NEW STARTING

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 983, 28 May 1930, Page 14

NEW STARTING

Stall Gates Almost Universal TAPES DONE AWAY WITH Apparently the system of starting races by placing each horse in a stall with an electric release, described and pictured in The Sun a few months ago, is becoming general in the United States, if the following clipping from a New York journal of April 26 is any criterion: It appears that no institution or cusI tom in American life can escape the j touch of modern progressiveness. Now | it’s the classical Kentucky Derby. • The horses competing in this most i historic of all American turf events j will be started from stall gates, in- ; stead of from the old-fashioned elas- ' tic barrier! Matt Winn, general manager of Churchill Downs and Latonia in Kentucky, recently* decided to use the Waite portable starting gates at both of those courses this year. Starter Hamilton recommended the contrivance to Winn after having used it all winter at New Orleans. The Waite gate had a trial last season at the Aqueduct track, on '.Long Island, but did not make any great hit with either the late Mars Cassidy, then starter, or with the racing public. Possibly the test was too short to prove much. Now that Churchill Downs, Latonia and Havre de Grace have fallen in line as favouring the Waite gate, practically every racecourse in the country, save those in New York, is equipped with some sort of mechanical stalls or gates at the starting post. JOCKEY’S APPEALS O’CONNOR AND TILSON The appeal of D. O’Connor (rider j of Lin Arlington) against his suspen- | sion for a month at Wanganui will be heard on Friday. J. Tilson (rider of Tariff at Ashburton on Saturday) has also appealed to the Canterbury District Committee, but his case will not be heard until June 10, as the usual date of the committee meeting falls on a public holiday. RACING FIXTURES MAY 31, June 3. 4—Dunedin J.C. JUNE i 3, 4—Otakl-Maori R.C. j 3,5, 7—Auckland R.C. I 14—Oamaru J C. j 19. 21 —South Canterbury J.C. j 20, 21—Hawke's Bay J.C. 25—Egmont-Wanganui Hunt. 27. 28—Napier Park R.C. 28—Ashburton County R.C. JULY • 8, 10, 12—Wellington R.C. j 12—Oamaru J.C. 19—Waimate District Hunt.. I 17, 19—Gisborne R.C. i 26—South Canterbury Hunt. I 31, August I—Manawatu R.C. Winter.