EGMONT MEETING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 111, 14 May 1941, Page 8

EGMONT MEETING

Successful Winter Fixture ( BUOYANT TOTALISATOR ; FIGURES RACES BEHIND SCHEDULE The Egmont Racing Club must be congratulated on the success which attended the winter meeting last week in spite of the many adverse circumstances. In the first place, the weather on the first clay was far from promising, and a cold wind made conditions unpleasant. Then, as the postponed Waverley meeting had been held on Monday, another race meeting 30 miles away on the Thursday was sure to be affected, as the drop in the totalisator turnover proved. Still, this was not as much as it might have been, and to be less than £2OOO down after a run of big dividends was more satisfactory than might have been expected.

In the fourteen races decided over the two days, six were won by outsiders at odds ranging from 16 to 1 up to 90 to 1. so backers did well to register a totalisator turnover of nearly £40,000 for the meeting. It might have been expected that the pools on the last few races would have shown a decided falling off, with the money going into a few pockets, but the Champion Hack Plate pool was just under £4OOO, and the amount handled on the Davidson Handicap and the concluding event, the Borough Hack Handicap, topped the £4OOO mark each time. The small field for the Adamson Steeplechase accounted for the £2500 handled, which was £lOOO less than the Mokoia Handicap pool. One feature of the meeting with which the general public as well as the “regulars” could find fault was the failure to adhere to the scheduled times for running the races. In the first-day race-card the time set for the closing of the totalisator was “about” 3.40 p.m. Just what margin there is in “about” may be gathered i from the fact that the totalisator winI dows went down at. 4.45 p.m. With several minutes necessary io balance the individual totals, and then a lengthy delay because of the fractiousness of some of the horses, the "off" was delayed till about 5 p.m., some 75 minutes after the book time. An improvement was noted the second day—but even then the totalisator did not close till 4.25 p.m. and the “al! clear” signal was given at 4.34 p.m. Probably it would be better if the Egmont Racing Club settled on 45minute intervals between races, and allowed an extra five minutes when necessary for the presentation, of a trophy—in itself one of the happiest functions on the programme, and one in which the public took a keen interest. A club operating a manual totalisator on the win-and-place system can scarcely be expected to keep to a 40-minute schedule.

Though Friesland carried only £54 on the “win” machine in the Mcßae Cup and returned a dividend of over a score, his success was popular, as the public likes to see a good horse win, especially after a run of “outs.” Friesland had not won since taking the Christmas Handicap at New Plymouth, prior to which his only success this season had been in the St. Andrew's Handicap at Feilding. He is a favourite with Taranaki racegoers, but the public were caught napping last Thursday.

Aurora’s Star was noticed finishing on in fifth place behind the placegetters in the Mcßae Cup on Thursday, but she was neglected in the Davidson Handicap on Saturday and returned a fine price for her hackers. She came from a long way back in the Mcßae Cup, but on Saturday she was in a handy position half a mile from home, and at the finish she was going better than anything else.

The Awapuni-trained Last Acre was the unlucky handicapper on last week’s circuit. The Acre gelding finished solidly into third place in the Besley Memorial at Waverley on Monday, and, incidentally, returned a handy “place” dividend, better than Amigo’s “win” price. In the Mcßae Cup he headed the field in the straight, only to give way to Friesland's powerful finishing run, being beaten a neck. He was again beaten in the Davidson Handicap, but he fought on solidly to get third money and return his each-way backers the greater part of their outlay. Like all of Acre’s progeny, he is a hardy customer, and during the current season he has had 25 starts for four wins and ten minor placings, a consistent record which should be added to before the season closes.

Three races during the week might appear a bit too much for a three-year-old filly, especially under winter conditions, but the Captain Bunsby filly Alexcelia did not appear to suffer any ill-effects from her tasks last week. She beat all but Amigo in the Besley Memorial at Waverley, but could finish no nearer than sixth in the Mcßae Cup. However, on Saturday, her third effort brought better results, as she was runner-up to Aurora’s Star in the Davidson Handicap. and she finished on so well that she should add to her record before long. Her best effort to date was her success in the Goodbehere Memorial at the Feilding Easter meeting.

Lord Cavendish does not win out of his turn, but few expected such a large dividend to be associated with the success of the Beau Pere gelding as was the case in the Mokoia Handicap on Saturday. Lord Cavendish won at Levin in the spring and again at the Opunake meeting in February, but he has had more than twentystarts this season for the three successes. Two seasons ago he looked like developing into a “smasher," but he should still be a useful representative for Messrs. Brewer and Vesty, especially under winter conditions.

When Eupatrid finished second to Mataroa in the hurdle race at Waverley on Monday of last week he gave promise of doing better at an early date. Mataroa beat him again on the

opening day at Hawera, but the Hunting Song gelding showed the necessary improvement to win the Manawapou Hurdles on Saturday in good style. Eupatrid looks like developing into a useful performer over the battens, and he should be kept in mind for some of the important hurdle races. Royal Star II (Winter Oats and Empire Handicap) and Kriemhild (Borough Hack and Hurricane Hack) were omitted from the list of nominations yesterday for the Wanganui Jockey Club spring meeting. , » * ♦ Sea Link was registering her second ; success of the current season when she romped home ahead of the opposition in the Shorts Hack Handicap on Saturday, and incidentally started the . “trot" of big dividends. It was at ■ the Combined Hunts meeting at New , Plymouth last August that this four- . year-old Siegfried filly first caught the eye, for she finished second to Eupat- . rid in the Waverley Hack and then • came out in the open six furlongs the I second day to down Screen Star by two and a-half lengths, with Rollicker, Fiancee, Stencil and Heroic Maid behind them. Since then Sea Link, folt lowing several failures, has been off i the scene, her last appearance, prior • to Thursday, being at the Taranaki summer meeting. She has plenty bl i pace and should win more races in her turn.