RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23226, 25 June 1937, Page 14

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel

Ashburton Meeting '..,< The first race at Ashburton starts at 11.40 a.m. ~- -

The Favourites

Dictate and Epris are the ruling favourites for the Mayfield Handicap and the Maronan Handicap respectively. Dungarvan Off the,Scene

Dungarvan, who went amiss when racing at Feilding, will not be taken up again for another three months or more. Melford

The imported horse Melford, who was recently sold under the hammer at 8700 guineas, is to stand at a 100guinea fee. He still ranks as an untried sire, but his first crop of foals look like making racehorses.

Grand National Meeting Nominations are due to-day at 5 p.m. for the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase, of £1275, the Winter Cup of £7OO, the Beaufort Steeplechase of £730, the New Zealand Grand National Hurdles of .£1025, the Sydenham Hurdles of £SOO, and the Lin-, coin Steeplei; of £550. A Good Idea

The necessary installations to permit of the sale of combination 10s totalisator tickets in the saddling paddock at Randwick are in readiness for the meeting on June 26. Spare wires from the selling windbws in the St. Leger and the flat enclosures, were utilised so that the existing selling accommodation in the paddock would not be disturbed. With the combination ticket, it will be possible to support a horse for ss. for a win and 5s for a. place. For Charity ""'>-'-.•.

After a lapse of three months, all unpaid dividends, either from racing or trotting, go in silent dividend to the South Australian Government, but it does not put its paw upon the fractions. These go to charitable institutions, and the trotting club has just ladled out £2105 to deserving institutions. This was in addition to the £2520 which was distributed earlier in the season. The Distressed Reinsmen's Fund will get £425. Royal Order

Royal Order started favourite for the Princess Handicap, run at Flemington on June 14. A field of 11 went to the post. Royal Order was apparently slow away and was one of the last two from the barrier. After going two furlongs Royal Order was last, but then began to move up on the outside. Royal- Order finished" eighth with a great-finish between the first four-or five. The winner scored by a head in lmln 272 see. Expensive Excuse

Anything a jockey says after a race is accepted as correct by some trainers, though there are many who would sooner trust to what they saw than to the "say so" of some jockey. At Tanforan In April a jockey named Neves, after dismounting, told the trainer that another jockey had nearly put him over the raijs, The trainer thereupon < addressed the alleged offending jockey in such strong terms that the stewards fined him (the trainer) £lO for unbecoming conduct. Then the Stewards' questioned both jockeys, and NeVes. : admitted... the trouble wan caused by his/trying to get Indian Broom through an opening where there was no room. The outcome was'that"-Tie was fined £2O for making false statements to trainer Cannon. A Big Bid

v Something in the nature of a record for New i Zealand would have been made if Melford had fallen to the bid of 8600 guineas by Mr W, T. Hazlett. Tea- Tray cost 6000 guineas when bought for the Elderslie Stud, and that is a very big price for a stallion standing in New Zealand. ' Melford is only a young horse, having been foaled in 1930 by Colorado from Caltha, by St. Amant, and is the only son of his sire at the stud in Australia. Melford's yearlings were sold, in Sydney last Easter for the first time, and aggregated nearly 12,000 guineas, with an approximate average of 600 guineas. Ancient Acts

The English Gaming Act is dated 1845, and is still in active administration. The charge of the Light Brigade took place about 10 years later, and the legal brigade is still charging on an Act that is comparatively prehistoric. The New Zealand Gaming Act is also seriously suffering from age, but politicians apparently prefer to allow it to remain as much as possible in the past tense. Some laws have stood the test of time, but modernisation would bring others up-to-date if statesmen ruled instead of politicians. Schooling

Track reports from Riccarton state that in spite of rain and a heavy track, there wa3 some interesting schooling at Riccarton on Wednesday. Streamline (G. Ridgwa'y) and Folydora (R. Beale) were companions over eight steeplechase fences. Polydora was kept about two lengths in behind Streamline most of the way, and, giving a dashing display, did not show any inclination to shirk the sod wall as on her previous attempt. Streamline made his usual faultless showing. He is to be ridden at Ashburton on Saturday by Ridgway. Spearmarch (R. Smith) and Arctic Star (A. Stove) were allotted a similar task, both jumping excellently, and at a fast pace throughout. The same riders will be in control on this pair on Saturday Cottingham (H. Turner) jumped four hurdles in a dashing manner, and The Grasper (R. Smith) followed with a most encouraging display for a novice.

A Temporary Change Mr L, C, Hazlett's Stromboli has been placed in A. E. Didham's stable consequent on. a severe outbreak oi colds among the horses at North Taien. Stromboli will. remain with Didham until after the. National meeting, when he will return.to his owner's, stable. A Point of Law

In England it has been decided that a bookmaker who has paid out too much to a client on a betting trans-, action cannot recover it by legal action. The Court of'Appeal in London gave that decision on May 11, thereby reversing a decision of Judge Thomas at Abergavenny County Court—which was in favour of' the bookmaker. Mr Walter Morgan, of Abergavenny, and allowing the appeal of the tlient, Mr Llewellyn Ashcroft. The » Sporting Chronicle says that Mr Morgan paid out £24 too much to Mr Ashcroft, and the County Court held that he was entitled to its repayment and that the Gaming Act which Mr Ashcroft pleaded did not apply. The Master of the Rolls said the point was that In order to ascertain whether an overpayment had been made it would be necessary for the court to examine the state of the account between the parties. "But that," said his lordship "the court is not entitled to do since by taking such an account the court would be recognising wagering transactions and, therefore, would be doing the very thing which the. Gaming Act. 1845, did'not permit to'be done." A Stud Failure

Relative to stud failures, the prominent German breeding expert, Fr. Becker, who knows a great deal more than most of his critics concerning his subject,, recently wrote as follows: "If the question is put which outstanding racehorse of modern times became the most amazing failure at the stud, the verdict should fall on Zinfandel, winner of ••the Ascot, Jockey Club, Coronation, Brighton, arid Manchester Cups. He was a chestnut soil of Persimmon, from the chestnut Medora, by Bend Or—chestnut Agneta, by Macaroni. I have still a good recollection of this imposing, nearly 17 hands high horse with a good deal of Bend Or's characters and conformation about him. Other great performers have failed at the stud, but not one in the perplexing style of Zinfandel because a high percentage of his get .was undersized and a goodish number sold as polo ponies. They used to say his colts looked mareish and his fillies babyish. One of the first breeders who patronised him was Lord Derby, sending Canterbury Pilgrim to his court. She bred The Tabard and a glance at her stud performances will suffice for gauging her maternal qualities." "Outside Its Scope"

" Recent events have led to the conclusion that the newly-formed Owners, Trainers, and Breeders' Association, which now has branches in various parts of the Dominion, shows a tendency to go outside its province and usurp the powers that properly belong to the constituted authority," writes "The Watcher" in the Dominion. "The idea behind such an association is to help owners, trainers, and breeders strictly within their sphere, and a great deal of good can be done by such a body properly run .and organised. , The success •of the long-estab-lished association in the trotting world of. Canferbury. is, an exaniple. Lately, however, there appears to have crept into the new body, so far as the Auckland end is concerned at any rate, an idea that it; can pass resolutions and frame' demands that are outside its scope and encroach upon the domestic affairs of clubs and even invade the sphere of the Racing Conference. This tendency should be strictly checked and the association confined to the business for which it was constituted.'