Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW AND LICENSED VICTUALLERS’ GAZETTE. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WEEKLY STANDARD. Thursday, June 15, 1899 A SUCCESSFUL SEASON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 464, 15 June 1899, Page 10

Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW AND LICENSED VICTUALLERS’ GAZETTE. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WEEKLY STANDARD. Thursday, June 15, 1899 A SUCCESSFUL SEASON.

Practically the racing season, so far as the Auckland province is concerned, has closed, and our leading clubs have every reason to be satisfied with the results achieved. Just twelve months ago we had occasion to remark “whatever may be the cause, whether it be the good management of the Auckland Racing Club’s officials or a sign of increased prosperity, the speculation, through the agency of the totalisator, at Ellerslie during the past year has been greater than during any year in the history of the Club.” These remarks apply with greater force to the season that has just practically closed, for the Metropolitan Club has again broken the record. Last year when the total had reached £101,926, we thought the Club had achieved a remarkable result, but it has done even better this year, and the fact that the totalisator figures are £119,520 show that the Auckland Club has succeeded, even beyond expectations, in maintaining the interest of the public in the national sport, and just here it may be mentioned that some of the credit is due to the business-like manner in which the machine has been worked by Mr H. Hayr and his staff. All round there is evidence that the management of the sport has won the confidence of the public, as the following totalisator figures for the past two seasons will show : —

The success of the Auckland Club has been shared by nearly every club racing under the control of the Metropolitan body. The Avondale Club has been conspicuously successful. Their course, naturally a good one, has been very materially improved, and the club now possess a very nice property. The totalisator receipts amounted to £15,072 — a material advance on last year —and we may expect to see this well-managed body playing a still more important part in the future. The Takapuna Club is classed among the Country Clubs, but it is one of the most important in the colony, and has fully maintained its popularity • this season despite the fact that its last meeting was held in extremely bad weather. The new Coromandel Club had a most successful gathering, and passed £2,304 through the machine, and the meetings at the Thames, Paeroa, Cambrige Rotorua and Hamilton have all been so successful, that the aggregate totalisator receipts of the Auckland Clubs willprobablybe found not far short of £lBO,OOO. This great result has been achieved by what may be termed an open door policy. A considerable amount of revenue has been derived by licensing bookmakers, and yet the receipts on the machine have materially increased. In the South, and notably Dunedin, where a prohibitive policy is observed, and the bookies hunted like the Jews in Russia, there has been a falling off in the totalisator revenue, and the fact that the great proportion of the horses entered for the New Zealand Cup hail from the North is evidence that the sport is thriving here better than in the South. The racing for the season has been fairly good, the best two-year-old undoubtedly being Miss Delaval, while Rosella, another Seaton Delaval youngster, ranks second, and then comes Seahorse, who many think will furnish into a Derby horse, but he will have to improve a lot to beat Miss Delaval. The three-year-olds this season were a poor lot, and when St. Paul temporarily retired we could not point out anything among the 4, 5 and 6 year old division that could be reckoned first-class. The prospects of the coming season, so far as the class of horses are concerned, is better than it has been for some time, and we feel confident that nothing that is not of the best quality will be capable of winning any of our two year old races. In former years the best of the Wellington Park yearlings were sold to foreigners. This year, chiefly through the enterprise of the Hon. Hugh Mosman, they were preserved for Auckland, and no one will be sorry if among their number there should be something as good as expatriated Waiuku or Multiform.

SEASON 1897-98. Srping Meeting — First day ... £5,393 Second day ... 8,262 Third Day ... 5,217 £18,872 Summer Meeting— First day ... £13,544 Second day ... ... 14,078 Third day ... ... 14,678 £42,300 Autumn Meeting — First day ... £10,203 Second day ... 6,282 Third day ... 8,363 £24,848 Winter Meeting— First day ... £8,498 Second day 7,408 £15,906 Grand total for Season ...£101,926

SEASON 1898,99. Spring Meeting — First day Second day ... Third day ... ... £5,490 8,582 5,5175 £19,647 Summer Meeting — First day ... £15,317 Second day ... ... 10,229 Third day ... ... ... 17,545 Fourth day ... ... 14,146 £57,237 Autumn Meeting — First day ... £9,766 Second day 6,889 Third day ... 8,931 £25,586 Winter Meeting — First day ... £8,112 Second day ... 8,938 £17,050 Grand total for Season ...£119,520