AUSTRALIAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1465, 13 December 1879, Page 18

AUSTRALIAN.

The profit made by the Victorian Racing Club over the late Spring meeting was close on L6OOO, a little less than that made' the previous ' year. The receipts for the meeting of 1878- " were L 12.618, and r ,f6r 1879 LU.397. ' -''^ ' • The steeplechaser Goulboum, who Was ex- ' ported to India.re cently, fetched Lssoonhis ' '' arrival there. »' T ' " ■' -..-.;' ,j. At the trial of. the totalisator cases, 'Mr Ri6h- * * mond Thatcher -was fined LlO and' costs, 'Mr '• • Gamble LlO and costs, Mr Miller L 5 and costs." In commenting; on the betting, sweep, and ; totalisator .questions,' the Australasian Bug- . geststhat racecourses, bookmakers, and total- , isators should be licensed, but public sweep?, suppressed. It continues the subject as follows :— " ,On racecourses and at other places of amusement we advocate, under the condition's ' ' ' and regulations before mentioned, that public - 1 betting, sweeps, totalisators, or any other mode ' of speculation that can be devised, should ' be legalised. There can be no doubt whatever that ere long, when the political atmosphere ' • has become clearer; tha Betting Act will * be taken into consideration by Parliament, " ' and will be amended j and we have strong rea- " ' son to believe that if the subject were left to a ' committee composed of practical and 1 "experienced' men, the reforms carried out would" be in the, direction indicated by us. Betting ' and speculation on horse-racing can never be suppressed by Act of Parliament or any other ' means. The great thing is to keep 1 it in its proper place, and we believe the legalisation .' of the totalisator here, as in South Australia, * would, in a considerable v degree, have tHat effect. Bat under any circumstances a, more ' efficient system of police supervision than the - present vis urgently required before the provi- " sions of any Betting Act can be properly and ' equitably enforced." " For the Normanby Stakes, for two year-olds, there will probably be a field of 10, including Palmyra, Eespite, Rose of Victoria; Willo'i' the-Wisp, Haidee of the Hills, Trevallyn, " Standard Bearer, Good Morning, and Motea (the son of Lurline). There is no mention of betting on the Champion Race, which ia looked upon as a certainty " ' for First (King. : , • . The co^t by The Peer out of the New Zealand mare Calumny is engaged in tho Geelong Sirea' " Produce Stakes, as also is Motea. ' ' ' •> » ,< <■ Forty-nine entries have been received for the • Mayor's Cup, to be run on 'the 1 13 th inst;; at ' ' Sydney, and these include Falmouth, Sweet- ' meat, Swiveller, Martindale, Democrat, Macaroni, Valetta, Trump Yoss, and other' good horses. ■ .. The principal events at the Newmarket 1 ' Second October meeting were detailed a week or two ago. In addition I may note that the ! Second October Nursery Handicap ! of 200 bovb/ ' was won by Lord Rosebery's Cipolata,' -by ' Macaroni —Duckling. In the Cfflaarewiteh Isonomy .carried the great weight of ; 9at'llb into fourth place, and the same owner's colt '" Weßtbourne ran second. Possibly one or the other would have won outright but for both ' .getting interfered with when nearing home. •' Chippendalei the aetrial winner, atarted ahnost ' friendless; at 100 to 4J. In 'the Middle Park 1 Plate, won by Beaudesert, the popular jockey, ' Fordham, got a lift, though Grace Cup might have run him close but for going unkindly at a critical, moment. The winner was bought by ' '■ Lord Anglesey as a- yearling for 1650%uine4s, ° '" and he is to be sold during the Hougtitbh meet- ' ing with the rest of- his owner's team* Feir^"nandez, a full brother, was unplaced in this? 1 ■ .'