TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1142, 29 February 1912, Page 8

TURF TOPICS.

Seldom, who is a comparatively recent recruit to the ranks of jumpers, is to be sent across to Sydney next week. The 'Freedom gelding will doubtless be fully engaged on the other side this autumn, and as there is a dearth of good hurdle horses in Australia, Mr. Montgomery’s gelding , hould pay his way.

The Wanganui Trotting Club’s Easter carnival gives promise of being a big success, as a large number of horses are in training up and down the coast for the fixture. Owners and trainers are reminded that nominations close on March 14. This

is the only totalisator trotting meeting between Wellington and Auckland, and as the stakes are good, it should be well supported by owners.

A. Oliver, who is to ride Bronze in his Wanganui Cup engagement to-day, has rode the last two winners of the event, Merrivonia and Milan. He also rode Truce to victory when he was carrying the colours of the Hon. W. W. Johnston, the father of the present owner who races in the “Highn” livery .

Parable, winner of the Dunedin Cup on Wednesday last, was bred at Longlands by Mr. E. J. Watt in 1905, and is by Merriwee —Palaver, by Apremont —Flatte. She has done a lot of racing during the last three seasons, her chief successes being the Woodville and Napier Park Cups. Last season her only wins were the President’s Handicap at the Hawke’s Bay summer meeting and the Consolation Handicap at the Wellington Cup meeting.

Cisco, by San Francisco —Lady Wallace, who won the Derby at Randwick last spring, has developed lameness and is not likely to race at the autumn meetings in Victoria.

Recently in South Australia the Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1911 was made to apply to jockeys riding in races. The responsibility of insuring them, it was said, fell upon the owner or trainer. The Onkaparinga' Racing Club, however, has now decided to take the responsibility on its shoulders. The secretary of the club says whether the club is liable or not it intends to take the liability off the shoulders of the employer (the owner or trainer as the case may be) from the time the jockey goes to scale until he has weighed in. Every rider at Oakbank on Easter Monday will be insured to the following extent: —Non-fatal accidents payment of half wages during incapacity (limit £1 per week); fatal accidents, payment to dependants, minimum £2OO, maximum £3OO.

In giving evidence before the New "outh Wales Totalisator Commission in Melbourne, Mr. T. C. Moule, secretary of the V.A.T.C., stated that Caulfield racecourse was vested in trustees, and the club were allowed to race on 15 days in each year, in consideration of payment of 3 per cent, of the gross takings to the Government. Bookmakers on the lawn were required to pay £3O a year, and a clerk’s fee of 10s, for the right to bet. On the flat bookmakers were charged £lO, with a clerk’s fee of 10s. There were about 8.0 bookmakers inside, and about 150 on the flat. These were

registered, and they paid £4OOO in fees. The V.A.T.C. gave away about £35,000 a year in prizes.—“ Sydney Referee.” * * * * The Te Aroha Jockey Club hold their annual race meeting on Monday and Tuesday next, and everything points to the gathering being a particularly enjoyable one, as good fields will doubtless start in all the events,

while the adjustments of the handicapper will cause punters some thought to tick off their fancies. Special train arrangements have been made to facilitate travelling from the Waikato, Thames and Auckland.

Entries for the Easter Handicap, St. George’s Handicap, Autumn Steeplechase and Brighton Hurdles to be decided at the forthcoming Easter meeting of the A.R.C. close to-morrow (Friday) evening.

C. Coleman headed the list of successful trainers at -South Auckland. Next in order came A. E. Kelly, T. A. Vv ; illiams and H. C. Tonks. * * # * Whittaker was in the winning vein at Cla”<ieJunds and .ucceeded in piloting five winners. B. Deeley, B. Cur.ran, C. Brown, and J. Roach each had two winning mounts.

The Dannevirke Racing Club’s autumn meeting takes place on Wednesday and Thursday next, and judging by the excellent acceptances received and the good class of thoroughbreds contesting the big events there is every reason to anticipate a successful meeting.

Perhaps not one in a hundred that attended the South Auckland annual race meeting and used the old grandstand knew that the old structure had

done duty twenty-five years ago at Cambridge. The seating accommodation is not nearly sufficient for present use.

Bogey, Manuwera and Bonnie Jean each scored double victories at the South Auckland meeting.

Joe Conquest, when making his run on Hyperion in the Welter Handicap, came to grief, the gelding seemed to trip and came down, Conquest was taken away in the ambulance to the hospital suffering from a broken collar bone.

The South Auckland Racing Club had the ex-bookmakers removed from the racecourse.

Zinnia (8.8), who was omitted from the race card, nearly brought off a big surprise in the Welter Handicap. While . making her run down the straight the winner, Manuwera, closed in on her, and thus another big dividend was averted.

The Pahiatua Racing Club has decided to make another application for the reinstatement of its totalisator permit, taken from them on the recommendation .. of the Racing Commission.

Fond Memory has changed hands. The gelding has been acquired by D. Munn, of Hawke’s Bay, who has had charge of the Merriwee gelding for some time past.

Windward, who romped home a winner in the Apprentices’ Plate at Dunedin, wah sold after the race for £47.

The two Auckland candidates for the Wanganui Cup left for South last week. Domino went by train, while Maxwell was shipped via New Plymouth by the Rarawa.

F. E. Jones, who won the Dunedin Champagne Stakes on Brown Owl, has now ridden the winner on four occasions. His successful mount last year was Counterfeit. Husbandman, also ridden by Jones in 1908., holds the best time for the event, namely, Imin 18sec.

Lady Menschikoff has had her handicap for the Wanganui Cup revised and will now carry 7.9 in her engagement to-day. The impost of Bronze 8.3 has not been altered.

The “Highden” double (Bronze and Boanerges) has been in very strong demand. Maxwell and Domino also have been taken with Boanerges solidly. (

At the Melbourne Trotting Club’s meeting this month the Trial Handicap was won by Bell Patch, by the New Zealand-bred horse Dan Patch, by Rothschild —Ruahine. This is the first of Dan Patch’s progeny to race.

The double winners at the South Auckland meeting were Bonnie Jean, Manuwera and Bogey. Manuwera had bad luck not to win the Trial Handicap as well.

Manuwera ran three consistent races at the South Auckland meeting. Second in the Trial Handicap and

Winner of the Maiden and Welter Handicaps. The gelding is a half brother to Leolantis, and cost Mr. Coleman £l5O.

Mr. W. Montgomery, the owner of Hoanga, purchased Seldom before the first day of the South Auckland meeting. The owner supported him in both races.

Westerly and Scotch were the unlucky ones at the South Auckland meeting. 'The former broke down when making his run in the hurdle, and the latter came to grief in the Cup. * * =it * T. A. Williams had Sir Artegal very fit, with St. Amans out of the way,

the son of Stepniak—Britomart had no trouble in landing the Waikato Handicap on the second day of the South Auckland meeting.

The dam of Mavourneen (Rital brought a family party to the South Auckland races in a buggy. Mavourneen, who ran second in both the hurdle events, is by the imported sire Singlestick.

The added money at the Australian Jockey Club’s autumn meeting this season amounts to £22,250 for the 24 races run on the four days.

The fashion for riding fast trotters under saddle is rapidly becoming more popular with business men in America. On the bridle paths of Central Park this season are seen any numbers of equestrians astride a fast record trotter. Mr. C. K. Billings was one of the first to make such use of trotters

Now, however, it is quite common to see a horse under saddle whose record in harness approaches 2.10. E. E. Smathers, who was the owner of the greatest stable of harness racing horses ever got together is now an enthusiast for riding. With Clyarence L. McCormick, also an admirer of the speed horse for riding, they recently

leased the Frank Wood stable adjoining Carnegie Hall on West Fifty-sixth-street, where they keep a number of trotters with exceptional speed.

The N.S.W. Totalisator Commission reached Melbourne early this month, and the thing that struck the chairman, Mr. Levien, was that he would have trouble in finding witnesses for examination. Well, with the anti-total-isatoi section rather strong in the Southern capital, that was only to be expected, says the “Sydney Referee.” However, a few witnesses for and against the machine did put in an appearance, and one of these, Mr. T. C. Moule, secretary of the Victoria Ama

tear Turf Club, gave it as his opinion that the installation of the totalisator

would increase prize money, and suit breeders, small owners, and small bettors. Mr. C. F. Orr, secretary of Williamstown Racing Club, also favoured the machine, which he believed would lead to large? stakes and lessen the ?iecessity for owners to bet. When such small prizes as £5O were given, an owner had >o bet in order to pay expenses. He did not think it necessary to. sweep all the bookmakers fixe course ar. once. Tlie totalisator would weed out those who were unnecessary. Another advantage of the machine was that it did not permit credit betting. Mr. R. G. Casey, chairman of the Victoria Racing Club, was examined, and said he was entirely in favour of the machine, and did not think it would increase betting in any way. Detective SubInspector D. G. O’Donnell also regarded the totalisatoi- as a better system of betting than through the bookmaker.

The witnesses opposed to the machine said that the totalisator would encourage women co bet, and they would sooner have the bookmakre than the machine, preferring to fight the evil they knew to the one of which they knew nothing. "

Mr. S. Bradley, a well-known bookmaker, said that though he turned over about £2400 a week he did not make a profit of 1 per cent., also that bookmakers would be satisfied to pay big fees for the privilege of betting “Tote” odds. He also instanced the fact of bookmakers going from Melbourne to West Australia, and paying £75 to bet at a three-days’ meeting where the Totalisator was also used. And yet in face of all it is alleged they can do when betting in opposition to the Totalisator, neither Mr. Bradley nor his fellow-bookmakers seem to relish the idea of its legalisation in New South Wales or Victoria. Ten per cent, deduction was too heavy for the public to stand, and Mr. Bradley said he knew one

or two bookmakers who, if they made 1 per cent, on their turnover, would benefit about £5OO per week.

If Mr. Bradley’s figures are correct, Totalisator investments in New South Wales or Victoria would be even greater than hitherto calculated. Five hundred pounds a week — not £5OO profit, either —at 1 per cent, means that in Victoria one or more bookmakers each turn over £2,600,000 a year. Probably Mr. Bradley’s suggestions as to the extent of their business will not be altogether pleasing to the bookmakers indicated. However, his statement may have been misreported. On the whole, it is doubtful whether the Commission learned a great deal one way or the other during its Melbourne sittings.

The members of the Commission have now returned to Sydney, but their labours are not at an end, a trip to Queensland being contempla-

ted, as well as further sittings in Melbourne, while evidence will also be taken in Slydney. It is understood there is a preponderance of evidence in favour of the Totalisator, but as the probabilities are those members of the Commission regarded as opponents of the machine when they left a couple of months ago are still unconvinced it is no certainty the report will eventually be such as to assure the legalisation of the machine. That the sporting public would like the Totalicator to be given a trial cannot be gainsaid, and there is no doubt as to it being favoured by fully four-fifths of metropolitan owners and trainers; but whether we shall get it is another matter. Its legislation has been so successfully combated in the past that its advocates are very much afraid the result will be the same in the future.