RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23350, 16 November 1937, Page 5

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel

Argentic put up a fresh record for a mile and a-half when he won the Metropolitan Handicap in 2min 30sec. The New Zealand record stands at the 2min 29sec put up by Compris at Trentham. Made Money Made Money, who paid over a century on the final day ‘at Riccarton, scored three wins and three placings out of 13 starts last season. Made Money paid a big dividend when he won at the Riccarton midsummer meeting last season. .. < Still Staying After her defeat in the Buchanan Memorial Handicap and the subsequent inquiry into the form displayed by Cerne Abbas, her owner. Mr G. N. Draper seriously contemplated putting the filly on the market for public auction and quitting ownership. Fortunately wiser counsel prevailed, and the most desirable type of owner still remains in the game. Catalogue Catalogue gave a most disappointing display in the Metropolitan Handicap In the light of his very easy win in the Jockey Club Handicap. Last l season Catalogue Won over a mile and a-quarter, and his improved form suggested that an extra quarter of a mile would not stop him. Rockingham Rockingham is a bit .slow on his legs at the start of a race, so runs at a disadvantage. He is a fine upstanding sort that should imprpve with age. Rockingham was got by Tidal from Crown Jem, by Crown Imperial ll—Mungista, by Stepmak— Madder, and so lacks nothing ■on the score of breeding, as Sasanof, All Red, and several high-class performers trace to Madder, who was in her day a gem of the Elderslie Stud. Defaulter

The Defoe colt Defaulter finished on so well when winning the Irwell Handicap in 37sec under 7.11 that he Ipoked dangerous in the Pioneer Handicap with 21b more. He had to be content with a close third to Peerless and Surmount, Defaulter’s dam, Expense was got by Paper Money—Lady Jean 11, by lan. Lady Jean is the dam of Scion, who won the New Zealand Cup and Auckland Cup in 1922. The , Absentee Critic It is an unfortunate fact that some of the most unwarrantable opinions in connection with racing are Accepted as facts, and hence seriously detrimental to the general welfare of the sport. An erroneous opinion once expressed ig difficult; to overtake, even though it subsequently may, be: shattered by commonsense,: knowledge. ■':«* facts. There is far too much suspicion surrounding racing, and the fact might drive some very desirable owners out of the, game if they did not rise superior to criticism because the critics do not really know what they talk about. After a long and close association with racing the writer is fully convinced that the most positive opinions expressed in connection with racing come from those who are very rarely or never seen on a racecourse. It is an extraordinary fact that some of the most caustic critics of things theatrical come from people who have never seen the show, Just in the same manner people who seldom or never go to the races can pick winners with more confidence and apparent success than those who are in constant attendance. They endeavour to find winners by superstition, signs of the Zodiac, systems of sorts, and a most searching analysis of form. A spot of luck is worth, at times, a ton of judgment. Those who seldom attend racing should be wary about expressing opinions, and remember that “the bee that gets the honey does not hang around the. hive.” In other words, critics who think two and two make four in racing do not know what they are talking about.

Derby Day More than 40,000 paid! to see the Derby run at Flemington, and if not a record the crowd was almost as large as that which saw the Derby in 1922. Totalisator investments were easily a recdrd for a Derby Day, £94,470 15s being handled by the machines. This represents an increase of £21,348 5s on last year’s figures. The amount invested for a win was £44,350 15s, and for a place £50,120. Suicide on Racecourse At the Windsor (England) meeting in September a well-known race-goer and a member of the Victoria Club shot himself, dying immediately after he was taken to hospital, Earlier in the day he assured his friends that he had something good for the 3.30 race, and in order to get additional money to back it, unsuccessfully tried to sell his. field glasses for £5. After the numbers of the placed horses went up for the race in which he was interested, the man was seen by hundreds of racegoers to tear up some tickets and then draw a revolver from his pocket and shoot himself. Betting Business It is estimated that more than 100,000 people saw The Trump gain a remarkable double at Flemington when he followed up his success in the Caulfield Cup by winning the Melbourne Cup in smashing style. Totalisator investments reached the huge total of £125,717 10s. This is an increase of £10,377 15s over last year’s figures, which were £115,339 15s. The sum of £35,471 5s was put through the totalisator on the Melbourne Cup. Remarkable Record The Melbourne trainer, J. Scobie, has a remarkable Derby record. Hua was his eighth Victoria Derby winner, his other wins being with Maltster, Hautvilliers; F.J.A., Sylvanite. Alawa Wolawa, and Trivalve. He has had four A.JiC Derby winners, a similar number of S.A.J.C. (Adelaide) Derby winners, and also took the W.A.T.C. Derby (Perth) once. Seventeen Derby wins probably constitute aworlds record. When Tnvalve won the Victoria Derby and Melbourne Cup in 1927, u was thought Scobie might retire with his honours thick upon him. Ten years hence he may give such a step consideration. That is. if he has then stopped turning out Derby The V.R.C. Ascot Vale Stakes has given Scobie his best record in important two-year-old races. He has won that 12 times, and the V.R.C. Sires- Produce Stakes seven. Inconsistent Running The late Sir George Clifford once said that there is no such thing as inconsistent running, but this dictum has apparently been forgotten, because a tremendous amount of ink has been snilt over the running of Cerne Abbas in the Buchanan MemonaP Handicap It seems obvious that some of the opinions expressed were not based on a nrooer appreciation of form, or, in other words, knowledge of racing. In the W.R.C. handicap Cerne Abbas 7.10 was a fast-finishing third to £hy 7.5 and Cuddle 9.9. She won the Watkins Handicap with 7.11 from Rebel Lad £l and Sunee 7.7. Argentic 8,9 was

unplaced in the W.R.C. Handicap, and again in the Watkins Handicap with 8;/. Argentic 8.13 and Cerne Abbas 8.9 next met in the Buchanan Memorial Handicap. Argentic was third with Queen of Song 8.9 and Cerne Abbas close up. It should be noted that Cerne Abbas was racing under a much higher weight—l2lb—than she carried at Trentham, and all the experience of racing goes to show that quite a number of horses stay well when acting under a light-weight, but not nearly so well when racing with close to nine stone. Cerne Abbas won at Trentham, sind so came into the limelight, but she was lucky to finish in front of Sunee. When Cerne Abbas and Argentic met again the former won under 7.10, and the latter had to concede 151 b. Argentic was unsighted. They met again in the Metropolitan, won by Agentic 8.9, with Cuddle 9.12 second and Cerne Abbas 8.8 five lengths away. In the W.R.C. Handicap Cuddle 9.9 beat Cerne Abbas 7.10, so that the Lord Warden filly was meeting Cuddle on 91b worse terms than when they last met. and in the meantime Cuddle won the Canterbury Cup in time that equalled the track record. The fluctuation of figures in a handicap is generally responsible for the fluctuation of form, but many who should, do not appear to be aware of the fact. It may be said in all seriousness that not one in a million, more or less, knows the value of a handicap. Reversals of form may be regarded with suspicion. but suspicion is not proof of guilt or fraudulent running. The most extraordinary case of apparently inconsistent running occurred in connection with the New Zealand Cup meeting of 1911. On the first day of the meeting Gold Bird 10.8 was unplaced in the Spring Hurdles behind Espartero 11.13, Idealism 9.11 and Hawick 10.10. On the second day St. Aidan 11.6 won from Espartero 12.13 and Gaelic 10.3. Close up and alongside each other were Gold Bird 10.3 and Tyrannic 9.0 in the then very smart time of 3min 16 3-ssec. On the third day of the meeting Tyrannic 9.2 won the Suburban Hurdles, in which Gold Bird did not start. On the fourth day of the meeting Gold Bird and Tyrannic met again. Instead of Gold Bird giving Tyrannic 171 b for being about equal on the second day’s form, the former came in on the fourth day on no less than 201 b better terms. Gold Bird won and the horse and all associated with him went out for two years. The same night the writer offered, amongst a crowd of owners and trainers, to take 20 to 1 that the disqualification could be upset. On the Monday following the writer received a wire from W. McDonald, the wellknown Riccarton trainer, asking to send evidence of opinion required for appeal. The answer sent was, “Read this week’s Otago Witness.” That was the end of the case. The disqualifications imposed on the Saturday were never heard of again, and the fact marked one of the most extraordinary cases that ever occurred in connection with racing, not only in New Zealand, but also in any part of the world. In summing up the situation the writer said that if Tyrannic was entitled to start then it stood as an absolute certainty that Gold Bird should beat him, Fancy a horse being able to give 171 b one day and coming in afterwards on 201 b better terms and then going out for two years for inconsistent running! The running may have been regarded with suspicion, and so it has been in connection with Cerne Abbas. The most serious part of the matter consists in the fact that an unwarranted stigma is cast on owners who are non-betters and really the most desirable men as owners. Owner’s Lucky Investment More than £IOOO was won by the owner of Made Money, Mr M. Letooff, of Dunedin, when his horse won the Hagley Handicap at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting at Riccarton on Saturday and returned a dividend of well over £IOO. He had bets on both the' win and place machines. It is not knowi how many other people were lucky enough to back Made Money, but £2B 10s was invested on the win machine and £ll4 on the place machine. The defeat of the favourite by Made Money was the sensation of the day’s racing. The dividend is the largest that has been returned at Riccarton for a long time.