AN EYE-OPENER

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 972, 15 May 1930, Page 14

AN EYE-OPENER

ELLERSLIE IMPRESSES ENGLISH VISITOR INTEREST IN TOTALISATOR An interesting* visitor to Ellerslie racecourse yesterday Mr. R. Milbanke, of England, who is on a three weeks’ visit to New Zealand as the representative of the Irish Bloodstock Agency. Mr. Milbanke left the Old Country four months ago and was three months in Australia before coming to the Dominion, and he arrived here on Tuesday afternoon by the Ulimaroa from Sydney. Chatting with “Early Bird” yesterday, Mr. Milbanke spoke in the highest praise of the appointments on the leading Australian racecourses and the way the public was catered* for, so very different from England, where the horse came foremost and facilities for the public were a secondary consideration. St. Simon Blood From the breeding point of view Mr. Milbanke was impressed by the dominance in Australia of the St. Simon blood, a strain that had practically died out in England, especially in the male line. He was very interested in several stud farms that he visited in •New South Wales and Victoria. The horses in Australia appeared to be finer trained and carried less condition than the English thoroughbred. The jockeys, too, with few exceptions, were not up to the English standard. Betting was most interesting, and it seemed to be harder to make money, this important factor being possibly due to the fact that the races were lhostly run under handicap conditions, as against the numerous classic and set-weight events staged in the Old Country. Mr. Milbanke said he had attended race meetings at Randwick, Flemington and Caulfield, as well as at other centres, and the privileges extended to him by the clubs had been greatly appreciated. h Hold His Own With Best It is customary nowadays for visitors to Australia upon arriving in New Zealand to be asked the question of the moment: “What do you think of Phar Lap?” To this query Mr. Milbanke expressed his opinion that Australia’s present champion “would hold his own with any horse in England.” And that means that there is no better horse in the world today than Phar Lap, although there may be his equal, for England’s best can always be regarded as practically the world’s champion. The visitor said that Phar Lap was no's a good horse to look at. He was big and ungainly, and all angles. But handsome is as handsome does, and Phar Lap impressed him very much indeed. Tie also regarded Nightmarch and Amounis as particularly fine-look-ing horses, and the former struck him as a really good horse. The visitor had a good word to say for the stock of Manfred, all of whom took after their sire in looks. The Totalisator Mr. Milbanke referred to the introduction of the totalisator on English racecourses, and referred to the dissatisfaction expressed with the early primitive machines. Yesterday afternoon Mr. Milbanke was conducted through the gardens and appointments at Ellerslie by the racecourse manager, Mr. Alfred Hill, and the beautiful grounds came in the nature of a revelation to the visitor. IT© was also interested in the racecourse itself, particularly the steeplechase course, and he personally inspected several of the fences. He mentioned that he had purchased a jumper some months ago with a view to riding it in the Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree last March, but the plans came undone when he and his mount crashed while schooling at Sandown (near London) and the horse was killed. Modern and Model Totalisator Mr. T. Henry, who is in charge of the electric totalisator at Ellerslie, gave a practical demonstration of the operation of this machine. The visitor was considerably surprised at the huge totalisator house—itJs 309 ft long—and the modern mechanrcal methods by which the betting public is catered for, also at the fact that in the boom times over half a million sterling passed through the machine during the four days of the midsummer carnival, with nearly £30,000 handled on the big rJtce, the Auckland Cup, these figures being supplied by Mr. W. S. Spence, secretary of the A.R.C. Proudly Mr. Henry stated that the totalisator at Ellerslie had not held them up once—and he then made obeisance to the gods by touching wood. The machine handled more money a day’s racing than any other totalisator in the world. Mr. Milbanke left Ellerslie quite convinced that so far as the totalisator was concerned, the Old Country has still a lot to learn from its young Dominion, while there was no comparison in the facilities offered for racegoers. Mr. Milbanke left for Wanganui last night, and he will experience his first race meeting in New Zealand at the river city today and on Saturday. Subsequently he will go on to Wellington an)3 will return next week to Auckland, returning from here direct to England.