On and Off the Track

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20509, 29 August 1936, Page 6

On and Off the Track

A BUDGET OB' NEWS AND VIEWS FIXTURES Racing Sept. 3—Egm on t-Wanganui Hunt Club Sept. s—Taranaki Hunt Club. Sept. s—Otago Hunt Club. Trotting Aug 29—Auckland T.C. Sept. s—New Brighton T.C, Sept. 12—Wellington T.C. Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting to-day. A profit of £696 was made by ' the Wyndham. Racing Club from its annual meeting on New Year’s Day. The Hobartville Stakes, the event for three-year-olds to be run to-day at Warwick Farm, is a seven-furlongs event at Derby weights, with no penalties or allowances.

J. M. Cameron cancelled his trip to Sydney on the Wanganella on Thursday. but will be taking a team across next week. The only horses leaving this week were Panl Pan and Webster’s two-year-old by Kiosk—Limosa.

The racing she had at the Metropolitan meeting early in the month should prove of undoubted benefit to the trotter Gala Day, and this mare can be expected to race prominently at the Auckland meeting.

The well-known North Island oraer, Mr W. McA. Duncan, returned from an Australian holiday by the Wanganella. One of the things that struck him forcibly in Australian racing was the steady drift of the punters away from the bookmakers to the totalisator.

During the current week excursionists have been carried 270 miles for a Ranfurly Shield game at Dunedin for 10/6 (less commission), and to Christchurch for a basketball tourney the fare is 6/9. Racegoers are inquiring why they cannot be carried at the same rates.

The Hawera three-year-old Notium was allowed to drop out of the Wanganui Guineas, but he is working well, and will be warmly supported in sprint races next month. He is due to make his first appearance at the Hunt fixture at New Plymouth. Last season Notium won the Taranaki Stakes, and he is a very speedy galloper. The ruling favourites for the Melbourne Cup are Silver Ring and Gold Rod, with Egmont and Gustos on the next line. For the Caulfield Cup, Cuddle is joint favourite with Doncaster, with Golden Promise in the second row, and Kinnoull in the third. Australian bookmakers, like the handicappers, have the greatest respect for New Zealand horses.

At the annual meeting of the South Canterbury Jockey Club, members passed a recommendation that win and place betting should be adopted this season. To give effect to this in a way to provide adequate service for both inside and outside enclosures will entail alterations to the layout of the totalisator building, and the committee has decided to'confer with the Trotting Club before taking action.

Owing to the threatened demands of the Performing Rights Association, the Methven Trotting Club decided to run its meeting without music. Racing clubs have had the problem solved for them by the Conference which has reached an agreement by which the Association will accept a lump sum yearly to cover all band and gramophone music at race meetings. It is understood that the amount is extremely, reasonable, and spread over 240 days’ racing does not do much more than establish the principle of copyright.

“Probably nothing is so Inimical to good government as the existence of a law that is constantly broken by every section of the community,” said Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., when speaking on “The Legal Machine,” at Wellington. “The classic example in this country is the Gaming Act so far as it attempted to outlaw the bookmaker. No law has been more openly flouted. In my considered opinion a substantial proportion of adolescent crime must be laid to that source—not the crime of betting with bookmakers—but the impotence of constituted authority to enforce that law.”

Mr W. J. Bassett, who recently asked the committee of the S.C.J.C. to relieve him of active duty, is one of the oldest honorary officials acting at Washdyke. For several years he has been the steward at the scales and jockey’s room, and for a lengthy term he was clerk of scales at point-to-point fixtures. In one capacity or another he has given service to either the Jockey Club or Hunt Club over a period of 37 years, and his work has been carried out courteously and conscientiously. The committee has decided not to accept Mr Bassett’s resignation as a steward, but to relieve him of work in the weighing room.

Star was slightly better backed than Kiatere, but the latter made the opposition look cheap and, revelling in in the heavy going, ran in several lengths in front of Taranaki, with Star in third place. Tuni fell and his rider gave up the chase. The excitement was not all over by any means, for the protest flag was quickly hoisted, and supporters of Kiatere and Taranaki nursed their betting tickets, all hoping for the best. Backers of Star and the fallen Tui threw theirs away. The stewards sat and took evidence regarding the eligibility of Kiatere to contest the hunters’ race, and then adjourned. Three days later came the startling announcement that not one of the four limners was eligible. Tlie race was declared void and investments on all four horses were ordered to be returned, j But most of the tickets had been thrown away and trampled in the mud, and hundreds of pounds remained unclaimed.

P- T. Hogan expects to leave for Sydney with Queen of Song about the middle of next week.

The Ashburton Trotting Club declared a profit of £1221 last season, and the Oamaru Trotting Club one of £1376.

The £lOOO allocated for the South Canterbury Jockey Club’s spring meeting represents an increase of £lOO over last year’s figures.

Silver Streak is likely to be well tested with 9.2 in the Campbelltown Handicap at Warwick Farm. Heritor, who has 8.3, is claimed to be one of the fastest horses in Australia, and the pace is certain to be hot.

Custos would have been eligible for an allowance of 101 b had he been paid up for in the Warwick Stakes, but his trainer has elected to tackle Gold Rod and Grand Boy in the Hobartville Stakes. Grand Boy, like Gold Rod, is trained by G. Price, but as he is a gelding he is not eligible for the Derbies.

Kinnoull defeated Cuddle each time they met in New Zealand at weight-for-age. In the Warwick Stakes today he will benefit by an allowance of 101 b, and if he has made the improvement contemplated by the w.f.a. chart he should have excellent prospects, though the favourites are Sarcrerie and Cuddle. Strangely, Silver Ring does not appear to be fancied. The race will be run at 4.40 New Zealand time.

Vain Lad the Australian-bred trotter in F. J. Smith’s stable, has again gone sore. The trouble has been located in the quarter, and his trainer is expending a lot of time in treating the gelding. Vain Lad is now a seven-year-old, but has not yet raced, although he has had some experience in show trots, in which events he has displayed good promise. Unless he gets over the ailment quickly it is not proposed to start Vain Lad at the Auckland meeting, where the trotter claims an engagement in tre Introductory Handicap. Nobody Eligible Of the many Pakuranga Hunt Steeplechases run, the most sensational was probably that of 1904, when no horse could be declared the winner, and the runners and a big majority of their backers lost. There were four starters:— S. Darragh’s Kiatere (Patten) 12 9 N. Bank’s Star (Selby) .. .. 11 9 H. Crowther’s Taranaki (Deeble) 11 5 J. Jack’s Tui (Paul) 11 5 Win and place betting will operate at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting at Epsom to-day. The track will be heavy, and the following may have admirers:—■ Introductory Trot—Nelspear, Vain Lad, Bingen Sun. Mt. Eden Handicap—Bronze King, Gloster, Stargum. August Handicap—King’s Play, Gold Dredge, Star Pronto. Grey Lynn Handicap—Sir Frank, Great Jewel, Tollgate. Royal Oak Handicap—Gala Day, Meadow King, Golden Eagle. Onehunga Handicap—King's Guide, Silk Cord, Guid Hairst. Orakei Handicap—Maunga Tangi, Tollgate, Kewpie’s Crest. Massey Memorial.—Nervie’s Last, Ironside, Lady Fame. Warwick Farm Racing enthusiasts interested in the running of New Zealand horses at Warwick Farm to-day, may find the following information of use:— The first race will start at approximately 2.40 p.m. and running descriptions through 2FC should be heard via the shortwave station 2ME on 31.28 metres. 2BL (740 kilocycles) gives a resume of results at 6.50 and at 8.5 (relayed by 2NC on 1230). 2PW (1110 k.c.) gives results and prices at 7.40. 2SM (1270) reproduces recorded descriptions at 8.0. 2GZ (990) broadcasts a resume at 8.45. 3AR (580) gives a sporting summary at 8.30, and this will probably be relayed by 3GI on 830. All times given are New Zealand standard time.