THE TURF REGISTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1921, Page 11

THE TURF REGISTER.

(Notes by “Moturoa.”) The New Zealand Turf Register for the season 1920-21 is, as usual, full of information in tabloid form for the horse breeder, owner, and the genera) racing public, containing as it does a report of the season’s racing and trotting in New Zealand, with tables of the winners of the most important events since their institution. Racing and trotting statistics, entries for coming events, registered colors, particulars of the principal sales o-f blood stock, and the rules of racing are all included, and without this compact little volume no sportsman’s library would be complete. After handling the Turf Register almost daily for over a. score of years one wonders how any sport can get along without it. The Turf Register is official, and considering the immense amount of information crammed into its space, is remarkably free from errors. It settles all arguments, and as a work of reference alone is worth t more than the “five half-crowns” asked for it by the publishers—the Christchurch Press Co., Ltd. BITS OF TURF. Racing statistics for the season 192021 have been fully dealt with in these columns, but many lessons may be learned from a careful perusal of the Turf Register. For instance, how many sports could tell you the number of racehorses that went through the season without a defeat? Gloaming, of course, won each of his dozen starts, but there were others. Elate, Merry Owen and Kafour won on the two occasions they were started, and Island, Joffre, Luff, Miss Western and Tunamu each had a record of one start, one win.

A dozen firsts place Gloaming at the head .of the successful horses, but Palamon, with ten firsts, and Mermin with eight, were not far behind. Five horses— Duo, Killowen, Lima. Maioha and Rouen —won seven races, and those with six wins include Aeterina, Barleycorn, Bunny, Crosswords, General Raven, Jovial, Listowel, Rational, Mutatua, Mattock, and Tama-a-roa. Amy thus only started thrice, but ran two firsts and a second, while Arrowsmith recorded a first, two seconds, and one unplaced performance. Of the five races that Borodino won, four were consecutive, while General Raven was in the money a dozen times on end. Mort Avis, with ten consecutive placed performances, was another consistent horse, and Rationale record reads: 11 starts, 6 firsts, 4 seconds, 1 third. Kilderg ran four times for a win, two seconds, and a third. Master Hamilton was only saddled up thrice, but managed to win once and run two seconds. Mattock had an easy season, but managed to win six times. Mazama won live races on end, and Sea De’il’s twelve runs ran out to 4 firsts, 2 seconds, 5 thirds, and once unplaced. Statuette was not over-raced last year, but in four races she ran 2 firsts, a second and a third, lamatete sported silk on six occasions for 4 firsts, a second, and an unplaced performance, and Teka in a like number of starts did exactly the same.

Coming to the much raced noddies w? found that Astinome and Sir Fanciful shared the doubtful honor of first place, each having contested 34 races. Gold Problem and Tornea raced 33 times, and Beloved, Link Up. Kildec, and Miss Camouflage 32 times. Then come Rebuff and Malage 30; Matatua 29; Some Fashion 28; Borodino and Maioha 27; Molyneaux, Palamon, Radial, Railand, Mettle Drift, and Sylvan 26; Satisfaction, Lord Kenilworth, Sweet Memory, Tenterfield ajid Tetoa 25; and Missland 24. Of all the systems for hacking winners the writer knows no better one than that of “following the monev,” and with the view of ascertaining how the fellow would get on who blindly followed the favorite last season. I waded through the whole 1698. galloping events in the Register. The result is an eye-opener, for no less than 608 races were won by first favorites, while 284 second dividends went to the public’s first choice. This aggregates 892 dividends, rather better than one in two. and if it were possible to carry the system out it seems probable that the bettor would have shown a profit on the year’s transactions. Possibly by betting on an increasing scale until a* favorite won, and then ' dropping back to the original amount, a good sum might have been netted.

Of course an system of betting requires a good ;eai of pluck and a fair amount of capital. Taking the Taranaki meetings, the North Taranaki Hunt, first favorites only returned two first and three second dividends; Waverley, four firsts and a second: Taranaki J.C. Christmas, three firsts and five seconds; Stratford, five firsts and four seconds; Taranaki J.C. Autumn, four firsts and three seconds: Egmont R.C. Summer, six firsts and two seconds; Opunake, five firsts and a second; Egmont R.C. Winter, six firsts and four seconds; and Egmont-Wanganui Hunt Steeples, three firsts and three seconds. A total of 1)0 races only produced 38 first and 26 second dividends, 64 in all, so that Taranaki may be classed amongst' the “hard” meetings.

Tn a letter to an Auckland Star writer. Mr. T. H. Lowry states that th> victory of his filly Paradise Duck in the British Dominion Two-year-old Plate, at Sandown, was fully expected by the stable, and the filly started once previously, at Newmarket last month, when, after bolting before the start, she finished fifth in a field of fifteen. Tn the race she won, IT. Gray jumped her out smartly from the harrier, and the filly, loading all the way, beat an oddson favorite in Fodder, and won by a length, covering the distance in 1.2. A post-mortem held on the English Derby winner Humorist, which died suddenly a. few weeks after scoring his success in the big event, showed that the colt always had a perforated lung, and must have won his races through sheer gameness. The colt was valued at 40,000g5, but was uninsured, so his loss to Mr. Joel was a heavy one in every way. Mr. Joel was somewhat cut up on receiving the news, for it was only a few hours previously that he had told inquiring friends that his horse had picked up wonderfully, and was looking greatly improved. Mrs. J. -1. the wife of the owner, absolutely refused to allow the body of the colt to be mutilated in any way for souvenirs.