RACING NEWS FROM S- AFRICA.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 707, 24 September 1903, Page 9

RACING NEWS FROM S- AFRICA.

(From Our Wellington Correspondent.) The well-known professional horsemen, Geo. Price and W. Thomas, formerly attached to Mr . Davis’ stable, who about three months ago took a holiday trip to South Africa, returned via Melbourne, by the s.s. Mokoia. From an interesting chat with G. Price, I g-athered that they had a most enjoyable trip, and were much impressed with the scale on which racing is carried on in South Africa. Shortly after landing at Durban, which was their first port of call, they attended a three days' race meeting, held by the Durban Turf Club. r ihe principal race on the first day’s programme was the Durban Club Handicap, of 1250 sovs, distance one mile. This brought out thirteen runners, the Australian-bred Chesney, by Maluma—Madcap being top-weight, with lOst 81b ; Graspan, another Australian, having 9st 71b. The winner turned up in a three-year-old filly named Peerless (by Pearl Diver—Pauline), carrying Bst 71b, who ran the distance in Imin 42sec. The winner paid a dividend of £6 Is. The racing commenced at 11 a.m., and a programme of nine races was finished by 5 pm. Four events were for ponies and galloways, a class of racing very popular in South Africa. A' pony named Rose Lawn (English bred) struck our visitors as being especially good, and won a couple of races during- the meeting. Blue Paul, an Auckland performer of note, ran secon on the first day, but Rose Lawn held him easily. Their respective weights were Bst 31b and Bst 21b. Jolly Joker (by Merry Hampton—Rinovata) was one of the finest looking- horses seen out at the meeting-. Immense sums, it is said, can be won oyer one race. Price counted forty-three licensed bookmakers doing business on the course at Durban, and the totalisators put through £37.000 during the three days’ racing. One wealthy owner, who had two horses engaged in one event, supported the right one heavily, and won, it was reported, £.30,000 over the race. Ten to twelve thousand pounds is quite frequently won over Galloway and Selling- Races. Racing, however, my informant states, is very expensive, entrance and subscription fees being exorbitant ; railway fares and hotel expenses ditto. The Durban racecourse is two miles in circumference. Few of the events, however, are run over longer courses than one mile, most events being five and six furlongs. The attendance of the public - did not seem very great, the fair sex being especially conspicuous by their absence. Those present, however,” seemed to have plenty of money and speculation was brisk. On leaving Durban, Messrs Price and Thomas made for Johannesburg, where tliey saw more racing- on August 3. Stakes there were small, £5O being- the most valuable, and the horses of a moderate class. Mr W. Hutcheson ("Hotspur”), late of the “N.Z. Referee” staff, was amongst those encountered at Johannesberg, also Peter Keith, a N.Z. trainer. Tom Pollard and W. Sullivan, with their Opera Co., were showing there, and as thev had just received a cable to the effect that their steeplechaser, Straybird, had won a race at the N.Z. Grand National Meeting, the whole company wore in high spirits, and gave the New Zealanders a hearty welcome. - Amongst < t her New a hearty welcome. *'