IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3514, 19 July 1921, Page 39

IN A NUTSHELL.

Strategy stripped one o-f the Fittest looking horses a: Trentham last week. Rose Pink pulled up lame after running' in the Parliam» nt u Handicap. The right to re-nominnie a horse lias been left to tiie option of individual clubs. Tigritiya . inay_ be found developing into a g< od p: r for mor o ver the smail stick s. N ii'; a i > on d f a i le d t o s h o *v u p 1 i n de r Ids 1 o a cl of 11.9 in the Parliament.ary Handicap. Kc y; • i S tar m a do up a lot of g r on n d over tiie las: quarter of a mile in iho Paiiiamentary Handicap Clean Swa p got well u way in the Parliamentary Handicap, but dropped hack after goinjr about six furL :._s. It lias been decided by tl.*e Conference fit at in future no investments shad be refunded alter a horse lias weighed out. J lie Maniopoto gelding Silent Dick shaped well -a t Trent ha m, and Filed the eye ns one very likely to again win over country. Alteration won the Winter Hurdles like a good stave-r, and must be a tough nut to cracky in the Grand National Hurdles. Hallowvo»nia was a paddock tip for her race oil tiie first day n 1 Trentham, but slie could not do better than figure amongst tire also started brigade. The placingg of the second and third horses in the 'Stewards’ Handicap were twice changed before they appeared as the horses actually finished. The Boniform two-year-old filly, Ditchley. was breoted about as a likely winner in the Trial Plate, but was vide at the turn, and did well to finish fourth. The various fronting clubs in the Dominion distributed £130.354 in stakes during the season just concluding. Last season the total ran to £100,713. On the motion of the Dunedin .Jockey Club all nominations and acceptances will not exceed 5 per cent, of the amount of stakes payable to the winner. The Wolowa—La Notte two-year-old Marais looks rs if he might be found running up to something like the form of his near relatives —Noctinform and co. Some of the runners on the first day at Trentham shaped pooriv. as they were apparently out for u. .schooling lesson over the timber, and also on the flat. Battle Scene was running close up third at the distance in the Stewards' Handicap, but then she dropped right out of the picture, end finished nearly last.' The vo' ng on the question of a uniform system of starting trotting races resulted in 15 votes being cast for the seconds system and 11 for the standing start. It is rumoured that the owner of Coalition laid 11. M‘Sweenoy £IOOO to nothing if he landed yhe Wellington ‘Steeplechase and Grand National St-eenlschase. Tara, the winner of the Stewards Handicap, is evidently a champion in deep going. He 13 a _ five-year-old chestnut gelding by Mratification from a Torpedo mare. Rebuff, the brother to Snub, looked to hold a good winning cliance when leading* to the distance in the Te Aro Handicap, Urd he died out in the last half furlong. Grotesque was a strong order for tho Trial Piate, but L }*x/1 to be ridden ouan A kepi, busy to head off Rose of At lie ns, a filly by D-emocst hones from Rose- Shield. It was stated at the Racing Conference that tho number cf Hotting events included on the programme of racing chibs was ctvunl to seven and a-half days’ trotting. Royal Mac looked rather big and lusty when racing on tiie first day a* Trentham. His racing at the meeting should bring him* on tor Ricca Hon en.cas’ements. Although the New Zealand Cup winner, Mon elans, was me of tli; rank outsiders in the Stewards’ Handicap, it does net necessarily follow that lie rs a back number. Lord Us.k and Ladv Lncnllus, wb.-o were coupled on tiie tote, appealed to many ns a goad bet in the Te Aro Handicap, but a. G ird was the nearest the combination supphed. Sir George Clifford’s suggestion thni an apprentice rider who has not ridden 20 winners should be debarred from using a whip 'vac out-voted when it came before the Conference. It is said that the owner o.f Gamecock laid tho trainer idso and the rider idoo u nothing ebout the li o ' s chance in the "Winter Hurdles, but the chestnut could not deliver the good s ?. '! i.o (•••-• e-{mm era A: sprinter Hvmeatra was riuu.xr n' soliitar,- noghcSed in the Steward-’ Hen cheap, but L bowled down in his pro-'.’mr-iarv as if 1:; might train again into the wjumug list. In future the minimum weight- of handicajis for steeph ' ha:ms will be 9.0 instead of A-* - - ,|S ,v:j l bring- tiie minimum at-n.-hed t° in line with what is attaclied to luvo-u raers. Tia ; :t. tho w'uniw the T Aro IT;tFcap, is n tli roe-} »:■.•« t-idd f’ster to TigrUiyn. T ;h. -: ot r . i’N A d Bh: from Tigris, bv by DrcadnoiightE Eocii. 11m 10-xl, ,1 |. lHt •!; 1 1:-:.,- side w i„, n he vent on! U-r th- UTnter Himlics in,* := ives noticed Ux -t U- imlled n,, fuiriv xvp-’, Mfter L,;. vae f . He , o ; ce came in'o favour for the Wellington .Steeples. The .Racing Conference has decided Hiaf in .in lure a ;1 licenses e.rc to be granted to trainers, jockeys, and apmenticos by a Liccnsmg Committee composed of a representative of each District Committee. Cnopping .and changing dates causes a good deal of vexation amongst various clubs* rind the Dates Committee draw special 'attention to the fact, as it tends to upset the run of meetings o-r. the calendar. Two imported horses in Callaghan and Bonny Briar were amongst the runners in the Stewards’ Handicap. I n thus case. a ; least, the English horses did not assert their su; vriority over tlm colonials. The -amount taker, at the turn..-! iky* at Ellers!ie on the off dav of the Winter meeting—the last—amounted to £IO.OOO. The increase in th: gate receipts siiv-c tho installation of t: BH'-: tiles a mount s ! to 33 per com. Despite the fact that Cave rock is a recent winner lie went old ti.- rank outsider of the Stewards* Handicap field. This seems to be another case wh re the noi*the- niters times - impk !y 101 a i t hem form. Riders of the second or third liorso in a rare will in future receive 5 per cent, of the amount payable to tho owm •• of the hors:, but in no ca-e will a jookov rec? ; n loss than t lie fee • a t ■ ac l ! -1 Lo a losing* m au-'t. i*at ? e Koieht won*■ mat fnvourif » for G-o Strwards’ Handioo.]!. but if a horse does not go* well away and oh fa in a good run ir Midi i! Lege field he has a very hard row to hoe. Thy public opinion of him is. worth remembering. Omnia! moved with cramped ae/fion v. hen doing hw pre-no in wy. but evidently the lack of freedom did not troid,],- ]n'.s rdmirt’”s, jus in' started a good .favourite, but the b< • b.c could do was a moderate second in the ’chaser.?.’ flat race. Any j.iek-.v a ttem i-t i r to obtain an unf: shad vantage at the start will in future bo liable to so y »,■ n si - ai. h is ciabn; 1 the the irnmniiimi of a fine oidv is not a sufficient dcLrcnt, and t he- alt crat i: u will give stewards gi eater you . y in ! he matter. The Martian- Ladv Lucy colt Lord l!. who cl. 11 ! - a engagemel11 ii t : 1 jMtdlxnn ue Cuj>. is a 'shapely little gon tlci'u.m. vdio m ado a fair show in tho Trial Plate, and ran along as if ho might be

tound winning a good race at some future dat-e. In future in races for apprentice riders it will be permissible when no suitab’ appicntice is obtainable to put up a jockey riding wuii a 101. b penalty. T his men ■ •- : ! owner cannot be compelled to put up an apprentice unless ho is deemed compe.ent to hcindlc ;• horse in a race. i he Otago- Hunt Club lias been a!'ot'rl October 29 instead of OcioLur 8, the d go on wdiich it up-uied for permission to hold \ h( : lv P \ - ' ti; Th. . : - ' tnc in j Gon s l )in •' ur.e, whit h j&ncliidcs on tl il-on-tluy picv’.ons to the llunt meeting. L is g< nerally undorsh l that of a horse is one under whose supervision 11 hms: is trained, particularly to the final part of the horse's preparation. One of the runners at Trentham figured in the book as being trained by a man who has been in Australia for the past twe or three months. A new rule has boon added to rar-inp- law ■and reads as follows: —“No certified v- of *: aiion shall hei-rafter bo ptrantod o” issued tc any club Hie course of which is si -U.it t-d '.x* till il -20 miles of the couise of any registered club, but does not. for tiie purp:.;rs cf this rule, include a hull* club or polo club.’’ M st. r Sir::van. nc ordin ' a tiie iotalisa- ’‘ a< l " liopx li - - 3 cl. nee iii . I. o .Streide- <• I Kisers' Flat, lm* lie was aluaxs fuiriv I, Udy, and com IV.' on at tiie fir-isli. Tlio ii,udd!:.u ]*ti';o xi-xu- the first mile, however, made it a false rim race, and oven hi fact wa not solid e none ii to suit tiie '.'-innei-. The Dates Committee appointed by (Lo Wcing Conference made tiie suggestion that the South Canterbury Jockey Club should lie called the Timaiu Jr-ckov Chib ami the North Otago Jockey Club tiie Camara Jockey Club as the charge means that the clubs concerned would then carry mere distinctive and appropriate titles. Miss Muriel looked bright and muscuhi 1 * when she went out for tiie Parliamentary, but her cramped action in slow pace when doing a. preliminary caused a numb r of punters to- discard her chance. She travelled all right m the race, and had a fairly good run, except that 'she went back three or four lengths nt furlongs from home. Mr M . T. Hazlett strongly pro! -..’ted against racecourse detectives being granted power to arreel any i.x-i.son who might resist ejection from -a course. Tiie motion that the Racing Conference should appoint racecourse detectives was earned almost unanimously, and a levy is to be mode to pay expenses, which are not to- exceed X250!l pm- annum. Mr W. G. Stead drew attention oi tiie conference to postponements of race meeting!; for unseasonable periods, which results in bringing above a clash with other fixturesMr Stead cited the case cf the- Avondale Jockey Club, which postponed their Spring meeting to such an extent that visitors were placed under considerable extra expense and inconvenience. After this date any club changing- a programme, or any official thereon, after it has been passed by a District Committee, will l>s liable to a fine not exceeding 50sovs. Tiie motion that no racing programme contain more than one trotting event was withdrawn under the understanding that any programme would not contain more than two trotting events on any one day’s card. The AYellmgton Racing Club ha 3 introduced an idea which dct-Cis not appear to have n:udi to commend it. "When two horses-, owned in tho same stable, -are coupled on the tote they appear on the book as. say 3 and 3a. If one of them is placed there may be a doubt as to which is which. That does net ho open if the horses are numbered in their correct rotation in a handicap. Tho Racing Conference had on view a sample of the numbered saddlecloth which it is suggested should be universally adopted. The cloth is a white background with r d numbers. If ih.e writer’s memory is not at fault scientific research and experiments found that blue on white enhances visibility better than any other combination of colours. Sir George Clifford waa strongly inclined to discountenance any alteration in the way of changing the name of a jockey club to a racing club. II,? considered that the old traditions should be adhered to. and thus follow the example of the English Jockey Club. There in favour of the change pointed out that a club was nob an associat uu of jockeys, but rather an association of racing man. There was no pace cn over the first m : ! of the SI to *) Leilas ? rs’ Elat, but Mattock improved it after turning out of the straight. Up lo this stage they were all under a null. Turning for home Coalition went i»p to Mattock. and then came away to win very comfortably from Omahai and Mas'er St rowan. Nothing, apparently, had a chance with tho winner, who looked well, and galloped strong in the soft going. When the question of payment cf officials cam a up for discussion i was proposed th« t cleri •- of the c urst sh mid ! -r emitted, and this was agreed to. A member of a cour t :y club complained that it would tax the finances of small clubs, but apparently overlooked the fact that such appoint men? s dsnot mean that an '.'official hns to be raid e t a- large fee c*r any fixed amount. Tim motion was lost by two votes. In the discu.ssiS on the appointment of deputy lirinrlicappers some members of th ' conference did not appear to grasp the object of the motion in that direction. It was thought that where only one day’s racing; took T-lace no deputy liandicappcr would be required or necessary. In England the object of the rule is that liandicappers must view the results of their own adjustments or else be represented by a licensed deputy. Tho question of restoring Lie right to u-e assumed names aroused considerable discussion. The motion was lost. The Conference carried the motion thad no race (including events for two-year-olds) be run over less th#n five furlongs, but one in tlie direction of .adopting a uniform hour for the receipt of nominations was lost. The compulsory adoption of a 7.0 minimum r. reived ins usual fate, and probably has made its last appearance. Some considerable surprise mis been expressed in sporting circles that R. O’Dour !. the well-known trainer, sbculd abandon a prof ssion iu ; Inch be ha-s a co - 1 ■ ions success in favour of practising horse dciPustry. He has, however, always taken c nsiderable r< ;t i ■ ' to stimulate O’DminrU’s im. in equin ' dculistrv the late Air C. G. Stead pjesent 'd him with one of tl s , • . . ments procurable in America. Arch Salute. t!ic winner of the lb: rlianuentar, Handicap, was got by Marble Arch from SrdYde, by Soult frnm Lailv Musket, by Bhi i I’gown/'-” Mnskerina. by Musket Hipponia. bv l!ipuccampus—Yatternia, by Yatt-.n-don. * Arch Salute was unplacc 1 in the Islington Handicap, won by Royal Star at ih- last Grand Noth nal meeting, but o:i ■ : . ■ v ' h< n - in Hcailicole Handicap and ran second to Will Orilhand in the Selvyn Handicap. '1 he Racin 10 a.m. to> 1 p.m. and from 2.15 p.m. to (UV' p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 10.15 p.m. Tho fact ?!kv many of the })rincipal citizens in on,: racing village .are prepared to devote ilk'.and abilitv i>; the cans ‘ of s})urt shows t!’.a f they make considerabdc sacrifioe in their .'fi'irts u t’urt!icr ti: ■ h.-s* interests of laming. There is, of course, in addiuon to

I siderable dernaad on tlioir time during the ia attending to cases which require their official attention. Tiie Si sep! .-chasers' Flat Handicap is completely ( ut of place on the \Veihn_rton Winter in--.gramme. In the first place' tho big ; stcrplts on the second clay attracts the best l cer is to tiie meeting, but they Live only j one chance at their own wine. it would study tlieir interests very much bet,or if the V, t!; iiin-ton istepleciiaso was ou tiie first dav’s raid and tin ssc-'.ikl dry incl.id d a g cd c-ous-dution race over country. '('iiii.--.-rs for chasing and flat races for fi t racing s ■ that all can plav the part tor wi.i.-li th-v have ; ■ a educated. T! iUi'dlors are much ' t . day’s card. 1-rom copies cf correspondence which has ■ t : ib’otection L rue and the Govevniu.lit it is quite clear that every reffor. has b:cn made to guard the interests of racing and t!..e racing public. The leagu-e, it appears, i • inclined to favour the silent syHc n of l:usincs?, but the writer holds the opinion that more publicity w 3iil 1 obtuiu a sti i L ,or l 4 ir .in the public. Wiicn racing is i publicly attacked or exploited, such as by tho grab of fractions, the public appear to think that racing lias no case to doieud when silence is tiie kavnot: of protection. During the sitting of tho Racing Conferent ?• it was stated that the Legislative Council, when considering the (laming Amendment Act, ca lied a motion that the number of races be reduced to seven in summer and i eix in winter. This matter cropped up during the discussion of unwcildiy fields, and tlioir suggested division in order to obviate th: risk of accident. The same very object i could b. acliio*'-d in all probability bv re--1 due ing lli? number of sprint races, which are invariably the events whidi attiact tiie undesirably 1 1 fi* u i is ■ . rally that the fields shrink in size as the distance | increases, and charging as large a sweepstake as posssiblo would also tend to reduce fields. r !die writer was mildly surprised to se.& a couple of rising two-vear-olds in the birdcage at Trentham when the fi Id for tho Ster plechasers’ Flat was on parade Such i a chance of education would in all probability not be allowed on anv other course in the Dominion. In fact, some yea is ago some yoimgs’ers were ordered out. cf th© saddling - paddock a: Riccarton because tiiey were not engaged at tiie meeting. At other places they are allowed to have a run down the straight between races to give them a I chance to get acquainted with a racecourse ; under racing conditions, but they .seemed to ;be allcved an extraordinary privilege at Trentham, most extraordinary, because it was most unusual. Soni“ discussion arose over tiie question of increasing the number of races on each day's card so as to permit tiie division of un-u-ually large fields, and so reduce the possible chance of accid.nt. It was suggested that if the distances were increased it would tend to reduce fields and the subsequent risk of .accident. No member of the conference apparently thought that if a special sweepstake was attracted to races in the event of acceptors exceeding a certain mimb r it ; would b.e a sure method of reducing fields. Very few owners would care to pay an extra sweepstake for a hors: which tiiey thought had but a remote chance, and which they were only desirous of giving a run. Tins and an extension of distance would help to solve the trouble. It is quite obvious that the shorter the distance the larger the field-.