DIFFICULTIES AT TAPANUI

Southland Times, Issue 23736, 7 February 1939, Page 10

DIFFICULTIES AT TAPANUI

Only 30 Horses At Meeting HEIDELBERG IN NEW QUARTERS Acceptances for the Winton Jockey Club’s meeting close on Monday next at 7 p.m. To Resume Riding An application for a jockey’s licence by B. H. Brodie has been recommended by the committee of the Dunedin Jockey Club. Survoy Back " Survoy is in work again at' Washdyke and is showing no sign of the shoulder trouble that hampered him last season. All going well, he will probably race at Riverton. Gipsy Fair

Gipsy Fair was unlucky in the Dwyer Memorial Handicap as she was badly left at the start. Usually a brilliant beginner, she was giving the leaders several lengths in a fast-run five furlongs. She made amends later in the day when she came out and won the Stewards’ Handicap from end to end. Breaking’the Rules If a jockey, owner or trainer commits a breach of the rules a fine, suspension or eome penalty is imposed. A starter, can, however, commit a breach of the rules by attempting flying or walk-in starts in flat races and nothing is said. Below Form Astral Flash was a disappointment at Tapanui, and was produced only on the one occasion. In the early stages of her race she appeared unable to go with her field and lost several lengths within the first two furlongs. At the same time she was set a big task in conceding Dissemble, who secured all the best of the start, several lengths and beating her home in Imin 14 3-ssec on a turning track. A Newcomer A newcomer to the Invercargill tracks is Heidelberg, a four-year-old gelding by Lord Warden from Poetess. He has been secured on lease by' Mr P. H. Nicholson, and will race in the same colours as Amelita. As a two-year-old Heidelberg shaned promisingly but has done very little racing since. Bow Street’s Success Bow Street scored by far his most important Success to date when he won the Tapanui Handicap, although the field he beat, was a weak one. The Balboa gelding has not proved an easy horse to train and he has run his best races after having been given a chance to freshen up. Riding tactics played a big part in his success on Saturday. Amelita has always run her best races when permitted to make her own rules in front but in the Tapanui Handicap she was not given a chance to do so. G. Barclay, on Bow. Street, raced with Amelita for almost the whole of the Journey and when it came to staying on he beat her home.

The Tapanui Meeting The Tapanui Racing Club has been in existence for many years but its annual meeting on Saturday indicated that tl'.e club may experience some difficulty in carrying on. The weak fields in most events robbed the racing of a good deal of interest and the rather serious decrease in the totalizator turnover as well as a falling off in the gate receipts will make matters difficult for the club, lu three races only three horses went to the post. There were only 30 horses present at the meeting, 19 of this number being gallopers to provide six races. The club’s decision to decrease its stakes for this year’s meeting appeared to be one reason for the fields being too small. The appointments at Tapanui leave much to be desired and the increased cost of travelling frequently dissuades owners to patronize meetings where small stakes are or. offer. These are two difficulties which the Tapanui Club has to face. A third, and probably the most important of all, is the date of the club’s meeting. Coming as it d' s before the Dunedin-Winton-Gore circuit very few owners aie prepared to take horses to back country meetings with much more attractive stakes ahead. Very few of the horses to race at Tapanui are engaged at Dunedin this week. While the result' of Saturday’s meeting was not very ei.couraging, the enthusiasm of the Tapanui officials is to Be commended. It is understood that the club has a credit of something like £6OO put aside for the erection of a new sti nd while the club boasts a membership of 120—much bigger than most Southland clubs. The position of country clubs such as Tapanui is no easy one, and it may only be made easier by the move to centralize racing. Training in Races The practice of running horses in big condition has been condemned during the past few weeks, and the National Hunt stewards are taking serious steps to prevent it; but it is going to be extremely difficult, particularly- with regard to the older horses. These old campaigners become wise in time, and more often than not refuse to do their best at home; the only alternative for the trainer is to give his charge a run in public in the hope that the gallop will sharpen him up and make him take more interest in his work on the training grounds. This is legitimate (says an English writer) although it must be misleading to backers. Hence the importance of attending meetings oneself. What is wrong—and no doubt will be stopped in future—is the running of unschooled or partiallyschooled novices in overcrowded fields. This practice does not affect backers so much as horses and jockeys, and if the stewards can find a way in v/hich to curtail these activities they will benefit racing considerably.

Another Bout When Seabiscuit and War Admiral met . last year the former won decisively. It was claimed by admirers of War Admiral that he was not himself, and that another race might bring about a different result. The correctness or otherwise of that belief will be proved next month at Hialeah Park, Miami. An English exchange attributes to The New York Times the statement that they will meet at the track named for a purse of £BOOO. Up to the present Seabiscuit has won £68,096, but an addition of £BOOO would, of course, take him past Sun Beau’s £75,348. the world’s present record.

Opinion of Ajax In the opinion of Brownie Carslake, the crack Australian jockey, who has been riding in England and the Continent for many years, and who is at present on a visit to Australia, Ajax does not show the quality of the best English horses.