MR. WREN’S NEW HANDICAPPER.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1065, 4 August 1910, Page 9

MR. WREN’S NEW HANDICAPPER.

Mr- J. Wren, the well-known racingpromoter of Melbourne, has recently appointed Mr. W- A. Menzies, handicapper for the V.R.C., to perforin similar duties for his Ascot, Richmond and Fitzroy clubs. Concerning Mr. A. J. Gray, the retiring handicapper, the Melbourne “ Sporting and Dramatic News” makes the following observations; — “Handicappers are born, not made, and therefore it is with regret that we notice that Mr. Alf. J- Gray, the popular secretary of the Melbourne Trotting Club, as well as of the Ascot, Richmond and Fitzroy clubs, has at last found his multi-

tudinous duties too many for him, and has been compelled to resign the position as handicapper of the Ascot, Richmond and Fitzroy clubs. After four years of successful work as weight-adjuster, the phenomenal growth of the business connected ■with the courses under the management of Mr. Wren has forced this step upon him. The combined positions of secretary and handicapper are too strenuous for one man’s brains altogether. As handicapper, Mr. Gray’s idea was to give such horse just the weight that should bring the fields up to the winning-post practically to-> gether, and to this end he would not let the maidens in on too light a scale, while winners were properly penalised. The result of this scientific system of handicapping is that splendid contests and exciting finishes have been the rule rather than the exception, and all we can say is that if the new weight-adjuster can only approach the high standard of racing set in the past he will be deserving of all praise; but the task is in front of him.” In connection with Mr. Gray’s work as handicapper, he introduced a method of photographing the finish of every race, and by means of the pictures, which were pasted in a record book for reference, he could always tell for certain how the various races were won. It was probably due to this simple yet clever system that such noted success was achieved by Mr. Gray in the past. This gentleman retains his position as secretarial controller of all the clubs named, whose scope of influence and usefulness in the promotion of the sport of racing are rapidly increasing.