, Polydora, Silver Streak, Mount Boa. Sydney’s invasion of Brisbane has been a' mixture of triumph and tribulation. The wins of Pentheus, Legislator, 1 ragrant Zephyr, Regal Star, and Kelberg slightly discounted the quality of. the northern horses. That was the triumphant part of the business. The keenness of the stewards was responsible for the tribulation. In Sydney there has always been a tendency to allow visiting owners and horses a little too much latitude. There is evidently going to be nolhing of that, sort in Brisbane (says "Pilot ), Rightlv, too; and Sydney owners who visit the northern capital in future now know they must carefully avoid anything that leaves them open to suspicion. . In the decade 1922-1931, inclusive, 38,578 thoroughbred yearlings were produced in the United States. The fillies outnumbered the colts with 19,601 lo 18,972. In 1922 the total number ot foals registered in America was 2352. The increase up to 1926 was not great, but since then the upward tendency has been fairly rapid. The figures for the 10 years ended 1931 were as follows:

The number of foals registered for 1932 was 5204. The year 1932 was marked by the lowest prize money distribution and the lowest prices for yearlings for many years, but these factors do not seem to have affected the production of bloodstock. . A great future seems in store for William Anthony Rickaby, the 16-years-old jockey, otherwise known as Buster.” No boy on the turf (says an English paper) has race-riding more strongly in his bones than young Rickaby. His family have been bound up in racing for 100 years. His brother is a jockey; his father, who was killed in one of the last actions fought in the war, was a jockey; so was his grand-father, and there is a record of an earlier Rickaby who was associated with the Derby winner of 1855. Like all his forebears, “ Buster ” has excellent hands, an eye for pace, and tons of pluck. In some notes on the Tote v. Bookmaker in England, a London _ writer says: —“ Statistics prove that it is quite a mistaken notion that the prices about well-fancied horses are necessarily worse on the totalisator than you can secure in the ring. The bookmakers are still entitled to claim that their clients frequently ‘ beat the market’ by securing longer prices about a horse than that at which he actually starts. On the other hand, there is such a thing as accepting < under the odds,’ which backers, to their own dismay, find themselves doing in many races. Bookmakers still claim an overwhelming proportion of the money which is wagered every day on horseracing, and so long as this state of things continues, the totalisator must necessarily have something of a struggle for existence. It should not be forgotten that the introduction of the totalisator has brought an important source of revenue to racecourse executives in the shape of special charges to bookmakers. Bitter complaints about those charges have been expressed, but I do not think the reputable "layers feel any injustice in a_ fee which gives them a recognised position in the enclosures.” Gordon Richards is well on the way again to heading the list of winning jockeys in England. When the last mail left ho

hatl ridden 30 winners in the first few weeks of the season. Much of the success gained by Richards is due to his enthusiasm and perseverance. Stoekily built, Richards is not what one would term the ideal jockey in build. He lacks the length of leg which' old-timers declared was essential for the expert horseman. But Richards gets the results, so that there cannot be much wrong with his physique. He is of the Duncan typc-7-bustling, determined and vigorous. This is all the more pronounced when one sees Richard in. action against the usual patient and expertly-judged tactics of the average English jockey. Richards can go to scale at 7.5 without wasting, and that is a great asset as against such ■welter weights as Brownie Carslake, Joe Childs and Co. Richards never wastes. He realises it has undermined the health and strength of many a good rider and he intends to avoid that pitfall. He has never had- a Turkish bath, and he seldom, if ever, smokes. Richards has only to keen his health! and strength to make a fortune in a few years. In recent seasons he has earned an average of something like £IO,OOO a year. He does not waste his money, which cannot be said of several other leading English riders, and probably is an independent man now. At Riccarton on Tuesday last a hard frost delayed training operations and left the No. 7 grass track in a slippery state. A few useful gallops were executed on it, but most trainers preferred the sand, which was recently top-dressed with finely crushed shingle, and it provided good going. Zeebruggc galloped a mile in Imm 44 l-ssec, the last half in 52 l-ssec. Heather Glow ran seven furlongs comfortably in Imin 31 l-ssec, the last six in Imin 17 l-ssec. Tea Garden and Errantry were together throughout a seven-furlong task in Imin 32sec, the first four taking 50 l-ssec. Ramo and Polydora took Imin 33 l-ssec to cover seven furlongs, neither being ridden out. Ranelagh, with L, J. Ellis in the saddle, was sent from the mile post, and was joined by Hurlingham near the six furlongs. They raced together to the post, the former finishing on well in the good time of Imin 43 l-ssec, the last half in 52sec. Lady Valkyrie, assisted by Marquato, covered six furlongs in Imin 20sec. Imperial Spear finished in front of St. Joan at the end of five furlongs run in Imin 4sec, and True Shaft beat Cherry Queen in a similar task. Wise Choice galloped a mile in Imin 44sec, the last six furlongs taking Imin 17sec, finishing slightly in front of Golden Dart, who accompanied her for the last six furlongs.; Quite Soon reeled off five furlongs in Imin 5 2:ssec, the last three in 40sec.

Remember Bulawayo, the pony who won a Dunedin Cup and a Great Autumn Handicap? That, for the benefit of the younger generation,' was away back in 1904. This, great Tittle horse, as a four-year-old, not only won the races mentioned,, but also the Timaru Handicap, the Naseby Cup, and, at the Auckland summer i meeting that season,' captured three of the handicap pony events and was second dn the other, beaten a head. He carried' the French grey jacket, pink sleeves and cap, of Messrs C. and H Teschemaker. two members of an old racing family in this country. Bulawayo s former part-owner, Mr C. Teschemaker (says the Sun), ia at present on one of his periodic visits to this country, for he is' now domiciled in Argentina. In a brief, chat- on racing in the South American republic, Mr Teschemaker, who was a visitor to the Eiccarton racecourse with the chairman of the committee of the C.J.C., Mr George Gould, stated that all racing there was centred in Buenos Aires, where magnificent facilities were afforded patrons of the sport on every Sunday and Saints’ Day. The totalisator, worked on the win-and-place principle as in New Zealand, was the sole legal means of speculation. In mentioning a half-formed resolve to take back - two or three New Zealand-bred fillies with him to Argentina, Mr Teschemaker remarked that imported colts were allowed to race in classics only, as a means of protecting their own bloodstock, which was very largely founded on and reinforced by the English thoroughbred. Fillies, however, are allowed to race in handicaps. Mr Teschemaker at present has no horses racing. It is interesting to record, the fact that Bulawayo, by Perkin Warbeck II from Crest, was half-brother to Bonny Glen, the sire of the dam of Silver Scorn.

Commenting upon the excellent entries received last week for the principal races at ' the spring fixtures, “ Doncaster ” wrote as follows in the Melbourne Argus: " Breeders, owners, trainers, backers, bookmakers, and everybody connected with racing continue to show faith in the future of the sport. Many years may pass before attendances reach the figures of more prosperous years, but a gratifying feature of meetings in the last year is that the decrease has been checked. Racing seems to have found a level. In fact, there have been several increases in prizes for future events, and those increases have done much to restore confidence in the future of racing, especially in Victoria. Racing here is on a much stronger financial footing than in other States and New Zealand, and that is responsible for the great number of interstate entries for the important handicaps of the spring. Another encouraging sign is the return of the owner. Unfortunately, many men to whom racjng was a pastime rather than a profession were forced to give up their horses owing to the financial depression, and this was responsible for the fact that a large proportion of horses raced were owned by their trainers. This is not so noticeable now. At the V.R.C. Birthday meeting, the percentage was very much in favour of the owner, who is paying for the training of his horse. So while good owners continue to patronise racing, and good horses continue to race, the public will continue to pay for admittance to the course. Many racegoers who previously could afford the grandstand enclosures are now forced to watch the races from cheaper reserves, but they retain their love for the sport, and while that attitude lasts all is well with racing in Victoria.” , / , It is not uncommon to find, in cases of interference, that the offending horse is not deprived of the stakes because in the opinion of the stewards it did not affect the result. They do not hold with that opinion in England, where the offending horse is almost invariably disqualified for the race. It is quite safe to say that if interference took place near the start of a race in this country it would be held by the average steward that it did not affect the result. The latest mail to hand from England brings word of a case in which a heavily-backed horse cut across near the start and was disqualified after winning. Interference at jany part of a race generally prejudices the chance of the horse or horses suffering, and thus they have to make up lost ground and give a compulsory start to ‘ the opposition which may make all the difference between, winning and losing. Crossing at the start of a race is generally met by a fine or brief suspension in Australia and New Zealand, but a case cannot be called to mind where the offending horse in the event of whining has been disqualified for the race. Interference near the finish of a race is a more serious matter because the horse suffering has less ground to retrieve the position. In the Grand National Hurdles of 1912, The Native lost the fruits of success through an alleged interference with Paisono before reaching the home turn, about half a mile from the finish, and the race was awarded to Waterworks, who ran second. The interference, if any, took place between Pnisano and The Native, and Waterworks did not participate or-suffer by any trouble that might have occurred. In the case of Canteen, Wairiki, and Achilles in the New Zealand Cup, the trouble took place near the finish, but the winner was not deprived of the stakes. In the case which occurred in England the winner showed superior speed when straightened up, but her proved superiority did not prevent disqualification, although it might be that the early cross made no difference to the result. A touch of the old romance of racing returned to Newmarket on April 27 (says

the London Daily Mail), There was a race between two horses for the Whip —one of the oldest racing trophies existence, first raced for in 1764. The original trophy, which was the actual riding whip used by King Charles 11, was lost, and the present whip, which was substituted for it, is, according to legend, made up of hairs from the tail of the unbeaten Eclipse. Rarely Is there an actual race these days, the last having been in 1918. Usually a horse walks over, so retaining rights to certain parts of the famous heath as a racecourse rather than as a training ground. On this occasion Lord Harewood’s Craig Park (a favourite) met and beat Lord Rosebery’s Huron by three lengths. The whip will still stay, as it always stays, in the Jockey Club rooms at Newmarket, but now other owners have the right to challenge Lord Harewood. The contest provided a strange sight, for this race is run over an old course which finishes at the top of the town. There are no judge’s box or stands, so the judge stood on a farm wagon, and not far away from him were the two sporting peers.

Year. Colts. Fillies. Total. 1931 .. 2523 2605 5128 1930 .. 2467 2604 5071 1929 .. 2429 2446 4875 1928 .. 2150 2259 4409 1927 .. 2030 2120 4150 1926 .. 1796 1836 3632 1925 .. 1026 1646 3272 1924 .. 1409 1512 2921 1923 .. 1413 1350 2703 1922 .. 1129 1223 2352