RACING.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18404, 11 August 1931, Page 11

RACING.

FROM TRACK AND STABLE.

(By

" Martian.”)

FIXTURES AHEAD. August 13, 15—Canterbury. August 22—Pakuianga Hunt. August 22—Hawke's Bay Hunt. August 29—Taranaki Hunt. 'Cpternlier s—Otago Hunt. September 16—Birchwood Hunt. eptember 17. 19—Wanganui, .-'eptember 19—Ashburton County, -■epteniber 24, 26— Geraldine. September 26—Hawke's Bay. September 26, 28—Avondale. Hew South Wales List.

August 15—Rosehill. August 22—llosehiil. August 29 —Warwick Farm.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Chide is one of the ruling favour-

les for the A.J.C. Metropolitan Han■y* Jieap. The ex-New Zealander is reported 'to be one of the most, forward horses in training at Handwick.

Hunting Cry is again among the active brigade in J. M. Cameron's stable at Hastings.

Cenlight, who won the Australian Hurdles, run recently at Melbourne, is a six-year-old gelding, by Limelight from Century, by Feather Stitch— Flower of Hie Field, by Winkfield— Flordelice, by Martagon.

There has been a substantial increase in the number of horses trained in Victoria. This has been brought about by the 10 per cent, betting tax. and if Mr Lang's new income tax proposals are passed more horses are sure to be transferred from New South Wales to Victoria, says a Melbourne writer.

According to reports from Melbourne, Phar Lap has tilled out, and furnished in a very pleasing manner, and now looks a far more robust horse than at any part of his career. Ills next appearance may be at the Australian Jockey Club's Spring meeting, where ordinary luck will add to his winning total of £51,662.

Arrangements have been made to take the South Island owned Compris .Kllbroney—Lady Halina), across to Melbourne via Bluff. He will leave Hlccarton about th# end of September. So fir no horseman has been engaged for this gelding in the Melbourne Cup. His owner considers that it will be time enough to engage a rider after arriving in Melbourne. By the way, Compels Is not the only one or Lady Halina’s sons engaged in the Melbourne Cup. A three-year-old half-brother called Dark Blake is also in the race.

During the 1929-30 racing season the Te Awamutu trainer. A. Cook, had horses in his stable responsible for seventeen wins and stake money aggregating nearly £5OOO, but the figures of the 1930-31 season show an even more praiseworthy record. In fact, both in number of wins and in total stake money, the stable has created two records never previously equalled in any part of lhe South Auckland district. The stake money over the latest term amounted to £9269 10s, from twenty-eight wins, sixteen seconds and twelve thirds. Only two trainers in New Zealand exceeded Cook's total of wins for the season, viz.. T. R. George (Blenheim) with 38 wins and J. T. Jamieson (Papakura) with 36 wins.

The Melbourne writer “Musket," of the Globe, recently paid a visit to H. Telford's stable, and said that no expense is spared in running the establishment. New Zealand-grown oats cost 3s a bushel by the time they reach Telford's stable, and the hay used costs 17s per bale. At present Telford has 25 horses in work, and hopes that they include another Phar Lap,

A contributor to the latest London "Field" received writes under the heading, “Is the Art of Jockeyship Dying?" as follows:—“Cut their reins and some of them will soon come oft" was a remark made to me by an owner at Epsom, where we were watching the runners going out for a race. There were the jockeys rounded of back, knees touching chins, hands high, and with no control over the horses. It was a sad sight. . . .

There are very few promising lightweights coming on. There are still fewer who are something more than jockeys who have learned their horsemanship in the hard school of experience, riding horses good, bad and indifferent. Success as a jockey is founded upon horsemanship of a vefy high order, for not every jockey is a horseman, nor every horseman a Jockey.”

.The opinion that tbe Government had Just about sacrificed the “goose that lays the golden eggs" by Its taxation on racing was expressed by the retiring president of the Pahiatua Racing Club. Mr James McCardle, at the annual meeting of the club. Mr McCardle said that it was unfortunate that the smaller clubs were lilt very much harder than clubs In the bigger centres, where they had big gates to help them over their troubles. To emphasise the burden of taxation. Mr McCardle instanced the fact that last year the Government took £1451 from the Pahiatua Racing Club and an additional £9l 10s In taxation was paid by owners of winning horses. It could thus be seen that racing was a very payable source of revenue. However, it seemed that the Government should make a move to save the clubs being taxed out of existence. Referring to the question of centralisation of racing. Mr McCardle said that the point of view which favoured this was quite erroneous from the standpoint of a smalt district like Pahiatua. where dairy farmers had their dally duties to attend to and could not afford to go to the various attractions. Was I, right that the farmers who worked so hard should be deprived of their day's sport through Hie centralisation o' racing activities? He considered that the big centres had -nough attractions and forms of recreation without having all the racing centrauseu there.

Ammon Ra is said to be much further advanced in condition than any of the other A.J.C. Derby candidates working at Randwick, and it will not take long to have the son of Llmond and Hyades tuned up to concert pitch. His trainer, J. T. Jamieson, has once previously turned out an A.J.C. Derby winner, this happening when Prince Humphrey was successful in the classic three seasons ago. In addition to Phar Lap, the following New Zealand-bred competitors have annexed the richly endowed classic :—Ballymena, Cupidon, Kllboy, Noctuiform, Havoc. Bonnie Scotland and Nordenfeldt. The Australianbred and New Zealand-owned Biplane and Gloaming were also triumphant in the event. The coming contest for the A.J.C. Derby will mark the last occasion, for some time at least, when £BOOO added money will be distributed iu regard to the race. In view of the fact that Autopay and Concentrate, who reached Sydney to-day are engaged at the Warwick Farm meeting on Saturday, August 29, the handicaps allotted are of interest. In the Campbelltown Handicap, six furlongs, Autopay has 8.11. Sir Chrystopher is top-weight with , 9.9, Greensea 9.8, and Fuji San 9.7 are next. The Epsom favourite i Pentheus has 9.5, Gesture has 8.6, i Chief Joy 8.5, Gay Ballerina 8.4, and I Havaspot 8.2. Autopay does not , appear badly treated. In the War- | wick Farm Spring Handicap, one mile and three furlongs, Concentrate has 8.13. Chide is top with 9.'5, then Veilmond 9.4 and Tregilla 9.0. These are the only horses above Concentrate in the handicap. King March has 8.1, Chief Joy 8.1, Vail, 8.0, Love ■ Song 7.13, Cypress 7.3. If the han- ; dicap of Cypress is not subject to | revision for iris recent win he is well In.

At different times it has been suggested, mostly by those who obviously have only a superficial knowledge of the matter, that the various clubs should run their own totallsators. That sounds well in theory, but when It comes down to practice there Is a different tale to be told. The bulk of lhe business transacted inside the totalisator must be done by thoroughly competent and trustworthy men. A club would find it very difficult, indeed, to get a staff and keep it together unless there was some permanency attached to the employment. To employ men casually in such important work where large sums of money are handled would certainly lead to a drop In the sense of responsibility which is a most important factor to be considered in selecting a totallsator staff and training it to efficiency. This could not be done by the employment of casual labour —some al this meeting and others at the next. An inefficient staff might cost a club hundreds of pounds through not having sufficient practice to cope with the rush of business in the few minutes before the close of betting. The risk of mistakes is too great, and with a permanent staff to guide and control operations the risk is reduced to a minimum. When inspectors were first appointed some of them made similar suggestions, but further arqualntance with the running of the totallsator has found them silent on the matter for several years past, writes "Sentinel" in the Otago DailyTimes.

With the closing of the 1930-31 racing season it is now possible (says "Rangitira” in lhe Evening Post) to approximate the sum the Government has collected off totalisator investments by way of its totalisator and dividend taxes, and to observe the result of the Increased taxation on the revenue obtained by the Treasury. It was indicated more than once previously that the Government's collection was going to be substantially less than it was in the 1929-30 season. iff spite of the doubling of lhe totalisator tax 12 months ago, and the figures now reveal -that the loss is over £20.000, or nearly 7 per cent. \ substantial increase was anticipated when last year's legislation was passed. The amount payable in totalisator taxation in the two seasons under review (not taking into account certain rebates that may have been

Besides the loss In revenue on totallsator turnovers, the Treasury has further losses to record in stakes tax and amusement tax. The latter sum Is not at present available, but it is estimated at about £11,500, contrasted with £12,951 in the previous season. The stakes tax for the season just closed amounts to 5J17,480 (approx.), as against £20,369 in the previous season, a decline of another £2889. In his Budget the Prime Minister had no alteration to propose in the percentage to be paid under the various heads this season.

AUCKLAND RACING CLUB.

THE ANNUAL MEETING. REVIEW BY THE PRESIDENT. AUCKLAND, Tuesday. The annual meeting of the Auckland Racing Club was held yesterday. The president, Sir Edwin Mitchelson, presided. The president, while he congratulated members on the operations of the past season as far as racing was concerned, said the profit of £lOB5 was the smallest for many years. After £4OBB had been written off on buildings and plant, a loss of £3003 was apparent. “During the year £54,110 was pail in prize-money, including £3lO contributed in sweepstakes—£s23o less than was paid last year,” Sir Edwin added. ‘’Owing to tne uncertainty af the future and the present conditions it has been deemed necessary further to curtail the stakes th it* year. It has been considered advisable by lhe committee to ir .ii'c at p esu.l for the spring incetimj only ;»;.<i £7300, a reduction of r s been allotted in slakes for lhe two days. For ths summer meeting, only the major events, requiring early nominations, will he provided for.” Burden of Taxation. Sir Edwin said it was dilllcuil to estimate what the position would be in the coming year, The increased ra'Ing taxation had seriously affected ill clubs. “If the <lover..went desires increase its revenue from racegoers, ’lie sooner these taxes <re reduced tin sooner will that happen,” stg Sir El wiii. \ reduction to the former rates aud lhe passing of lhe Gaming BUI

to permit the telegraphing of money, to the racecourses and the publication of dividends would most assuredly add considerably to the State revenue.” Conference Levy. One tax which seriously concerned all clubs was the contribution to the Racing Conference. The object of the- conference in making for clean racing and keeping the courses free from undesirables had been attained, but Sir Edwin thought it was questionable whether Auckland had received the equivalent of its contribution of £13,488 during the past ten years. The Auckland assessment for this year, £1366. was greater than a sixth of the total Dominion levy, aril Auckland Province would bear moie than a third of the total. During the past year the Government received £62,617 in taxes from the club, the same amount as. in the previous year, ’ although Che club received 25 per cent, less revenue from the totalisator. The Government refunded £250 for improvements. With local and water rates, the taxation totalled . £64,676. ; Sir Edwin said the committee had under consideration the reduction of i the charges of admission, and he antii cipated a change would probably be ! made shortly. Officers Elected. i The following officers were elected: President, Sir E. Mitchelson; vicepresident, Mr H. O. Nolan; stewards, Messrs. William C. Ring, sen., G. A. Wynyard and M. J. Lynch; commit- . tee, Drs. A. McGregor Grant and E. 11. ' B. Milsom, Messrs. J. M. Carpenter, T. • Impey and William C. Ring, sen.

No Country Meetings at Ellerslie.

Mr O. Friedlander referred to the dissatisfaction felt among a section of the public at the time the Taumarunui Racing Club held a meeting in Lhe city. Mr Friedlander said business people seemed to have some cause for complaint because of the holding ’of the additional meeting. The president said the committee had considered the position and it was likely that similar applications would be refused no matter what lhe circumstances were. N.Z. HORSES FOR AUSTRALIA. THE NEW REGULATIONS. WEL L 1 NG TUN, Monday. The New Zealand Racing Conference has received cabled advice from the Comptroller of Customs, Canberra, through the New Zealand Customs Department, conveying the information that the new regulations will have to be complied with \yhen New Zeaiand horses enter Australia. In future all New Zealand-bred horses landing in Australia must be accompanied by satisfactory documentary evidence of value, and, if sold, by a document showing the price at which the horse was purchased. In the case where no sale has taken place, or If values are changed between a sale and shipment, the horse must be accompanied by a declaration of its market value from an authoritative and approved firm or agent for pedigree blood stock sales. The imposition of a new sales tax of 10 per cent, plus 6 per cent, primage on New Zealand horses entering Australia, has, no doubt, resulted in too low a value being placed upon certain animals.

The New Zealand Racing Conference is taking the necessary action.

RACING IN AUSTRALIA

A.J.C. SPhING MEETING.

SYDNEY, August 10

The Australian Jockey Club lias pruned down the prize money for the forthcoming/spring meeting by at least 50 per cent, in the minor evenis. The added money for the full programme will be £25,450, compared with £41,OUO at the corresponding meeting last year. The A.J.C. Derby, however, remains the richest race in Australia with £BOOO added money, also £250 to the breeder of the winner, provided that he bred the horse in Australia or in New Zealand.

made) have been: — 1929-30 1930-31 £ £ Totallsator tax .. 129,441 179,192 Dividend tax .. 230,294 150,793 Totals .. 359,735 335,985 Decrease for year £23,7 50.