RACING.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18406, 13 August 1931, Page 11

RACING.

fROM TRACK AND STABLE. (By "Martian.") FIXTURES AHEAD. August 15—Canterbury. August 22—Pakuranga Hunt. August 29—Taranaki Hunt. September s—Otago Hunt. September 16—Birchwood Hunt. September 17. 19 —Wanganui. September 19 —Ashburton County. September 24. 26—Geraldine. September 26—Hawke's Hay. September 26, 28 —Avondale. New South Wales List. August 15—Rosehlll. August 22—Rosehill. A igust 29—Warwick Farm. NOTES AND COMMENTS. The Metropolitan Trotting Club’s meeting will be concluded at Addington to-morrow. The third and concluding day of the Grand National fixture of the Canterbury Jockey Chib will be held on Saturday at Riccarton. Al Jolson. who has been spelling for some time past, is booked to rejoin S. G. Ware s team at Wingatui after the Grand National meeting. The foaling season at the St-on yhurst Stud has not opened favourably. A filly by Day Comet from the Aus-tralian-bred Swoops long was trampled on by the marc shortly after being foaled, and had a leg broken. An effort is being made to save the youngster for stud purposes. Many people saw the thrills nf th? Derby on the televisor in the comfort of their own homes. It was the first television nf the race (says Sporting Life . and was done by the Baird Television Company in co-operation with the 8.8. i . Fifteen miles from the course, in the company’s studio i«t Long Acre, all the Derby scenes were easily discernible. After the transmission Mr Baird said that he was quite sa'isfied with the experiment. This marks the entry of television into the outdoor field.” he said, “and should be the prelude to televising outdoor topical events.” An outburst by the owner-trainer B Skelton after his horse Omalad had unexpectedly wnn the second division of the Fourteen-one Handicap at Ascot, Sydney, on Wednesday last, was a prime factor in the stewards disqualifying him for six months. The stewards, Messrs R. S. Turner and J. Donohoe, reported that they found Skelton guilty of “abusive and insulting language to the jockey R. May jn the paddock and in the stewards’ room, and also guilty of unseemly conduct in the stewards room at an Inquiry.” It would appear that May. who rode Omalad. was given certain instructions by Skelton, and after he had won the race the trainer did not make any secret of his objection tn the result, of the race. May complained to the stewards, who called Skelton before them for an explanation. The Victorian Government has sei Itself seriously about reducing the altogether overdone volume of racing round Melbourne. As a result, the Sandown Park course was closed down a while ago. and now we learn that the meeting held at Ascot a fortnight back is the last that will be seen on that track. at any rate while the law stands as it is. The Fitzrov and Richmond courses have been granted a reprieve for a year, but will then also be blown out. In Queensland the Government is also moving to reduce meetings, while in Sydney, though the Government has so far taken no action, there are loud complaints from business men against the mid-week racing. It might not do us any harm here in New Zealand If, while the Government is in “cutting” form, it cut out a few of the unwanted meetings. There is a vast difference between getting a racing track into good order and the task of keeping it so, and officials of the Epsom (England course are confronted with this difficulty on the eve of every Derbv meeting. But It is the public from which the difficulty arises. Visitors on foot and in motor-cars congregate on the course on the Sunday before the meeting opens and. according to The Sporting Life, few of the thousands Kho saw Cameronian win the great classic have the slightest conception nf tlfe extent to which the track was damaged. Policemen and men carrying appeals nn sandwich-boards were engaged on the Sunday with the object of keeping people nff the track, but this notwithstanding there were three lines of motor-cars, each stretching for nearly a mile, and thousands of people on foot, along the course. Mbst damage was done in the straight. The question of handicapping and the necessary knowledge to compile a handicap 1s a much-discussed subject. There is only one answer to any question in that direction, and that consists of the knowledge of what difference weight makes in attempts to readjust form displayed. Weight Is the essence of the contract. Th.» whole subject Is brought to a finer point in America than in any other part of the world. There they allow for a horse running first, second, or third, and so on from the rails, and work it nut to a decimal point a* tn h-ow position during the run of a race and the luck of the run should be weighed to balance form for future events. There is a recognised increase nr decrease In weight that helps to balance racing form. but handicapping Is not a mere matter of arithmetic, which must be applied with the horse sense necessary to make a satisfactory handicap In ♦ne main a handicap is made with the object of balancing form. An artist was once asked how he mixed and - He replied that he mixed his colours with brains and the same reply applies to handicapping - -the figures have cd to be adjusted with brains, horse sense, or failure Is certain. The popularity of light harness racing !« principally based on the fart that, an analysis of form :s based on simple arithmetic, but this Ines not apply • ns ▼ary with exerj ra •*» on a car<t«

The origin of the word steeploohasa is sufficiently clear, but to apply it to •i race is manifestly absurd, because one cannot chase an inanimate thing i like a steeple. The origin of the sport and the name are due to mat- ! ches run by owners of hunters, the i goal being some prominent landmark • such as a church steeple. It is ' doubtful when the first steeplechase • was run. says the Australasian, but j there is a record of a match in IreI land in 1712 over four and a-half miles of country between Mr Callaghan • and Mr Edmund Blake, the course I being from the “Church of Buttevant | to the spire of the St. Leger Church.” < “The Druid” mentions a steeplechase in Lancashire in 1792 from Barkby Holt to the Coplow and back, and in ■ 1824 there was a match -over the ■ same course for £2OOO a side between ' Captain Horatio Ross on a horse nf : his own and Captain Douglas on a horse belonging to Lord Kennedy. 1 which Captain Boss won. These j early steeplechases appear to have i been limited to two or three h-orses, i and steeplechasing as we know it toi day did not begin to take definite 1 shape until about 1830. when Tommy Coleman, who kept The Chequers ’ Inn at St. Albans, promoted a steeplei chase there. There were IB starters, i and the course was from Arlington Church to the obelisk in Wrest Park, near Silsoe. Captain Becher rode in the race and appeared to have it won until his mount, Wild Boar, fell near Moonraker to win. i Moonraker had been purchased out j of a water cart for £lB. Becher rode in the first Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase in 1839. He was on Conrad, and he started first for a ! fence with a double rail and a large ditch dammed up on the off side. The horse hit one of the rails and shot Becher over his head. That is how the now world famous Becher's Brook ■ got its name. ! Reiter times are around the corner for the Turf in South Australia, notes the Melbourne Sporting Globe, for signs are present ’ndirating the passing of the depression. Recent totalii sator turnovers show a general tend- | ency towards increases, the most ' marked of such tendencies being reI ported by country clubs. The in- ! crease in turnovers in country districts is a most hopeful sign. The I sooner the country districts return to normal the sooner will that condition jbs reflected in the city. The indications are that stake money will not >wer. if there is any alteration stakes will be increased. The state , has louche ! rock bottom; now it is ■ on the up grade. South Australia 1 was the first stale to be hit by the ; depression. It was the first State 1 to take measures tn cope with the i extraordinary financial shortage. And th-' prospects are that it will .be the ' first State to recover from its efi’ l c f s. ' The following table shows that, in- • creases in totalisator investments have j been recorded al each of the last seven i meetings held prior to July 18. the 1 average increase being £ 1636 on the 1930 figures:— 1930. J 931. £. £. June 13—L.V.R.C. 16.231 16,807 I .Tune 17—Strathalbyn 2.393 3.318 : June 20—Tattersall’s 12,638 1 4,781 June 27—Murray B'dge 1.607 1.770 i July 4—Adelaide H.C. 7.740 11,971 I July 15—Eudunda 892 1.135 ; July 18—Tattersall’s 10,432 13.605 I The larger totalisator investments ' indicate bigger attendances, and big- | ger attendances foreshadow increased j stake-money. The turn of the tide . came with the introduction nf the i doubles totalisator. Right from the : start it was immensely popular, and | it . popularity is still increasing. IYANAWATU RACING CLUB. LOSS ON YEARS WORKING. The report of the. Manawatu Racing Club shows a loss on the year's working of £1954 Ils 9d after writing off £782 for depreciation. The totalisator turnover for the two days' winter meeting. 1930. amounted 110 £25,692. The turnover for the ! -ummer meeting, 1930, and the autumn j meeting, 1931, was £110,132. as I against £171,124 for these two meetings in the previous season, the decrease being £60.992. or approximately 35.6 per cent. The turnover for these two meetings is the lowest recorded since 1911. DARGAVILLE RACING CLUB. NEXT MEETING AT AVONDALE. At the annual meeting of the Darga- , ville Racing Club. Mr R. AV. Cuthbert. , the president, stated that the club had I suffered a loss of £374, to which had to be added £4 56 for depreciation. The total assets of the club over liabilities amounted to £3151. The election of officers resulted as follows:—Patron. Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates; president. Mr B. W. Cuthbert; vice-presidents, Messrs 11. Massey, A. 11. Ball and T. Wells; stewards. Messrs H. Massey, R. Cuthbert, A. c. Ball, W. B. Morris: treasurer. Mr F. O. Peat; auditor, Mr A. L. Rilling. 1 It was announced that arrangments had been completed to hold the next race meeting at Avondale in October.