SPORTING NOTES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 79, Issue 7145, 14 December 1949, Page 7

SPORTING NOTES

THE PAEROA MEETING THE DOUBLES TOTE WILL OPERATE (By ‘‘Old Rowley”) The Ohinemuri Jockey Olub will stage its summer meeting at Paeroa on Saturday and it has the signal honour of being the club to inaugurate the re-introduction of the doubles totalisator in the Auckland and Waikato districts. This adjunct to the betting facilities on racecourses has been severely criticised and even condemned by certain sections of the community, but there is not the shadow of doubt the fcjiiowers of racing have favoured the installation for many years. It has disadvantages, .the /outstanding one being the necessity to attend race meetings in order to invest; but then a person who does not witness the running of events is not a racegoer at all, but purely a punter, and logically these people do not enter into calculations and cannot have any legal standing when the lawmakers are considering what is necessary or desirable for the racing public. There is a heavy responsibility upon ths racing fraternity as a whole to see that they do not ruin in its early stages an amenity which should greatly enhance their pleasure if used wisely and sensibly. Fortunately the operation and control of betting is to remain in the hands of the respective conferences who are just as much public servants as any government aepartment of local body administrative office. As a forerunner to offcourse betting its pianipulation and effect on the public will be watched with the keenest interest by all. On Saturday, the public will buy their tickets on the first “leg” of the double "prior to the Freyberg Cup Handicap being run and if they are fortunate enough to be on the winner of that race, then they will take their ticket to the totalisator house and have it exchanged forgone which will indicate their fancy for the second “leg.” There is a possibility that at times the winning double will be at a very short price; it is also possible for the totalisator to get a proverbial “skinner,” in other words nobody would couple up the winning pair, but .this is yery unlikely on a racecourse, where superstition, which is part or every person, is most evidentThe Freyberg Gold Cup

The Ohinemuri Jockey Club is favoured by the class of horse which will contest the Freyberg Gold Cup, of £lOOO, 14 miles, at Paeroa on Saturday and if the hand'eapper any judge, then Conspiracy has been a much under-rated galloper in the past, for he is assessed at 31bs better than King’s Ransom, an equine which was for a time favourite for the last Melbourne Cup and has been acclaimed by experts as one of the Dominion’s outstanding horses. Mountain Glory’s failure at Waipa was a disappointment in view of his previous fine showings and the fact that he had conditions to suit him. He handled the turning course all right, good horses rise above such disadvantages. He was involved in the venturesome riding and crowding which took place when the field was going out of the straight and again along the back several horses suffered a check and this may have cost him his chance, for he was in the middle of a bunched field at the time. Swanee’s performance at Pukekohe was more encouraging and she has been such an honest mare in the past that she is expected to improve on it and my be one of the hardest to defeat.

Question horse of the field is Foxbay, a proved galloper over distance last season, whose flash of form first time out has been followed by failures which have been costly to his followers. However, it would be unwise to discard him yet. One of the favourites at present is Bobby Dazzler, the Nightly gelding which has been brought from the south to contest the Auckland Cup. If he starts he should run very prominently, for he is no sinecure in the Ellerslie event, being subject to soreness when raced much on hard trackd. Maric.rana which ran well at Te Aroha, the recently promoted hacks Calibrate and Biassed and Kaitawa all have many followers, but they are hardly likely to attract more attention than Foxfable which has been working better than ever before. Lady’s Bridge which has been withdrawn from her engagement in the Auckland Cup, ran a fair race in the Te Awamutu Cup, but did not stay on at the finish. However, she is definitely on the upgrade and - must be considered a lightweight prospect. Shaw Handicap Prospects

Although the weight scale is low, Rhonddavale is topweight with 7.12, the field for the Shaw Handicap is a good one and contains touch other promising material. Chatscourt is on the verge of a return to form, but High Glory has shown greater potentialities. Gwen.. Vaals, Gay Cushla and Cornishman have the necessary (brilliance, '4>ut Ithey will need to be at their best to cope with Chatrill, the outstanding hack of the season so far who will be having his first start in open company. It is always hard te succeed when first graduated, but Chatrill is a type likely to make the grade; among those to offer most opposition may be Lord Foxbridge, a quality three-year-old who has been patiently handled and is very near his best form. At present Princess Fair is balloted out, but- should the necesssary scratching eventuate, her running at Waipa suggests she may prove a thorn in the side of the opposition. Excellent entries have been received in all events and some quality performers, who will he seen later in the metropolitan meetings, will compete at the meeting. The programme is well balanced, opening with a hurdle race and, with the good facilities for the public .which are available at the Paeroa course, an excellent day’s sport should be enjoyed. The double’s totalisator, in which there will of course be particular interest, will, it is planned, operate on the main race of the day, the Freyberg Gold Cup and the open sprint, the Shawl Handicap, ‘To. provide

facilities for investors it has been arranged that the doubles totalisator open with the first race of the day so that patrons can invest early on the first leg of their selection thus avoiding congestion. All that the club needs is fine weather for the meeting to be one of the best ever staged by the club l .

PIRONGIA RACES GOOD FIELDS ENGAGED ON BOXING DAY The Alexandra Racing Club seems assured of success when it stages its meeting on the Pirongia Racecourse on Boxing Day, for good, fields have been posted for all races and such gallopers as Carthage, King Isaacs, Shepherd’s Mata, Corrigan, Tommy Gun, Bongula, Stable Boy, Borderer, Atello, and Art Shade have engagements during the day. Always a popular gathering, this year, with normal conditions prevailing the club should confidently look forward to a record attendance. All races are run under the New Zealand Rules of Racing and the same conditions apply as those which prevail at regular race meetings. Following are the fields engaged:— Pirongia Hurdles, U miles: Carthage 11.5, Shepherd’s Mate 10.2, King Isaacs 10.8, Full Pitch 10.6, Freeman, Singapore, Queen’s Chat, Wild Blood, Prince Dolomite, Korakonui 10.0. Ngutunui Handicap, 5 furlongs: Cold Advice 10.7, Prairie Gold 10-3, Gold Sprite, Barry’s Girl, Pay Le Rouge, Little Smokey, Queen’s Chat, San Rosita, Bonny Musk, Joanna, French Lady, Lady Elva, Rereamana, Henui, Minui. Miss Marlene, Primful, Malhomie, Ranger, Aunty Rose, Chester Belle, Delusion, Glen Ash, Princess Leonie 10.0. Te Rore Hack Handicap, 1 mile: Corrigan 10.9, Brief 10.8, Glanus Pal 10.8, Freeman 10.5, Queen’s Chat, Legalis, Silver Pere, Hinui, Conwin, Sir Oswald 10.0. Farmers’ Handicap, 5 furlongs: Country Girl 10.8, Gold Flash 10.0, Singapore, Bella Marie, Advance Secret, Minui, Lassie, Miss Marlene, Master Jack, Ranger, Farrell 10.0. Alexandra Cup, li miles: "tommy Gun 12.12, Bongula 11.7, Stable Boy 11.2, Borderer 10.9, Art Shade 10.7, Corrigan 10.4, King Isaacs, Korakonui, Malhomie, Pay Le Rouge, Queen’s Chat, Legalis, Shepherd’s Mate, Lady Elva, Prince Dolomite, Conwin, Delusion 10.0. Matakitaki Handicap, 6 furlongs: Cold Advice 10.7, Country Girl 10.6, Gold Sprite, Barry’s Girl, Advance Secret, Lynda, Wild Blood, Primfui, Ranger, Aunty Rose 10.0. Beet Memorial Handicap, 6 furlongs: Carthage 11.5, Borderer 10.9, Atello 10.8, Full Pitch 10.8, Ittawon 10.7, Roiho 10.5, Grandora, Hinui, Korakonui, Treval, Queen’s Chat, San Rosita, Bonny Musk, Silver Pere, Rereamana 10.0.

Farewell Handicap, 7 furlongs: Carthage 11.5, Brief 10.8, Shepherd’s Mate, Pay Le Rouge, Queen’s Chat, Silver Pere, Joanne, Lady Elva, Minui, Prince Dolomite, Aunty Rose, Treval, Princess Leonie 10.0.