KEEN RAGING

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12314, 6 April 1933, Page 5

KEEN RAGING

PAHIATUA- -FIRST DAY CUP TO LA POUPEE ' SOME GOOD DIVIDENDS. Judged from present day standards the first day of the Pahiatua Racincr Club’s annual meeting, held yesterday on the club’s course, was quite a success. The tot al i sat or usully gives a pretty good indication as to whether a meeting was successful or not and desxhte the difficult times and several painfully small fields the sum of £3,932 10s was put through yesterday as against £4,657 10s on the opening day last year, a drop of £725. The outside lawn was done away with this year, the dividing fence being removed to allow the public full range. The admission to all parts ■was the same, the charge, in addition, having been reduced to half the usual lawn enclosure fee. When, on top of this concession, it is realised that as many as 650 complimentary tickets were issued it can be reckoned that the club did wonderfully well to take only £3O less at the gates than on the first day last year. It can be seen that the attendance was agreeably large. The weather was fine, though it clouded over as the afternoon advanced and turned rather cold. The track, with a thick green sole of grass, looked at its very best but after tha recent heavy rain was inclined to be a bit holding as the times would indicate. Even though there was a, two-horse, and a threehorse race the events lost little in the matter of excitement and close finishes. The class of horse competing was a slightly higher standard than usual and the public thoroughly enjoyed the day’s sport. It was certainly rather a pity that one or two of the races were not better filled. With only two or three going to the post betting operations, ore naturally restricted. But for this the totalisator would most certainly have shown an increase on last year. As it is the club should be well pleased with the public response. A hot favourite, La'Ponpee, owned by Dr. W. H. Will and Mr L. Millward, won the Pahiatua Cup from a five-horse field, taking 2.11 2-5 for the mile and a quarter. Full Mark was a good second and Lady Pam third. The open sprint was a disappointment in that only Souchong and Sir Pombal faced the starter but in an electrical finish Mr W. K. Kembail’s Sir Pombal registered a brilliant victory by nearly two lengths. The dividends, for the most part, were unusually good, even in the smaller races which indicates that the favourites did not have it till their own way by anv means.

The win and place system of betting was operated wherever the number of runners called for it and in this respect the totalisator arrangements were perfectly satisfactory. It was a surprising fact that the majority of punters confined their attentions almost solely to the win machine on which operations Aver© far more lively all day. The biggest dividend was of nearly a third of a century paid by Mr W. R. Kemball’s Cape Fair, the winner of the Hamua Hack. There were no untoward incidents so the Judicial Committee did not have to sit once. The popupar presidert (Mr H. McSherry) and his energetic band of stewards saw to it that there was no hitch with tlie programme and events were run well up to time. The secretarial duties were very capably carried out by the genial secretary, Mr J. G. Swainson. Under the conductorship of Mr O. M. # Burt, the Pahiatua Municipal Silver Band was in attendance and played a number of pleasing seleet ions.