RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22267, 21 May 1934, Page 11

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel.

The 75-25 split of a pool was in use at the Ashburton meeting. _ •■:-'••' The three-year-old Mercian King gelding Dombey willbe trained in future by J. H. Jefferd at Ngatarawa. Thurina will be sent to Riccarton in time to finish his preparation for the winter meeting. .■-'., _• , The brilliant sprinter Silver Streak may be taken over for the Australian spring meetings. '■ , ... Win and place betting is in opera; tion at the Te Kuiti meeting. Rangitikei hag gone back to the old 75-25 system. F. Shaw has taken in hand a. sturdilybuilt chestnut by Pombal from Drastic, by Absurd —Drax, by Spearmint. S.. G.. Ware contemplates shifting. his team to Timaru after the Dunedin meeting and remaining there until the spring of nest- season. It is understood that a brush steeplechase will be included in the Oamaru winter meeting. Such races promise to become increasingly, popular and may assist in developing some national horses.; J. Fryer is contemplating an early trip to Sydney with the two-year-olds Rollovanfr and Radiant Star. Oriel and Run are also likely to make the trip. "\ Fryer has not been in good health lately, and a sojourn in a warmer climate may help him..' ■■• vi— „ ■. , On his return to Sydney,-W. Stone took back with him the Valkyrian gelding Norman Conquest and an.untried rising three-year-old by Paladin.- Norman Conquest has been trained at Wingatui and showed piomise of developing into a rather useful sort., C . '. . Queen Tractor, a sister to Ventrac, is a recent addition to C. Gieseler's team. She iwill race in the same ownership as Ventrac. and Dismiss. Ventrac looks .in good shape for his engagement at the Dunedin winter meeting. Palantua's task on Saturday morning Included a short sprint, and she pulled up showing herself to be in big robust condition and in. good order for important engagements ahead, possibly including a run in the Melbourne Cup; ' The brilliant two-year-old Dismiss was worked .an easy task on Saturday, morning and gave evidence that his repiratory still herald, his approach. Still the fact remains that .the super-sprinter Machine Gun was gone in the wind when he won the Dunedin Campagne Stakes, and yet went on to prove hijhself one of the most brilliant sprinters ever -seen. The Cynic—Pursefiller- Graball was schooled oyer the sod wall-.and stand double on the schooling course' at Wingatui on Saturday- and jumped well, apart from-a-tendency toi twist double. He was regarded as the makings of a .rather, promising chaser, a couple of seasons' ago, but has been off the scene for some time. Graball is in strong robust condition and shows- signs. of having got through a fair amount of work and may be found redeeming his early promise as a good winner over, fences.- ; The broken weather' in evidence for a Gainfully long •■ period has continued to ainper training operations at Wingatui. The course' proper with trestles about midway was open for fast work on Saturday morning,- but the. horses sent along in their' gallops were restricted to short sprints along the back-stretch or not beyond "four or five furlongs. Quite a large number of horses were sent fast in their work, but in the deep going not allowed tor fully extend themselves. The local trainers are full of hope that the rainy weather. will exhaust itself and a better Btate'of affairs come into evidence during the couple of: weeks existing before the winter-meeting .takes place. ; - The reconstruction work to.the grand stand at Wingatui is drawing to a finish, and the painters are now wielding their brushes -on . the work. The seating accommodation will be completed, this .week, and -this leaves only minor details to be dealt with. The new stand*"as it.really is* will r be a big asset towards enhancing the popularity/ to ; the Wingatui meetings. The building accommodation on the course will now provide .ample shelter in the event of rbadweatjier for. the, largest at* tendance • ever seen 'on the course. In addition to* the stand accommodation for viewing a race the verandah at the back of the grand stand,' the .improvements' to the luncheon 7 room, and elsewhere will ■how the club's patrons a big desire to improve and popularise the course. ■••■'" An important change' is, to be made on the Riccarton'course. The picket fence, on > the inside of the race track in the straight/is to be shifted'back about three feet inside the track, which will be marked by a plain rail fence, the same as on other parts of the circuit. v This alteration will be appreciated by riders of jumpers, as if they fall they will have an opportunity of avoiding danger by rolling under the fence. Forestry's two seconds since his arrival from New Zealand are likely to make him expensive at the 600 guineas he cost Mr F.W. Thatcher (writes "Pilot"). His run" at .Victoria Park improved him but-insufficiently to enable him to win at Warwick Farm, and the little extra Weight for his second to Bill Wedgewood may again put - success - beyond him at bis next start. New Zealand. horses are rarely " thrown in" when they come to Sydney, and, allotted too much weight in the big spring races. Forestry, though better treated now, still seems in danger of getting enough to keep him on the safe side. ' The nominations for the Dunedin winter meeting are quite satisfactory, and contain the basis of material for supplying good fields for each day's card of the programme. It was thought, however, that the patronage bestowed on the steeplechases would have been a bit better, and several horses now being schooled over fences have not been nominated. Despite their absence there is, however, quite sufficient material engaged to supply interesting sport for the star attractions of the meeting. Owners have supplied what might be deemed all the available nominations' for the hurdle events, and those for the flat races are quite good, t although not too strong from a numerical point of view. Despite the club's sustained efforts to cater for the stayer it is interesting to note that the principal mile race on the third and; last day contains more entries than the longer distance races which feature the card for the first and second day of the meeting. It seems as if a club proposes to cater for stayers, but owners dispose by not nominating. Owners of potential stayers in the shape of hack performers have, however, made a pleasing response to the mile and a-quarter race provided for them en the programme.

Stipendiary control of racing is unquestionably the beat, but when those appointed regard the running with what appears to be a super-abundance of suspicion it ignores the sporting, spirit supposed to dominate the situation, and regards every owner, trainer, and rider as a potential criminal according to the Rules of Racing. A more unsatisfactory state of affairs could not be imagined. One is at once regarded ae a sportsman, and yet as a very possible criminal in the eyes of some of the paid experts who supervise racing. Under such circumetances the- experts are generally, and must naturally be, regarded with antagonistic eyes, and instead of helping them the reverse becomes the case. Such hostility is deplorable, and under the circumstances riders would sooner shield each other than supply evidence apt to get them into disfavour -with their own brethren. At. times stipendiary stewards call for evidence when a case depends entirely on eyesight and really expert knowledge of racing. Under such circumstances why call tor evidence which almost invariably tends to weaken the case against those who may be under suspicion. Not so very Ion" ago the writer was assured that a certain owner and trainer legitimately

backed his horse in a race where the running was under suspicion. If the said owner took, an oath on a stack ot Bibles a mile square that his horse was a legitimate contender, as. they say in America, tne writer would still hold the opinion that the money "invested in the first race was merely insurance to mislead those who cannot believe the evidence, of their, own eyesight, and bo call witnesses whose sole mission consists in increasing whatever doubt may be Held regarding a case. Fortunately such cases are very rare, but should be dealt with in the right manner, otherwise the socalled expert control.is a waste of mucii money.