Sporting Review. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1890.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 6, 6 September 1890, Page 1

Sporting Review. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1890.

Several of the Southern members, accompanied by Mr. Henry Mace, President of the Canterbury Trotting Association, have waited upon the Colonial Secretary, urging a relaxation of the racing rules as regards stakes to be given away before a totalisator permit is granted to trotting clubs. Captain Russell promised to reply in a few days, but at present he was advised not to increase the number of racing clubs or give the use of the totalisator to small meetings. It is gratifying to see that Captain Russell is making a stand against the indiscriminate use of the totalisator. There are at the present time too many meetings throughout the Colony. They neither encourage sport or the breed of horses; they are simply got up for the benefit of a few, and for the purpose of fleecing country bumpkins and bushmen. There are more swindles perpetrated at these little meetings than in the largest town in Australasia. The stewards themselves may be perfectly straightforward men, but they I are ignorant of racing, and in their innocence do not suspect a fraud. The Metropolitan Rules of Racing are in some measure a check on these “ leather-flapping ” meetings, but some of the Metropolitan Clubs are very slack in the way they pass programmes, and permit outside meetings to be held that had better be suppressed. It is quite certain that if the totalisator was done away with, or at least the rules made more stringent, fifty per cent, of these little country meetings would be also done away with, or at least be confined to horses in the immediate neighbourhood, as the stakes would be too small to make it worth while for a racing man to send a trained horse to compete. The “ yokels ” would enjoy their outing just as much. They do not care about the quality—they like a number of horses to start for a race. We have often heard it remarked at up-country meetings, “ I say, Bill, there are only three horses going to start for this race—let’s go and have another drink.” Wait awhile until there happens to be a big field for a hack or a Maori race. It will not be “ Let’s have another drink ” ; it will be, “ Look sharp, Bill; hurry up. We will get Mary Jane and the girls a good place. There are a dozen starters for this bloomin’ race, and there will be lots of fun, maybe some spills.” Away they go and enjoy themselves* The totalisator is no benefit tb these outside meet-

ings. It is true that they can give larger stakes, but. if they do so they run the chance of a horse being “ rung in ” that carries all before him. Now the trotting craze is on. It can only be called that, as we are perfectly certain that at the present time there are not twenty horses in the whole Colony that are worthy of the name of trotters, and that there are not half-a-dozen men that can train, drive, or ride azmin. zosec. animal properly. We see trotting clubs springing up everywhere —three or four in one place —and they all want to use the totalisator and have the rules relaxed. We only Want them to go a little more and allow the “ pubs.” to use the machine, and New Zealand will be one grand h—l, like Crockford’s or Monaco. If the Colonial Secretary sets his face against so much use of the totalisator, he should at the same time issue very stringent orders to the R.M.’s and police on no account to allow betting men to lay totalisator odds, and when convicted to inflict the highest penalty allowed by law. If the ready-money men are allowed to do that it will be a great deal worse than the machine, and welshing will be resuscitated. A meeting of the committee and stewards of the Lancaster Park Trotting Club was held on August 23rd. The committee brought up a report of the late meeting. It contained a clause which related to owners and others having been caught taking totalisator odds from bookmakers, and recommended that eleven persons be declared guilty of corrupt practices on the turf, and that they be disqualified under No. Z 3 of the New Zealand Trotting Association rules. After a long discussion it was decided, on the casting vote of the chairman, not to take extreme measures this time by disqualifying, but in future the law would be strictly enforced on both layer and taker. Another clause of the report stated that though three constables were present they took no notice of the many breaches of the law that occurred during the afternoon. It was resolved to write to Inspector Pender on the subject. Now. if things like this occur at Lancaster Park, what will be the case at outside meetings? We therefore hope that Captain Russell will not give way one iota, but rather become more stringent as regards the totalisator, and.compel the Metropolitan Clubs to exercise their autho rity in a proper manner.

We have received the balance sheet of the South Auckland Racing Club from Mr. G. H. Carter, the secretary, and we must say that it compares most favourably with ’its older rivals. The Club is only two years in existence, still allowing for all liabilities they have a credit balance of few clubs can show such a clean sheet. They have given on an average a year to their two meetings, and have spent in getting their course in proper order. As such a young Club the Committee were not desirous of plunging it into debt for a flash grand stand they therefore determined to do without one, but twenty-five members came forward and advanced the money, the shares to be taken up as the Club could afford it; at the present time 10s. has been paid off. It is the aim of the members to get all the smaller clubs to amalgamate and keep its name as it implies, •“ The South Auckland Racing Club,” and have one good Club for the whole of the Waikato, for, as things are at present, one Club is quite sufficient for that district. The Committee intend to meet shortly to frame new rules, applicable to the local requirements of the Club. It is intended to hold the summer meeting on December 20th. With regard to framing rules, etc., the committee must be very careful to strictly adhere to the Metropolitan Rules of Racing, if they do that the South Auckland Racing Club should be second to none. If the Committee are not thoroughly up in racing, let them take the advice of some practical man. There has been a great deal said of the late objection in the

Autumn Handicap. One of the sporting writers that had a great deal to say on the matter absolutely knows nothing of racing, and his fidus achates, is as ignorant as himself. We only hope the S.A.R.C. will go on as they have begun and show as good a balance sheet next year as this.

The Herald of September sth has the most wonderful sub-leader that ever appeared in a paper regarding -the New Zealand Stud Co. at Sylvia Park. We will just extract a few sentences of this remarkable sub-leader and make some comments on them, and then leave it to our readers to judge from what pen they emanated :—“ From the possession of a mere handful of not over fashionably-bred mares, purchased from the Cobham Stud Company in 1879, the present great breeding establishment at Sylvia Park has been built up, and it may safely be said that a more beautiful collection of sires and mares could not be found together if the world was searched through.” Was there ever such “ trash ” penned in what is supposed to be a respectable paper? We will take the unfashionably-bred mares from the Cobham Company. These mares were purchased from Mr. Stead, and consist of some of the best bred mares in the stud, though a few of them have not been successful matrons. The others, with the exception of Sylvia, Oynx, and some rubbish, were purchased by Sir Hercules Robinson at Mr. Blenkiron’s (not the great breeder) sale, At the present time all the best mares are seventeen years old or over. The three best are Sylvia, aged 26 years, Onyx 18 years, and Mersey 17 years, while the young mares are untried. As for the stallions, Nordenfeldt is a promising sire, and is likely to make a name for himself at the stud, while St. Leger, though well bred enough for anything, does not take the public fancy. The writer of this “ bosh ” has evidently never visited a stud farm in England and Australia; if he had he would have seen a much better collection of sires and mares than at Sylvia Park. Who this Colonel Carre is who is going to form a company to buy the “ world-famed ” Sylvia Park Stud we do not know, but it is quite evident that he knows very little of the management of a stud farm if he thinks he can work a place like Sylvia Park with a capital of £\5,000, especially if the report be true that the Bank wants £13,000 for the stock alone. This only leaves £2,000 to come and go upon. The working expenses alone, if properly managed, should be at least £l2O a week, and then there will.be required a large sum for the purchase of young mares to replace the worn-out old matrons. There is an old saying, “ Once bit, twice shy.” Colonel Carre must be an extraordinary man if he can get any Auckland men to take a £lOO share after their late experience, and, in fact, we should doubt his finding anyone south of the line that would invest in such a bubble company. If he wanted to form a company that would be likely to stand and prove remunerative the capital should be at least If this company is floated with a £15,000 capital it will last, like all Auckland companies, only a short time, and then be wound up. We would strongly recommend Colonel Carre, with his small capital, to wait patiently until the sale, and then purchase the best mares, augmenting them with fresh blood from England and Australia; He would then find that with his proposed capital he might make a stud farm on a small scale pay.

The long standing dispute over the South Auckland Handicap was again brought up before the Auckland Racing Club Committee as an appeal case on. Wednesday last, when they decided “ That St. Michael did not win the Autumn Handicap on account of his not having carried a penalty, and that Pinfire should have been awarded the stakes. In the Claudelands Handicap the Committee consider that Pacific should be awarded the stakes.” Never in the memory of the oldest, racing man has such a mess been made over a race meeting. St. Michael ought to have carried a penalty, but he was not objected to till some time after the meeting; then Pinfire won the Claudelands Handicap for which if he had won the Autumn Handicap he would have incurred a penalty. It is now decided that St. Michael is disqualified and Pinfire gets the stakes for the Autumn Handicap and is disqualified for the Claude-

lands Handicap on account of his not having carried a penalty and the stakes are given to Pacific. Such a messed up affair has never come under our notice, however it is supposed to be settled. The question is now, who a/e the sufferers ? Answer, the general public—thanks to the totalisator. The money has been paid on St. Michael for the one and Pinfire for the other, the former’s backers go on their way rejoicing, the latter’s consider themselves lucky at having pocketed the dividends for one race, while poor unfortunates who backed Pacific get nothing. The decision may be a right one but the Metropolitan Racing Rules have been so messed about at the different conferences that it would take a very clever lawyer to make them out. We are perfectly certain if the Rules were literally carried out the cleverest racing man in the Southern Hemisphere would be caught napping before the season was out. Colonials trying to improve on the Newmarket Rules is a great mistake, the English Rules with a few verbal alterations would have suited New Zealand very well. There are two rules which are conflicting in this case, the one says: —“All objections, etc., must be made within a quarter of an hour of of the race, unless on the ground of fraudulent entry, false age etc., which may be made within twelve months,” and the other is, “ In all cases where penalties have to be carried for winning it shall be the duty of the owner, trainer or jockey to notify the same co the secretary, when possible, the evening before the race, or in any case half-an-hour prior to the start. Any person neglecting to comply with this rule shall pay a fine, to be imposed by the stewards, not exceeding 5 sovs.” NoWy these two rules make a first-class opening for a swindle. A man runs his horse minus the penalty ; he gets paid all his bets and tickets on the machine, and goes away. The next day, or perhaps long afterwards, an objection is laid —the stakes are paid to the second horse, but he does not get his bets, which are the most profitable part of the race. The fine of 5 sovs. is a farce, as only an owner of a horse running in the race can object, and he might be squared.

We beg to acknowledge the receipt of the Napier Park Racing Club programme for the season 1890-1. Their Spring Meeting takes place on October 14th and 15th. On the first day £5BO is given in added money. The principal races are: Park Stakes Handicap of 200 sovs., 1| mile, and the Railway Handicap of 100 sovs., six furlongs. Second day £445 is given, the chief race being the Racing Club Handicap of 120 sovs., a mile and a distance. The Summer Meeting is only one day, January Ist, £4lO being added. The New Year Handicap l|mile, 125 sovs, Two-year-old Handicap of 70 sovs, five furlongs, and the Flying Handicap of 70 sovs., six furlongs, are the best worth winning. The Autumn Meeting, to be held on March 24th and 25th, is the principal meeting. For these two days £1,310 is added. The races worthy of notice are the Napier Cup Handicap, 1£ mile, of 300 sovs., and the City Stakes Handicap of 200 sovs., 1 j mile. The money has been well distributed throughout all the meetings. This is as it should be, giving an . owner a chance of paying expenses he miss one of the big handicaps.