MARTON JOCKEY CLUB

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 275, 19 November 1937, Page 4

MARTON JOCKEY CLUB

THE SUMMER MEETING BIG INCREASE IN STAKES The programme for the summer meeting of the Marton Jockey Club, which will be held on Saturday and Monday, January 1 and 3, 1938, shows an increase in prize money of £733. The stakes for the meeting total £3090, including trophies. The first day’s races open with a Maiden Race of £l3O, six furlongs; Ladies’ Bracelet of £l3O (including a tea service valued at £2O to the winner); Rata Hack Hurdles of £l5O, 11 miles; Juvenile Handicap of £175, foi two and three-year-olds, five furlongs, Marton Cup (open) of £5OO, 14 miles, Railway Handicap (open) of £2OO, six furlongs; Dash Hack Handicap of £l5O, six furlongs. The chief events on the second day are the Aid worth Stakes (open) of £3OO, nine furlongs; the Rangitikei Hack Cup of £3OO (including a handsome canteen of cutlery valued at £4O), li miles; Telegraph Handicap (open) of £2OO, six furlongs. The other events are: Ladies’ Bracelet of £ll5 (including a handsome clock valued at £l5 to the winner), nine furlongs; Junction Plate of £l5O, for two and three-year-olds, five fuilongs; Tutaenui Hack Hurdle of £l5O, li miles; Summer Hack Handicap ol £l4O, seven furlongs; and Farewell Hack Handicap of £l4O, five furlongs. The minimum weight in the Ladies’ Bracelet and Ladies’ Necklace is now lOst. 71b., instead of list., and the minimum weight in all hack handicap races is 7st. 71bs. Nominations for all events close at the secretary’s office, Marton, on Wednesday, December 17, 1937, at 9 p.m. NEXT FOR COURTCRAFT GREAT NORTHERN DERBY WILL OPPOSE ROYAL CHIEF (Special to “Chronicle.”) PALMERSTON N., Nov. 18. With F. W. Davis and H. E. Russell back from Australia, and a number of visiting trainers quartered at Woodville until after Christmas, increased interest will attach to the track work in that centre. The visiting trainers who will be at Woodville for the next few weeks are L. D. Orange, of Ashhurst, J. J. Lorigan, with half a dozen horses from Gisborne, B. McKay, with three horses from Waipukurau, and A. C. Plummer, from Dannevirke. Courtcraft, Homily, Francis Drake, and Aiwai enjoyed a few days in the paddock on their return from Australia, but they have rejoined Lhe active brigade and are to be prepared for Christmas racing at Auckland. Courtcraft is very well, and his chief mission at Auckland will be the Derby, in which he will be tested against Royal Chief.

Francis Drake has made a fair recovery from the split hoof which prevented him from fulfilling his Australian programme, and, all going well in the meantime, he will race at Auckland. Homily is to contest the Foal Stakes at Ellerslie. She has done well since she raced in Australia. She is a very nice filly. Aiwai will probably race at Woodville. Her performances in Australia were a bit disappointing, for although she showed plenty of speed, she did not finish too solidly. Mr. W. H. Gaisford’s Limond—Jewel of Asia colt, Coronation, is coming in from Oringi next week. He is not to be hurried, but it is that he will race at Auckland. H. E. Russell has three horses in work at present. They are Brown Oak and Lucky Charm, who are the property of Mr. C. T. Kecble, and Sports Coat, a two-year-old colt by Pink Coat from Jarretiere who will race in Russell’s own colours. FIVE-SHILLING TOTE MAY BECOME GENERAL ADOPTION IN AUSTRALIA The indications are that, as in Melbourne, the 5s totalisator unit will later be generally adopted on Sydney racecourses. First of all, however, is the necessity for the reduction of the heavy deduction from the pool. Inclusive of fractions it now amounts to a little over 13i per cent, and that is much too heavy a charge on machine bettors. With the deduction reduced to 10 per cent and fractions, machine betting would be much more popular in Sydney. I have repeatedly expressed the opinion that it is unfair the Government should get 9 per cent, writes “Pilot” in the Sydney Referee. If the recommendation of the Cabinet subcommittee on racing that the total deduction should be reduced to 10 per cent and fractions —the Government receiving 5 per cent and fractions, and the clubs the other 5 per cent —proves acceptable, clubs and public would be gainers ,and the increased turnover would give the Government as great a revenue as at present. 1 have written this so often that it wearies me to go over the same ground, but if clubs gain to a greater extent from the totalisator it might benefit owners in the way of prizemoney. In my opinion the totalisator was never given a fair chance at some Sydney meetings. For one thing, niggardliness in the use of pay-out windows told against it. The payment of an extra two or three pay-out clerks may have been regarded as a serious item of expenditure, but the time taken up in collecting dividends certainly gave many racegoers distaste for the tote. Even small bettors cannot afford to waste time on a racecourse. So far as the win and place tote at suburban meetings is concerned, I am afraid the place tote would not, as things are, give much satisfaction. Macnine speculation is lignt, and with very few horses supported for some races, backers of place-getters would occasionally receive unpleasant shocks in the way of small dividends. A return or little more than their own money might not be unusual, even though they should back the three place-getters. That, however, is not unknown, under present .conditions.