STAKE-EARNINGS AT WELLINGTON MEETING AT AWAPUNI

Wanganui Chronicle, 31 October 1946, Page 3

STAKE-EARNINGS AT WELLINGTON MEETING AT AWAPUNI

Under normal circumstances a number of v. iimers at the Wellington meeting on Saturday and Monday would have credited their owners with four-figure amounts, but with the fixture held at Awapuni and stake-money cut down rather drastically, there was- little opportunity for owners to secure big winnings unless they were prepared to make, substantial investments on the totalisator. As it happened, no horse won two races, anil in no instance did a stake-winner earn as mueh as £lOOll.

Probably when the spring meeting of next year is held at Trentham tiie increased stake-mone associated with the larger totalisator turnover will enable owners to secure better returns. In 11?. meantime the main feature of t' distribution of the money offered at the Wellington spring meeting is the fact that it was mueh wider than usual.

When Howe won the Wellington Guineas the Defoe colt credited his owner-breeder with the highest amount won by any owner at the meeting, for first p’ace in the classic race was worth 750 guineas. This was £37 13s more than was won by Hakim in the Wellington Handicap and Lady Christine in the Wellesley Stakes, each of these events being worth £750 to the winner. Soneri credited her owner with £650 when she won the Harcourt Stakes on Monday, and this was her sixth successive win in recent months. In this event Kindergarten, who finished third, added £lOO to his stake-earn-ings. •

Young Trent won the Pearce Handicap on Monuay to be credited with £650, which was substantial compensation for his fall over Finincial on

Yue opening day in the Wellington ; Handicap. Leigh Barton had a secid placing on Saturday in the Wait'd Handicap and then won the Awa,ca Handicap on Monday, these two i acings being worth £630 to his owner. Battle Dance, who was passed in at • guineas last Friday, won £490 for .'.is Feilding owner on Saturday, when .? carried off the honours narrowly in the Wainui Handicap. Abdicate was also offered by the same owner and was passed in at 585 guineas, but on Monday he won the hurdle race, worth £245 to the winner. Thus two argains were missed by would-be airchasers, for in the case of Battle Dance it would not have required a übstantial totalisator investment to enable a buyer to recoup himself for nis outlay. Two or three owners of placed orses did even better than those 'whose representatives won the minor events. Privilege’s owner secured 00 guineas when the filly was second in the Wellington Guineas, in which Zealander (third) c<tned 150 guineas and Sea Fury (fourth) 70 guineas. Full o’ Fun, second in the T el esley Stakes, earned £3OO. whereas Zo> J’s share for winning the Karitane Handicap was only £350. Nanook and Abdicate each won £245 when they took the hurdle races on the respective days, but Nanook added £7O by finishing second on Monday. Sir Bradbury’s win in the open sprint on Saturday was worth £490, a sum which was not much more than would have been obtained from the investment of £lO each way on his chances on the tote. At Trentham the winner of a hack event automatically qualifies for open company, for hack races there are worth considerably more than £250. Hack winners at Awapuni included Winning Ticket, Czarina, Finalist and Tremello, but in no instance was the success worth more than £245. Incline was the only hack to secure more than £250, for first place in the Heretaunga Handicap was worth £2BO. By the time the Christmas racing comes round a good many horses now eligible for hack races will have hioved into open company, probably assisted by the stakes distributed at the Wellington meeting last week-end.