Sporting Review. THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1893.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 129, 12 January 1893, Page 4

Sporting Review. THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1893.

Had not everybody been damped by the wet weather, we are sure there would have been a lot more comment than there was on New Year’s Day about St. Hippo being barred in the totalisator betting on the Great Northern Derby. We are quite aware that the power of Racing Clubs’ stewards is so autocratic nowadays that they can pretty well do as they like — and some of them do not hesitate at doing it —but this “ barring” on the totalisator is open to great objection. even if an owner gives his consent, as Mr L. D. Nathan, St. Hippo’s owner, did in the present instance. It would be extremely undesirable to make such “ barring ” in any way a manner of custom. Of course we are quite aware that there is nothing in the Rules of Racing to prevent any Club whatever indulging in such a practice whenever they like, but it is not right that such a state of things should exist. In the case of

some country clubs it might very easily open the door to fraud. “ Random,” in the Canterbury Times, in commenting on the fact of St. Hippo being barred in the totalisator betting on the Great Northern Derby, says : — The Auckland stewards are original people. As the favouritism of St. Hippo threatened to paralyse the totalisator betting on the Great Northern Derby they arranged to bar Mr. Nathan’s colt on the machine and confine the betting to the other competitors. The effect, so far as the club was concerned, was very satisfactory. Investors tumbled over one another in their efforts to pick the best of the outsiders, and the “ pool” was large enough to produce a substantial commission. The legality of the proceeding is another matter. The stewards have, perhaps, power to do anything, but it seems to an outsider that they should have considered the interests of people who wished to get a big price about outsiders or cover part of the money they had laid about St. Hippo, or hedge part of the money they had received about the favourite. But I have heard no complaints, and I suppose everyone was satisfied. It is to be hoped, however, that this plan of barring the favourites will not be generally adopted.