SPORTING.

Waipa Post, Volume XVII, Issue 960, 26 June 1920, Page 3

SPORTING.

PRINCE AT FLEMINGXON. (From the Special Referee Correspondent.) The Prince of )Vales caused much pleasure to the large crowd who attended the two days’ special meeting at Flemington last Saturday and Monday week. He showed obvious interest and keenness in the racing, and made all kinds of enquiries with regard to the conditions of the sport in Australia.

His Royal Highness has the capacity of doing the right thing in the right way at the right time, and when R. Harris made a wonderful recovery on Sandule in the Hurdle Race on Saturday, he visited the jockeys’ room in order specially to congratulate him on his skill. The incident happened immediately in front of the Royal box, so that the Prince had an excellent view of the incident. He also congratulated Boyd, who was on the winner, Leddington. The Prince took in good part -the* demonstration made against Mr C. B. Kellow, the owner of Earlborn,' who won the Prince of Wales Cup. He knew that the unfortunate hooting and hostile remarks wer e not directed against himself personally, and was much amused at the exhortation, “ Keep the Cup yourself, Prince.” Mr Kellow’s subsequent explanation indicated. as is so often the case, that the attitude of the erowd was not justified by the facts. Again, immediately after viewing the Steeplechase from the upper stand, he visited the hospital and sympathised with the jockey who had had a fall. His genial manner and sportsmanlike spirit caused a great impression, and there were frequent remarks as he moved about, “ He’s a dinkum sport alright.” His Royal Highness had several bets on both Saturday and Monday. On the first day of the meeting he did not strike a winner, but won back on Monday all that he had lost on the previous occasion. His highest bet was a fiver.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Americans believe in advertisement of any kind, and are never slow to take advantage of anything that promises well in that respect. Racing clubs are not averse to stimulating interest in coming events, as is shown by the following clipping from a Lexington paper : “ Before a crowd of- 2000 or more racing enthusiasts, and in a manner that stamped them both as being real high class three-year-olds t Donnacona 'and; On Watch, the hopes of former Congress man G. W. Loft in the coming Kentucky Derby, were given a workout of 1$ mile, the Derby distance, in 2min 13 3-ssec, at Churchill Downs, Sunday morning.” Training tracks in Australia’s principal cities are not now open for work on Sundays, though at Flemington some years ago many Melbourne Cup spins were done the Sunday prior to the race. However even in those days the fact that certain horses were to gallop was not advertised to the extent of drawing a crowd of 2000. It is cabled that bookmakers who do an illicit business in Paris and jockeys riding there have been working together, and punters have suffered. A jockey accused of pulling a favourite admitted his guilt, and he said that he and other jockeys had received bribes from bookmakers, who are stated to have an army oi touts in cafes, restaurants, and elsewhere. It is estimated that £400,000 is being daily placed with the bookmakers. The amount seems so great that it is possible that some mistake was made in cabling, as there is also the betting at the racecourse to be taken into account. In order to cope with illicit betting it is probable tofcalisator offices will be opened in Paris, and bookmakers’ penalties are to be increased. The statement as to the tax on betting yielding 51 million francs probably means the totalisator deduction for the year. Before the war the deduction was only-8 per cent, but last year it was increased to 10 per cent, and it is now proposed to send it up to 11 per cent.