SPORTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11028, 17 March 1914, Page 5

SPORTING.

RACING AND TROTTING. NOTES BY "ARGBS." FIXTURES. March 19—Waimato R.C. March 25, 26—Rangitikei J. C, April 1, 2—Southland R.C. April 2, 3—Masterton R.C. April 11—Tuapeka J.O. April 13—Beaumont J.C. April 11, 13—Auckland R.O. April 11, 13—Wairarapa R.O. April 13—Waipqkurau J.O, April 13—Kumara R.O. April 13, 14—Rivorton R.C. April 13, 14—Canterbury J.O. April 13. 14—FeildinrJ.O. April 15—Westland R.C. April 15, 18—Metropolitan T.O. April 22—-Reefton J.O. April 23, 25—Wellington R.O. April 29, 30—South Canterbury. J.O. April 29, 30—Manawatu R.O.

Hie totalisator case which was heard it Nelson last week is of considerable mportanco to racing, clubs and ;otalisator proprietors throughout the lominion. Tho defendant, Harry D. lames, totalisator proprietor, at the kelson. Trotting Club's meeting, was jharged with unlawfully registering,on ;he totalisator on the Brightwater Handicap the sum of about £ls, revived for investment in this race, ifter the time notified for the start. Die case was brought under section ,32 )f the Gaming Act of 1908, sub-section 2 of which is as follows:—"It shall lot be lawfiil for any member, officer, igent or servant of any racing club to register on the totalisator after the,, time notified by such club for the starting of any race any moneys received for investment in respeot of that" race, or to take into account in the calculation or payment of any dividend any investment which lias not, been publicly registered on_ the totalisator in accordance with this section." I doubt if many people had any idea of the drastic provisions of this section, which _ really creates three offences:—(l) Receiving any money, for investment after the time notified: for the starting of'the race. (2) Registering on the totalisator any,money after the time notified for the starting of the race. : (3) Including in the dividend any/money registered on the totalisator contrary to the above provisions. In the Nelson case it would appear that the totalisator proprietor kept the machine open so long that investments liad to be registered after tho appointed time i for starting the race. This is a very common offence, and I doubt if there is a course in the dominion on which the strict letter of the law is not broken in this particular. The management of the totalisator at Riccarton comes in for frequent criticism, but the authorities are exemplary in their strict observance of the law regarding the closing down of the selling : windows. So, too, with other local courses where the totalisator business is handled by Mr W. H. Macdougall, who leaves no room for criticism concerning the fairness of his methods. Yet _ neither at Riccarton nor at the meetings where Mr Macdougall is in charge can it be claimed, despite the prompt closing of the selling windows, that the registration of all the investments is invariably completed before the time "notified for the starting of v any. race." This lkte registration is not the only offence that may bo committed, howevor. It is not sufficient to stop the work of registering at the " time notified for the starting," as it is a further offence to " take into account in the calculation or payment of any dividend any investment which has not been publicly registered on the totalisator in accordance with this section." . Clubs endeavour to protect themselvea by closing the totalisator a few minutes before the advertised time for starting each race, and where this practice is observed, frequently at the cost ,of shutting out large sums, the spirit of the law, at least, is well observed. But this, apparently, is not sufficient to meet the requirements. The law plainly contemplates that the'total investments shall' be shown publicly before the time appointed for the start of the race, and it has to be admitted that this is seldom done.

- One way in which clubs may overcome. the difficulty which at pre-,' sent faces them is by the installation of totalisators which will automatically register investments as they are made. The Auckland Racing Club has recently gone in for a machine of this description, and I understand on© 01* two other , clubs in the dominion hare similar proposals m view. The expense, however, must 1)© a serious obstacle in the way of general adoption of this remedy, and the smaller clubs will require to approach the trouble frcMy'-some ether road. Much of the troubjfe would be avoided if investors could be induced to do their business early, but there will always be %dy backers, I am afraid. '' I have TSferred to the tair manner in which the totalisatoi is run bv the Canterbury Jockey Club at Riccarton and by Mr W. H. Macdougall on other local courses. It is to _be regretted, however, that the same high praise cannot be bestowed' 011 totalisator management in all. parts of the dominion. On some courses the law is scandalously violated, metropolitan clubs being among the offenders.' too far no official cognisance appears to have been taken of these breaches, but it is probable the Nelson case was the outcome of a general complaint to the authorities concerning tofcalisator methods. It is evident, from the remarks of the Magistrate, that there was nothing specially amiss with the manner in which Sir James conducted his business, it being clearly stated that he was merely following the ordinary practice. I suppose the police will now insist on a rigid observance of the. law on all courses, but it is to be hoped tliey will turn their attention first in those directions where flagrant breaches are being committed at every meeting, while exercising a little discretion where the breaches are purely • technical. In the meantime, clubs will probably find it necessary to allow a little more_ time between the closing of the machine and the official time for starting a race.

The sisters, Specialfom and Formtial, by Boniform—Signal, are working well at Leeston. They are both being ao t ready for the autumn mooting; or the Canterbury Jockey Club, where thev are both engaged in the threat Easter Handicap, Specialfom being also iu the Great Autumn. bpccialforin lias been a vory consistent P el ~ former this season, and she has credited her owner with a nice sum m stakes durinsi the last few months. 1 doubt lier ability to win the Great Autumn Handicap, as I think a mile and a half is just a little beyond her. She has, however, proved that she cau get to the end of a mile and a quarter 111 good style and a little later she may he equal to winning over a longei course in good company. Her trnee-Year-old sister, Formnnl, did not come to hand quite so quickly, her two-year-old form being a long way below that of Spccialform. In the early part, of this season she showed a fair turn or pace, running well in several minor ovfliibs, hut her best effort was reserved for Bicearton, where, on the fourth day of tho Canterbury Jockey Club's November carnival, she finished second to Winning Way in the Cressy Welter Handicap. She has not done much since then, hut there is every reason to expect that ago will do a lot for her. She max not bo quite up to a Great Easter Handicap, though she is well enough in with 6st 71b, hut site should win bohig races before tho season closes. Signal has no two-year-old representative*, as slie missed- tlio

season after she produced Formnal. Last season, however, she had another filly to Boniform. The youngster ,is a good sort and she is now being, ~, broken in, with a view to racing, next / season. ' ' 1 The following scratchings , are ' announced for the Waimato Racing Club's' meeting on Thursday":—Waimate Cup, • Thrax; Trial Plate, Sunbeam and Kas- • kar; President's Handicap, Free. ..it,; I hear that Mr W. J. Doyle-r haav. disposed of the <four-year-old. -ajatov.v Golden Morn, by Cannie Chiel, but' scy, far I do not know anything of hop new owner's intentions. Properly' placed, however, she should be a pro*:"' Stable investment, as she is endowed? i; with a lot of pace. .v,

C.. Gieslor has taken up his . duties i in charge of Mr Harvey stud at Meadowbank and has settled down quickly in his new surroundings, Tho somewhat disappointing' 'imported Ribhonwood mare, Yellow Rib-~ bon, is again in work at ' is that promising young ■ pacer Frank Tracey, by King Tracey. Mr "VV- J. Gudssn, the Ashburton owner, has decided to sell his trotter. Merrywood and pacer Lady Lyons. Tho promising pacer Disappear, who • raced very baldly at the last meeting of the. Forbury Park Club, lias had a short spell. • He has thrown off .all; his soreness and is now in work again.

In conversation with a West Coast trotting 'enthusiast recently I was told that tliere would be a strong contingent of horses from over the ranges entered for the Easter meeting of the. Metropolitan Trotting Club. • The well-known and much worked pacer Prince Warbeck is now ' a well deserved rest in the paddock.

The "Special Commissioner" of the London ." Sportsman'' is always en T ,, tertaining when dealing, with any phase . of the breeding problem. In some .■ recent notes ho referred to a subject' which has been freely discussed m J\euv Zealand lately, as to who is entitled to rank as the breeder of- a horse. Hs makes mention of a Queensland case, but he probably means the Castalia case, which caused some trouble ni New Zealand this season, regarding the rival claims of two North Island sportsmen to the stake provided fox: , the breeder of the winner of the Avondale Stakes. The . views of The Special Commissioner" are are follows: —I read somewhere recently of an official decision in Queensland that the breeder of the winner is the person who owned tlie dam when she was mated with the sire, though he n3a.y n have parted with her before she foaled. This, of , course, is quit© wrong. inference to the General Stud Book clearly demonstrates that the breeder,7 of a 'foal is tho owner of the .mare at the time of foaling. That _ the mating of. the.niai-e may have entitled a previous owner to some credit is obvious enough," hut there would bo endless; confusion if it were held thatl he should • be regarded as the breeder of the roau.. A moment's consideration will satisfy, anyone as to this. Suppose, for ex-, ample, an owner sells a mare with a nomination to a stallion he has selected. -she would not be his propertyat! the .time of mating, and yet lie would have arranged the alliance. o vV»o in that case would be the breeder? Then,. too, a mare may change hands several' times before she foals, and the editors* of tho Stud Book would be given cease-, less work if they had to worry back ont all this for the purpose of ascertaining, her breeder. The plan adopted _ r>y Messrs Weatherby is certainly the simplest and the best, though in manycases it gives credit where very little' credit is really due. Personally, 1 should be very glad if the breeder ol;. a horse were designated according to the Queensland ruling, for then 1 should have bred an extraordinary number of winners, liaviug sold a . very, largo number of mares mated according to my own ideas, and these after benig sold have produced winners m nearly every civilised country. lw>r example. I did not breed I rank Qui according to Messrs Weatherby's rule, but the Queensland authorities woiud hold that I did so, having owned and mated Ravello and then sold her when carrying Frank Gill. I can sow, however, that for general convenience Messrs Wcatherby's method of decid-, ing who is the winner cannot be betteral, and that any attempt to hark back to the mating time vjpld leadlo any amount of trouble and uncertainty. A caso showing the simple methodof. tho present .arrangement may le shown by referonco in Vol. XXII. to the young mare Mrs Despard, whom I mated in two successive seasons with Collar. Tho first_ foal, a colt •(who is, in fact, tho unbeaten Zori de Z.i), is returned as bred, by inen, but the second, Dreadnought 111., is entered-as bred by Mr M. Guny because I had sold the mare to that most estimable gentleman a month or two before die foaled. So far as lam aware Dreadnought JIT. did not run last year as a two-year-old, but he .has been left in one or two big English engagements and if any profit accrues to his' , breeder it; will go as. a matter *4 c-ourso to Mu Gurry.