TURF NOTES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIX, Issue VII, 16 August 1902, Page 401

TURF NOTES.

Nominations will be taken for the Avondale Jockey Club's spring meeting on Friday, August 15th. Another notable New South Wales breeder and sportsman in Mr T. 11. Smith, M.L.C., died recently in Sydney. The minutes of the recent Racing Conference have reached me from the secretary. Mr J. Marshall, owner of Cannongate, is on a visit to Canterbury. He left for Riccurton on Thursday. The value of the American Derby this year was £5025, of which sum £6OO went to the second horse and £4OO to the third. Siege Gun is now favourite for the New Zealand Cup in Auckland at 8 to 1; Nonettc is quoted at 10 to 1. and Toriulla at 12 to 1. Wakeful. Revenue, and the rest of Mr C. L. McDonald’s horses in training have been removed to Caulfield to be trained there. Mr M. Friedlander,is on a visit to Auckland for a few days. He was out yesterday to have a. look at his brother’s horses at EPcibiie. “Form at a Glance/’ Messrs Barnett and Grant’s annual publication, a handy little work of reference for sportsmen, has reached mo. The two-year-old Ben Godfrey-Satanella colt, in" Chaafe, sen.’s, team, is to be called Stibbington, not Chanticleer, as previously intended. The Australian Jockey Club will give £lOOO for their next Derby. £-<?3O for the * Metropolitan Handicap, and ' £SCO to the St. Reger. As it became necessary for the Hon. H. Mosman to change the name of Hengist, son of St. Leger and Hilda, that of Hilad has been bestowed on the horse. The Idler, who is mentioned as a likely winner of the Caulfield Cup. is to run at Randwick next month, and may give a good account of himself there. It is rumoured that a racing partnership in Auckland will locate' some horses in the South this season, and keep two stables going in New Zealand in future instead of one. One of Mr H. Friedlander’s fillies, by Muskapeer from Eve. died about a year ago, but through some mistake her name figures in some of the classic events which closed recently. Mr T. Wyllie, owner of Royal Conqueror, leaves Auckland to-morrow (Thursday) to extend the New Zealand Grand Natirnal Meeting. Air T. H. Gorrio will be a visitor. I have to acknowledge from the secretary (Mr Wanklyn) the receipt of the book programme of the Canterbury Jockey Club for the coming season—a volume that has grown to 84 pages. Mr A. A". Woods, long-time judge for the Victoria Amateur Turf Club and numerous suburban clubs near Melbourne, succumbed to paralysis of the brain during the last week in July in Melbourne, where he had been an invalid for about 12 months. The Canterburs* Jockey Club will give in stakes this season £20.200. The Auckland Racing Club will give £21.320. These clubs stand out a hmr w:»*- ’• ’’ ’ other New Zealand racing institutions in the matter of stake disbursements. Betting over the New Zealand Grand National meeting continues. The latest steeplechase candidate to come in for support has been the Natator horse Moifaa, who has been coupled in doubles with several horses believed to have good) chances of succeeding in the big hurdle race. I mentioned in my last that Mr FI. N. Simson, who Intends contesting a city seat at the coming elections, is a nephew of the late Mr Hector Norman Simson, a. prominent horse breeder in Victoria, wh« I might have added bred the Flying Buck, winner of the First Champion Stakes iv. Australia, and that hs who is

to be an entrant for Parliamentary Stakes rode Flying Buck in many of his winding up gallops. That was in ISSO.

Writing last week before the statistics were available, a confrere in a Sydney paper figured it out that Mr C. L. Macdonald. with a small team of about four horses, of which Wakeful and Revenue were the particular bright stars, had won in stakes £12,322. If these figures are correct. Mr G. G. Stead comes out this year as the biggest winning owner in the colonies, as his total is just £3 more than that of the Australian owner.

Tho annual report and balance sheet of New Zealand Tattersall’s Club has been circulated amongst members, and will be presented on Wednesday, at the annual meeting. The Chairman will be in the happy position to show that the assets over liabilities will now toh:I £1027, being an increase for the year of £iSO 14/5. There is £795 in the Savings Bank, and £U4 in the National Bank; furniture and stock making up the assets. Amongst the receipts there is an amount of £lOO for a license lor a new bookmaker member, granted last. year.

The form shown by Colonel Shilinski. Lowland Chief, and Rawdon. th* rlaced trio in the Caulfield Grand National Hurdle Race, was consistent with their running at the Victoria Racing Club’s G.N. Meeting. where all three figured prominently. Probably Lowland Chief was titter than previously, but the form displayed by Zalinski’s son stamps that horse- as about the best hurdler in the ccioivi'os. as he came at the right end of the long journey and won cleverly, and probably with something to spare. Colonel Shillnski has proved a great bargain to Mr A. Miller, for whom he has won at each time of asking since he went into that owner’s hands. Racing in Hawke’s Bay is not in such a progressive condition ns lovers of the sport could wish, and this is somewhat strange, seeing that there are so many breeders and well-to-do owners racing. What appears to be lacking is a racing population, with the means to speculate extensively. As it i?, race meetings are not nearly so largely patronised at Hastings as they should he to ensure complete success. Last year the Hawke’s BayJockey Club increased their stakes by £473, but finished up the season with an overdraft increased by £SSO. Some day when the country there becomes more settled, when the broad acres are carrying more people to the square mile, racing may boom. Betting on the New Zealand Grand National meeting continues solidly, and the double has been laid to the extent of about 1600 in Auckland, several pencillers having got nearly round. Cannongate, Cavaliero, Moifaa. Haydn. The Swimmer, are those most supported for the Steeplechase, and for the Hurdle Race, Tresham, Mars, Cavaliero, Stratbnairn, Scottish Minstrel, and a number of others have been taken with the horses mentioned for nearly all the available money in the market. The Avondale Jockey Club have made substantial progress during the year, evidence of which visitors to the autumn meeting of that club bad ocular demonstration of, when one of the most up-to-date racing properties h. the colony came under their notice. The report and balbalance sheet, which were before members of the club to-day, at the annual meeting, and which have already been published, disclose a most satisfactory condition of affairs, and it is safe to predict that in time thi ssuburban dub will take a still higher place amongst the racing clubs of the colony than it at present enjoys, and that is such as the club can be very proud of. The Avondale Jockey Club is one of few suburban racing clubs that aims at providing classic races, and the Avondale Stakes for two-year-olds, and the Avondale Guineas for three-year-old races are popular events with owners, and this spring give promise of furnishing most interesting contests on this club's course.

The worst policy for horse-breeders to pursue is to keep a number of useless animals (says an exchange). These not only consume the food which could be reserved for better ones. bu. their presence is not only calculated to lower the prestige of a stua in the eyes of visitors, but is a source of danger to other stock, as it is obvious that the greater number of animals in a stud the greater the risks of injuries from kicks and other accidents. It is, however, a common weakness of mankind to cling to animals which have been bred upon a place, first, feecause there is a natural, though most unfortunate, disposition to think better of one's own productions than facts Justify; and.

seccndly. from the hope that the animals may improve with age. and so grow into more money. There are occasional instances where this occurs, it is true, but for one case of the kind there are twenty where it is just the reverse, and. beyond a’l doubt, the profits on one will not compensate for the loss on the others. A periodical clearance of all misfits and detrimentals Is, therefore, the wisest policy for all owners to pursue.

The Auckland Racing Club’s annual general meeting, held at the Central lintel on Monday, was a remarkable one in many ways. First of all, the attendance of members was by far the largest known in the history of the club, or of any similar institution in the colony, no fewer than 183 members being accounted for. To ’even those who were ?ware members had during a few’ preceding days been freely canvassed for their votes on behalf of members standing for election on the committee, the large muster occasioned seme surprise, but that no members addressed themselves to discussing the bal-ance-sheet from a critical standpoint was a subject that was freely commented on outside. There were members present who had expressed their intention of asking some questions on certain items r.ppeariug in the statement of accounts, but the vice-president (Mr A. Kidd), acting as chairman In tl;s absence of the president (Mr A. Buckland), who was unable to attend through illness, hurried ths business along, ar.d as those present could bur imperfectly hear the speech delivered by Mr L. D. Nathan owing to the hammering of carpenters in a building outside, there was soniu excuse for any seeming remissness. It would be much bette" were members to embrace the opportunity of asking for details upon points not made sufficiently clear to them at the right time, than by their silence to appear satisfied and afterwards to show discontent. Ihere a.a some members who, not able to address themselves to such subjects as racing .’inance, would nevertheless like those they place In responsible positions to take them into their confidence a little further bv entering more ir»lo details: and after all, mem-

bers who hold it to bo the duty of the outgoing committee to afford the fullest information concerning the business of the year are not looking for any more than, they have a reasonable right to expect. The Auckland Racing Club is in a highly flourishing condition as regards its racing property and accessories, and its prosperity has ben remarkable. A.t one time it was a hard matter to get an attendance of fifty members, and 2 seat on the committee was not a much coveted honour. Now, however, it would appear that the annual election bulks largely in the minds of members, many of whom apparently take the keenest interest in being able to record their votes. It is generally admitted that they made a very good selection from the number of candidates that came forward. The friends of some of the defeated ones were no doubt disappointed, but there seerns a disposition that the honours of office shall go round, and it must so be that good men are at times left out. After all, it is well that changes do take place. Many appointments are made owing to long services rendered, and sentiment thus comes in. When there are large committees we shall always see members elected out of compliment, but I think it can be safely said that tne committee of the Auckland Racing Club as at present constituted will be found workers all, and it is hoped that many suggested reforms and improvements will receive their prompt atentlon, and that tne proposal to see that instruction is imparted to young lads in the various stables, for whom a schoolhouse or hall is to be furnished, will soon be given effect to. Strangely enough, though • there was a general discussion on matters affecting the welfare of the club, no mention at all was made at the meeting of the Queensland Turf Club, says a correspondent of the “Referee,” of the proposal which is now before Parliament to increase the Government tax upon total isa. tors. Perhaps it was not deemed advisable to touch upon this question until after the Bill has been introduced into the Legislature, but a discussion on the subject might easily have led to a good suggestion of two being thrown out by way of recommendation as to what form the proposed increase of the tax should take. It is understood that one provision of the Bill will be that not more than 12A per cent., as at present will be allowed to be taken off the total investments, so that in whatever way the thing is fixed up the club will be the loser. It might not be a bad suggestion that instead of adding another 2i per cent, on to the tax. the Government might take over the fractions. If this were done, probably more than the proposed increase would be obtained, while at the same time a matter about which there has been a lot of acrimonious discussion would be effectually and satisfactorily disposed of. A charge of 12J per cent, seems monstrous. It is a w r onder the people do not object to it. A meeting of the newly elected committee of the Auckland Racing Club was held at the club’s offices, Durham-street,

last week. Mr T. Morrin was elected <*hairman of all committees, and officers for the ensuing twelve months were elected as follows:—President, His Worship the Mayor (Air A. Kidd),; vice-pre-sident. Mr H. Thompson; stewards, Messrs G. W. S. Pattersun, L. D. Nathan (committee representatives). E. D. O’Rorke, T. Sinclair, D. W. Duthle, W. S Somers, M. Foley. J. C. Smith, F. Earl, Geo. Niccol, Major Pitt, and Dr Reid; judge, Mr R. B. Lusk; treasurer, Mr li. T. Gorrie; clerk of scales, Mr F. VV. Marks: clerk of course, Mr Selby; handicapper, Mr J. O. Evett; auditor. Mr R. E. Isaacs; works committee, Messrs M. McLean. H. T. Gorrie, and W. McLaughlin. A sub-committee was appointed to obtain Information and report as to the sppolnt’ment of a starter. It was decided to vote 25 guineas towards the fund for the erection of a veterans’ home. A petition was received from trainers and jockeys asking the club to open a school and provide club and social rooms for jockeys. Consideration of tho matter was deferred till next meeting of committee. The Programme Committee dealt with the programme for the coming season. With the exception of a few slight alterations in the names of events, chiefly in tho winter meeting, the programmes are practically the same as those last season. Particulars c.f the American Derby are to hand. The winner. Wyeth, is owned by a Mr Drake, w r ho is said to have won £20,009 over tho race ai an outside price. Sixty-five thousand persons witnessed the event. The favourite, Heno, was badly worsted, and, his rider said, would not try. A correspondent of the “Referee,” In speaking of the Derby, says it is wellnigh impossible to get away from Mr E. J. (“Lucky”) Baldwin. This veteran turfman Is having a most remarkable streak of ill-fortune of late, which blds fair to make his soubriquet a bitter sarcasm. It was hard enough for him to see his Derby cult Cruzados, cut down in tho race at Harlem, but on the very day of tho Derby he came even closer to losing him. The colt had just returned from an easy gallop, and was being led up and down in the lane before the Baldwin stable to cool out, when a runaway milk waggon dashed round the corner, and all but ran the colt down. Two other of the Baldwin colts wore out at the same time, and the attendants leading them had to let them run loose to get out of the way of the frightened horse. No serious damage was dore by the runaway, but Cruzados had the narrowest kind of an escape. “I don’t know what is the matter,” said Mr Baldwin shortly after the. runaway, “but it’s getting so I don’t d;tre to take Cruzados out of the stable. Of course, a miss is as good as a mile, but in cases like that I prefer a m’ic. and that isn’t any too much.” After *he special race at Harlem, in which Cruzados was cut down. It was said by several turf writers here that the Baldwin colt was a quitter. Mr Baldwin took exception to this statement, and offered to match his colt against any horse in the country, weight for age. at a mile, for $20,000 a-side. Mr Hildreth announced several days ago that he would take up Mr Baldwin’s offer and match McChesney against Cruzados. Such a race may be arranged later in tho season, when both of the colts In question are ready to race again. A most Interesting article appears In tho Sydney “Town and Country Journal” on the subject of the past racing season, the writer confining himself chleCy to dealing with racing in New South Wales, which, he says, has been one of the most prosperous experienced there for some years. Why this has been so, he cannot say, for Australia has been passing through one of the most severe droughts that those colonies have ever known. To qu?to from the article, tho writer says: Everything in the shape of horse feed is at an extravagant price; yet we find the stables not only full, but tho inmates on the increase. This is shown by the heavy nominations made not only for the rich stakes, but also the minor events of our proprietary race meetings. It is vary doubtful if ever our proprietary clubs have had a more successful season than that just brought to a close. Right through, the weather upon almost every Saturday has been favourable to outdoor sports; consequently the public have attended in such numbers that the various secretaries must have very favourable balance sheets to put before their shareholders. That racing is one of the most important businesses of the day is generally admitted. It has passed from being a sport into a business at which thousands of people make a living, much the same as in any other. Some do well, others go insolvent, but the majority engaged in it make a decent living. The amount of money which changes hands during a season’s racing is something enormous. This is clearly shown when we tell that the prize money paid away within the metropolitan radius by the registered clubs amounts to over £45.000. Of this sum the Australian Jockey Club disbursed £24,775. Of this £9BOO was paid away over the last autumn meeting at Randwick, and £9200 was the amount handed over to the owners of successful horses after the last spring meeting. The other clubs racing

at Randwick paid out between them £6OIO, divided as follows: Tattersails Club, £3UUU; Sydney Turf Club, £2110; and City Tatteraall’s Club, £9uo, making a total in all of £30,785 won during the season at Randwick. Turning to the proprietary clubs, we tind that they, acting up to the conditions issued to them by the leading body, are called upon to give away £14,3U0 per year, which is distributed as follows: Rosehill, £4400; Canterbury Park, £36uo; Moorefield, £3*100; and Warwick Farm, £2700. Added to this we must add £9OO given by the Hawkesbury Race Club, and as the Rosehill Racing Ciub give at times more than the 400sovs., we are well inside the amount paid away to horse owners when it is put down at £40,000. Now there is another branch of this great racing business that must be taken into consideration. That is the pony and galloway meetings. These are what are termed the unregistered meetings, and looked upon by quite a number of people as affairs of no moment. They will thus be considerably surprised when we inform them that under the prevailing conditions the conductors of them pay away in prize money for the year no less a sum than £25,000. The opponents of these meetings will hardly believe this, but we are well within the mark in the amount. The leader in this branch of the business is the Kensington Racing Club, and they alone paid out £BBOS, and as the other clubs all give away at least £IOO per day, the sum is easily calculated. The grand total of prize money thus paid away to horse owners within the metropolitan area is quite £70.000, and if we could only quote the figures for wages, railway fares, and other moneys which are chargeable to the business, the figures would be ?«*minding.

An American paper, in announcing that “a long-felt want” is shortly to be filled, tickles the ears of Its readers with the following: ‘‘There is no field of speculation the equal of the turf; neither can it •be approximated, for strength of its earning power, dollar for dollar of capital. At last, after nearly two decades of scientific research, nas the problem ‘How to beat the books’ been solved, and arrangements have been made to publish the work of a well-known scientist. It will differ from all other heretofore published systems (so-called), in that it will not carry theoretical monstrosities cr mythical potentialities. In fact, the problem has been solved, and reduced to practice. The dissolving element will be disclosed in a serial publication that will undoubtedly absorb the interests of bookmaker and bettor, owner and trainer, as well as private and official handicapper. The article will disclose practical operating systems, sustained on scientific mathematics and the doctrine of average. It will illustrate the principles upon which ‘speculation’ by means of ‘bookmaking’ is supported. It will teach and fully explain the true principles of handicapping. A science of mathematics applied to force and space, distinct and original, explaining the mooted phenomenon of ‘uncertainty,’ or the 'undeiinable something’ that has so long battled the efforts of professional handicappers. It will be interesting to the clergy and society in general, in that it will uefine and establish a boundary line between gambling and speculation.’’

No doubt this work will find a reauy sale, but the wonder of it all is that the author does not prefer to test his system himself tn an to let it go forth to the world. The acquirement of wealth cannot be his object Jn life, but, as an Australian writer observes, the sowing of such valuable seed is probably to be done in pure philanthrophy, as if worth the traditional tinker’s curse a much better deal financially could be made with race clubs. In this colony I have been shown a number of systems, the originators of which have been sanguine of beating the bookmakers, but, critically examined, these systems do not work out in practice, because there is always a discrepancy between practical and theoretical odds, and to ue sure of working to a system, the backer would require to be certain of being able to get his money un every time. About seven years ago I was shown a system, under strict secrecy, that was going to keep the discoverer the rest of his life. He had worked on it for weeks and months, and had proved it beyond doubt, but had come to the conclusion that New Zealand, with its totalisator system, did not offer a fair field, and, though it could be worked in Australia, it would be advisable to start operations where betting went on more extensively. My short experience in applying the test to past events, and assuming that the odds could have been obtained, led to the discovery that at times some enormous risks would require to be taken, even after setting out to win only a small stake, and that system would, at least, want a big bank behind it, and a lightning calculator and smart men to do the betting. The gentleman who had evolved the system was very sanguine of making a success of it, and sold out some property in this colony and went Home with the intention of giving it a trial on a small scale himself unless he got someone to stand in with him wxch plenty of capital. I have been waiting a long time to learn whether the system was worked in England or elsewhere by my friend, or possibly by others who might have acquired the patent rights, but I have never heard anything more on the subject. One thing is certain, and that is that the bookmakers in England have not lost all their capital yet. Betting to the extent of half a million was reported on one race—the Derby. Even in America, on the American Derby, it is reported that the winner was supported for a quarter of a million. After all it may be my erst-New Zealand friend has something to do with this ‘’long-felt want." Some of the opponents of the starting price merchants in New Zealand would give any system a trial that they

could be led to believe would annihilate the whole tribe, and leave the totalisator to have an uninterrupted run.

Apropos of systems, quite recently I met a man who claimed to have one that would beat the totalisator—that is to say, that would ensure him being a winner by following the more Important race meetings round and investing according to a certain method in the automaton. Though a stack of figures were presented to me at the lime, I did not learn the key to jfuccess, but I know that the system was based upon results as taken from the “N.Z. Turf Register.” In this instance a want of capital to start prevented the system being followed by the originator, who only wanted a mere matter of £4OO in cash to ensure him making at least an equal sum over and above working expenses by attending about 25 meetings in the year. To get this start was the difficulty; the rest would, he declared, be easy going. The investor is still as confident as ever that he has a certainty, but will not divulge his secret, and is now, he says, hard at work trying to save enough money to start on his own. He is not imbued with philanthropic ideas. His only anxiety now is lest the Referendum Bill may soon be passed and that the ‘‘tote” may be knocked out before he is financially strong enough to put the system into operation. A system that will beat the bookmakers should be worth untold gold in a few hands, but when all rhe world can have It for the buying, bookmakers and backers alike will be on thd same level, and so it will be a fair deal. It is sad to contemplate that science has reached such a stage that any system can be worked to beat bookmakers or the accommodating “tote” — sad indeed.