THE TURF

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 92, 18 April 1929, Page 4

THE TURF

COMING FIXTURES May 4—Marton Jockey Club. May 9. 11—Esmont Racine Club. May 16. 18—Wanganui Jockey Club. AT WHANGAREI TO-DAY ; autumn meeting opens I PROSPECTS DISCUSSED. | By 1 ‘Kestrel. ; Alwavs popular with racegoers in the j North Auckland district. and also wit a . a large proportion of Aucklim.l sports | } men, the Whangarei Racing Club s fix- ; ( ture this week will prove on-? of rhe most successful in the history «d the Club, if one may judge from -he fields that, are engaged for the opening ol the meeting to-day. a Reports from northern circles state ’ | that the majority of those making th 'if linal payment will be prose it to con- : v test the events for which they are cn-ji tered, but in some cases double and ' (l even triple engagements have boon j made, British King being one that fig->x ures in three races. Scratchings may , reduce the fields to some degree but ; 1 that should not affect the chi ' to anv | \ great extent. for the track is of suck |t a nature that small fields would be preferred to large ones. The opening event, set down to com- ; mence at 12 noon, is the TRIAL STAKES (Of 110 sovs; six furlongs.)

some of them cannot lie held to have ■ anything much to recommend them l’<*r i support. Three that may appeal to backers arc Boman rear]. Camp Prince. ; and Bluespear. Twelve are engaged in the | PORTLAND HACK HANDICAP I <Of 135 bovs ; six furlongs) jj

British King claims two more on- n gagements but if he takes on this six- ;n furlong hack event he must be eonsid- it cred hard. Others that may be sup- | ported arc Brilliant Light and Sunny I Morn. The principal event is the 1 1

Branson is at the head of affairs but ' on Avondale form he cannot be held ! to have as good a chance as might have 1 been expected after his good form * earlier in the season. Still, no is the c best performer in the field. Thursby g would be in his element with the sting out of the ground, while Hipo seems to be slipping a bit. Schorr is a derent sort and will go well with the < light-weight. Le Choueas ami Ti Tree ’ will be bracketed if both start, hut the ' -former may elect to take on the Waipu Handicap. Glenstar showed a taste of j his quality at the Rangitikei meeting and one would not count a win in this company beyond him. Hakanoa is a .• useful sort and only the distance . cay a find him out. Wenday may appeal more than Thursby and Branson. £ The hurdle race will be the

they do not appear a very encouraging t Jot, there will be enquiries for Ned 1 Kelly, Odin and Illingar. s The sprinters will be seen in action ( in the p STEWARDS’ HANDICAP (Of 250 sovb; six furlongs) 11

Ten Lave made the acceptance but it is scarcely likely that all will line up at the barrier. Subdivision is left at i the head of affairs and the class of the ! others makes his prospects appear fair- ! ly bright. He filled second berth on i two occasions at Avondale and that is a good recommendation. To Monanui can scarcely be considered these days but if he were the Te Monanui that backers once knew his task would be easy. The Begum is the one that will appeal to most for this full sister of the brilliant Supremacy is a good performer. Melissa has a lot of speed. Lorient I If. may be scarcely good enough but Lucy Rose can be depended upon o improve on her Avondale form. Tea Time has won on the Whangarei course before to-day. He may be readv to repeat the performance. Gle. star may start in the big race. Chelone has ■ been a bit of a disappointment and British King may be outclassed. The ' Begum appeals more than Subdivision ' and Melissa. : Fourteen is the main for the '

track are engaged. among them being Right ami Left. A trio that may be ' .n the money arc Welcome Home," Exalted and Bowman. One of the smallest fields will contest the .

those Envoy, Buloio and Grand Tea may ] do ber. The day’s racing Tril] conc!ule v.itli , the '

WAIPU HANDICAP (Of 150 sovs; one mile) j Hipo 812 British King . 8 0 1 Le Choucas .. 8 8 Barometer . . SO Schorr .... 88 Right and Left 8 0 Owairaka . . 8 4 Sleepy Sol . . S <> Serang .... 82 The Thorn .. SO Several (»f the ten engaged are also in events earlier in the day. but if ! started J.<* Choucas will be a better fa- , Ivourite than The Thorn and Owairaka. I NOTES AND COMMENTS i (By ‘•Kestrel'’) | The Whangarei meeting will be held [to-day and Saturday, ami the Hawke's Bay meeting at Hastings to-morrow and j Saturday. [Tresham is Well. 1 Tresham galloped a mile n the grass [at Trentham on Wednesday morning, 1 being brought home over the last five I furlongs by Shot Silk. Tresham went jwell and left yesterday for Hastings 110 fulfil his Hawke’s Bay Cup engageI Racing Conference. ! The annual meeting of the New Zealand Racing Conference will be held in 1 Wellington on July 12. Notices of motion will be received up to May 20.

I Before the Stewards. j At the Masterton meeting one inquiry was reported to the Press, that , being into J. Barry’s handling of Australis in the Waipipi Handierp. It was •reported that the stewards decided that [Barry’s handling of that gliding was • unsatisfactory, but. the evidence was I not sufficient to warrant disqualificaII ion. 'Branson Fails to Run On. 1 It is rarely that Branson runs a bad 1 ace, and it was unusual to see him finish last in both the principal handiicaps at Avondale. He ran prominently [for a mile on the opening da;. and was also w«dl up to the turn on he second 'day when he was probably not entirely [suited by the state of the going. His ‘efforts were a good deal below what .'was expected of a horse of his capabilii ties, and latest form suggests that he is now more at home oxer sprint distances than at journeys of a mile and over. The 'Vindictive Subscriber. A well-known official of the Telephone Department was rudely aroused from his slumbers by the ringing of Ih.‘ telephone. After bruising his knee on a chair, he reached the phone. “Hello,” he growled. “Are you an official of the Telephone Departmentasked the voice. ‘•Yes, -what can I do for vou?” “Tell me.” said the voice, “how it feels to get out of bed at 2 o’clock to answer a wrong number.” Sound. Again. Felstead did not run in any races la«t year after winning the Lnglish Derby. Splints stopped him, and he was puncture-fired at the end of last (year. Now he is said to be quite himself again, and, all going well, he will make a reappearance at Newmarket next month in the Burwell Stakes, a mile and a-half w.f.a. race, with penalties. In the last nine years the only English Derby winners who were also successful at four years were Captain Cuttie, Sansovino, and Coronach. Grand Parade did not run at four, Humorist died shortly after his Derby win, Manna broke down in the St. Leger, and Call Boy’s nominations were voided owing to the death of his Owner. Spion Kop and Papyrus raced at four years but did not win.

E*leiity to Work Ou. Frank Butters, who, with £67,533, leaded last-year’s list of trainers successful in England, commenced this mason with a team of 58 horses, own'd by seven different owners. Of that Himber 30 are two-year-olds, and J 7 hree-year-olds. The four-year-old, Pairway, is one of Butters’ older horses, md one of whom a lot is expected. T. Hogg, however, beat Butters in num»ers. He has 67 in work at Newmar<et, and they arc all owned by Lord rlanely, who has more horses in trailing than any other English owner. .In Hogg’s team there are 20 three-year-)lds and 31 two-year-olds. Will Luck Pursue Him? After Mollison’s yearling chestnut irothcr was passed in at auction at the llandwick Easter sales—bidding ceased it JOOOgns.—hr was purchased privately by Mr E. M. Pearce. The odds arc igainst NTr Pearce being as fortunate is with Mollison, ’ut he could afford :o take the risk of giving a high price Lor his brother. Mollison, who was selected by A. E. J. Austin for Mr Pearce, and coijf GOOgns., with an adlitional winning contingency of £lOO, ias put together over £26,500 in stakes, uid the probabilities favour his adding nany more thousands to \is total.

"TOTE” IN BRITAIN EXPERIENCE IN NEW ZEALAND. GOVERNMENT’S EXACTIONS, LONDON, Feb. 28. Much capital (says the racing correspondent of “The Times”) has been made at one time aud another out of the state of racing in New Zealand, which, it has been alleged, is being destroyed by the totalisator. There is no doubt that the Government, of New Zealand does take too much out of racing in that country. Last year the

Government took £133,333 from the totalisator by means of a 2A per cent, tax on Turnover. It also took £239,966 by means of a 5 per cent, tax on totalisator dividends, £20,199 by means of a tax in racing stakes, and £13,163 by means of the entertainment tax. 1 These and other impositions brought ( the sum paid to the Government, up to £410,670. In referring to these figures, Sir George Clifford, the chairman of the annual conference of New Zealand Racing Clubs, stated that use had been made in England by the opponents of the totalisator of certain comments that they had made upon the unjust exactions of the Government, as if they might be construed into hostility of the totalisator system. Sir George 'added:—■ “On the contrary ,it cannot be too clearly emphasised that we attribute the satisfactory condition of the Turf in New Zealand to the continued operation of the totalisator system in con trust to the many abuses where the bookmaker controls the only method of speculation. So far from having any sympathy with the bookmakers providing any advantage in the conduct of pure racing, we appeal to the Government to refrain from permitting the telegraph offices to be used for the already iUegalised business of bookmaking. During the last season £5,441,044 passed through the totalisator. With 11 clays’ racing the Auckland Club handled £9.11,605; Canterbury (10 days £448,381; and Wellington (.10 days, £556,867. The value of the stakes distributed was £405,594. During last season under Jockey Club rules in England the value of the stakes distributed was £744,511. Now a Gelding. Statesman has done well since Air Roy iStewart completed his operation the week before last. Within the next week the chestnut’s leg that caused his retirement before the A.J.C. autumn meeting will be fired. Later he will be turned out, and will not. be trained again until next year. Statesman is probably the first horse that joined the gelding division after winning a Melbourne Cup. I cannot recall any other, writes ‘ ‘ Pilot.' ’

Blue Spear .. 8 ft Cirtigne ... 7 11 Camp Prince 8 11 Gold Lily .. 7 1: Cynique .... 8 <• Lady Eustace 7 1_ The Dansant « 0 Land Measure 7 11 Haviland . • 8 <’ Little Gift . 7 1Tikunoa so Roman Pearl 7 11 Warnui .. .. *S " Viburnum .. 7 1. Win Lu .... .so Legation .. .. 7 11 North Boy .. 8 0 Mineral .... 7 11 (’lose on twenty are engaged and

Brtish King . 9 11 Measurer .. 8 ft i Brilliant Light 8 Merry Mason . 8 O ' Exalted .... 88 Palmares .. S 0 j Sunny Morn . 8 1 Paris Model . 8 0 - Big Bertha . . SO Sea Cob .. .. 8 0 : Gay Cockade . 8 0 Viburnum .. 8 0, 1

McINNES MEMORIAL HANDICAP |i (Of 300 sovs; 1miles) j <■ Branson .. .. 8 10 Ln Choucas .. 7 3 Thursby .... 78 Ti Tree .... 7 0 ; :! Wenday .... 7 7 Glenstar .... 7 0 ’ Hipo .. .. 7 7 Hakanoa .. 7 0; s

NORTHLAND HACK HURDLES (Of 160 sovs; 1% miles and 167 yards) Ned Kelly .. 10 Bayly Damon 9 0 Odin .... 99 Bombarder .. fl 0 Gold. Wedding 9 ' Illingar .... 9 0 Just Quietly . 9 Michael .... 9 0 Seven appear on the card and, though

Subdivision .. 8 P. L’Orient II. 7 6 i Te Monanui .. 8 0 Lucy Rose •. 7 6 i The Begum . 7 10 (Jleiistar .. 7 3 J Melissa .... 7 9 Chelone .... 7 0 1 Tea Time .. 7 6 British King . 7 0

SETTLERS' HANDICAP (Of 120 bovs : seven furlongs) Welcome Home 9 7 Gazerin ... 7 7 Right and Left 9 6 Creation 7 0 Exalted .... 9 3 Bluespear .7 0 Waning Light 8 11 Blue Bonnet 7 0 Kiery Lad . s 11 Royal Seanull 7 <1 Bowman .... 7 13 Mineral .... 70 Kildeer .... 77 North Boy .. Io Some veterans of the AVhangarei

MAUNGATAFERE HACK HANDICAP (Of 13f sovs; six furlongs) Envoy - . .. 8 0 Exalted .... 7 4 Buloic .... 77 Cynique .... 7 q Brilliant Uif.t 7 Haviland .... 7 0 Grand Tea ..74 Sevfci appear oa the card and of