RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26176, 12 June 1946, Page 7

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel June 15 .. .. Oamaru J-C. June 15 .. .. Franklin R.C. June 15 .. .. Manawatu R.C. Jottings Dash o’ Dink cost his present owner 60gns, and has since won £550 in The Hack Steeplechase to be decided at Oamaru has been a brush hurdle race in previous years, and will probably be the same on Saturday. This year’s English Oaks Stakes winner, Steady Aim, was got by Felstead a great-grandson of Carbine. Hurry On, the sire of Hunting Song, is close up on the dam's side of the winner. The field for the Trial Handicap to be run at Oamaru has been weighted within a margin of 71b. In the handicapper’s opinion, it is a fairly even, but not a strong, field. ■ The Oamaru meeting follows closely on the three days at Wingatui, but nevertheless a good card has been obtained. It includes several horses who did not appear at Wingatui. An important reform in racing would be the reduction of a card 'by one race in the middle of the winter. It frequently happens that the last race of an eight-race card is run m a dangerous light. Starting Problem The starting barrier is generally released when a field is in reasonably good line and without the starter considering whether a horse is a slow or a fast beginner. Some years ago the writer stated that a starter's main difficulty was to make a good start with a field comprising “ the slow, the quick, and the dead.” Hie Top-weight

Silver Mask, who is top-weight in the Oamaru Winter Cup. scored his last win at the Wingatui March meeting, when he won the Wingatui Handicap (11 furlongs), with 7.12£, from Royal Lancer 9.5. Pride of Mossburn 8.2. and others, including Tring 7.7 and Lord Dundonald 7.0. Tring dis : played improved form at the Wingatui winter meeting, and at Oamaru meets Silver Mask on about the same terms as when the latter beat him at Wingatui.

Timing for Touts America introduced the Magic-Eye, barrier stalls, and the filming of races to detect interference. Now there are reports of a device for timing track gallops automatically. Mr Lorenzo del Ricco, a research engineer in photography for one of Hollywood’s motion picture companies, who invented the Photo-Chart camera, is perfecting an electric timer—stop watch, you might call it—for the use of trainers. It consists of an electric typewriter connected with photo-electric cells on posts around the racecourse. As a horse passes each post the time is taken automatically, and it is possible to time as many as 12 horses at once with absolute accuracy, the figures coming out like ticker tape. It is claimed that in the early stages of the experiment the owner of a horse had the tape airmailed to him hundreds of miles away, and knew how his horse had worked almost before it had cooled off. The Riccarton Season

The committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club reports a satisfactory result of the year’s operations. A further £2OOO has been set aside for stand replacement, and after making provision for depreciation and taxation, a profit of £1847 7s 5d remains, says the annual report. The balance sheet shows that Government taxes for the year amounted to £56,741 18s 9d, while a further reserve of £20,000 is held to meet the club’s income tax dues. During the year the sum of £10,138 15s 2d was paid in salaries and wages. The main source of income was from the totalisator, which yielded £131,489 9s; but totalisator /tax aggregated £56,741 18s. Visitors

Two North Island owners who ienewed acquaintance with Wingatui during the recent meeting enjoyed the sport provided by each of the cards. They brought “ some grist to the mill,” which increased in bulk during transit through the totalisator. One had £25 on a winner and lifted a profit of about £6OO on the second day. The other alco had a successful meeting, and it will not be superstition that will make these sportsmen return to a happy hunting ground.