THE CLUBMAN.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1246, 5 March 1914, Page 10

THE CLUBMAN.

The Wanganui Jockey Club is one of the very old ones in New Zealand. It is one of the most progressive and popular, and it can he said has been run on sound business lines irom first to last, as during a period of nearly forty years only the most capable men have been conducting its affairs. It has been fortunate in having good secretaries all along, and the officials, stewards, committeemen and others concerned in the management have all worked hard to make the meetings what they have become. Some have been long associated with the club, and the president (Mr. E. A. Campbell) and vice-president (Mr. H. A. Harrison) almost from its inception, while more than one of the committee have been almost as long in office. The old as well as the younger members feel proud of die position the club has attained, and they have reason to feel highly satisfied with the result of the meeting which has just been concluded from a business and social side. Quite a number of the best-known horseowners were present from different parts of the Dominion, though several were missed from their wonted places. Visitors from North and South were there in force, and the meeting was as inter provincial as ever, or would have been had there been a few more horses. The fields were not so large on Saturday as they were last year, and as they only averaged the same on the opening day for once in a way were not so large as might have been expected, which is’ somewhat hard to account for, as there are plenty of horses nominated for the meetings held on the West Coast of the North Island, and the Wanganui Jockey Club received a very good first response from owners. There are other meetings not far off, and it is possible that there were a few frightened away by visiting horses, and are being held in reserve for the Rangitieki and other meetings, where it may be possible, or thought possible, to win races easier than on the Metropolitan Club’s course. Be this as it may, there is one matter for congratulation. The Wanganui Cup, the most valuable stake, attracted the best field in point number and quality, and this, too, notwithstanding the distance extends to a mile and three-quarters. The Wanganui Jockey Club has never gone in for four and five furlong hel-ter-skelters, but has kept to middledistance and long-distance races for horses over two years old, and in this respect has been an example to many other clubs which, in order to secure large entries, have had a large number of sprint events on their programmes. Despite the falling off in the fields on the concluding day of the meeting, its general success was satisfactory, and in this fact the executive, secretary, and other officials have to be congratulated.

The Wanganui meeting did not pass without some unsatisfactory features. The riding of more than one horseman was questioned, and possibly stipendiary steward Mr. McMahon had his suspicions about more than he called upon for explanations. It certainly looked as though several horses were being kept for another day or meeting, and they were not the horses of the battling brigade either. The form was too bad to be true in a few instances at least, and it really did appear to onlookers that the man on top, the one with the last say, was not putting forward his best efforts to win or get even one or other of the three prizes which accompanied each stake. It seems incredible that such things should happen in these days, when stipendiary stewards and other stewards are told off to act with vigilance, and are there to see that the public get a square deal. It would seem that riders are prepared to take risks still. Some of the displays were anything but artistic, and the owners and trainers would be by no means pleased were their horses handled in the same way every time, and though possibly in no way responsible for what happened could not complain at their riders being carpeted and given some wholesome advice. Th© riding of one horseman in particular at the Wanganu imeeting was, to say

the least, not up to his best form. The press representatives are not told of all the enquiries that take place on our racecourses, but they can sometimes see things done that could not well escape the attention of the stewards.

There were questions under the consideration of the Wanganui Jockey Club on Thursday relative to the ownership of certain horses that competed during the day, and as to whether they were properly qualified under the rules of racing. One was as to the ownership of Guiding Way, who has been racing all this season, and who finished second in the opening event, the Stewards’ Handicap, and the other as to whether The Rover, who won the Westmere Handicap Hurdle Race, should have been

(lowed to start without certain registrations being officially announced, that gelding having been disqualified some time ago together with a former lessee. The present owner or lessee, Mr. W. G. Trask, claimed to have a properly registered lease. Whether everything was not quite in order we do not know, nor are we just now concerned, but what does seem strange is that these surprises should have been sprung upon the

public one after another just as they were expecting to collect their dividends. It was annoying to them at the time, and the club took the proper course of paying out in each instance, but what we point out is that these matters should have been enquired into before the races were run. Someone knew or suspected that everything was not in order, and should have brought these matters under the notice of the stewards at the earliest possible moment, and the points involved could have been cleared up before the horses were permitted to start. The onus of proof that all was right would have been thrown on the owners had objections been raised and enquiries sought before 10.30 a.m. on the day.

The sale of yearlings bred at the Bushy Park Estate of Mr. Frank Moore, of Wanganui, was one of the features of race week. There were only five lots disposed of, and a very neat, taking chestnut cole by imported Bezonian from Evangeline made 325 guineas, at which price, for one of his appearance and quality, he could not be considered dear. Evangeline was got by Hotchkiss from

St. Evelyn, who was. got by St. I.eger, and this colt had very much of St. Deger in his contour and colour. A filly by Signor from that very finelooking mare Oriana, who took innumerable prizes in the show rings of the Dominion, and for good looks and substance should take the place of her dam after she has done racing, made 235 guineas, and another very fine filly, by the same horse from Simonia, dam of Denis Orme, was sold for 100 guineas for breeding purposes, though it is possible she may race. Unfortunately, she got one of her legs badly injured, and this detracted from her selling qualities, otherwise she would have commanded a big price. The filly from Carissima by Signor and the colt from Nightingale were each sold at prices probably well within their value, but altogether the average was satisfactory to the vendor, who, however, does his yearlings well and gives them a fair start in life. Another Wanganui studmaster, who did not meet with the encouragement he deserved, however, is Mr. George Currie, whose yearlings are well cared for. For several seasons he nas tried the Australian market, and this year will have a larger contingent than usual. They are nine in number, and five are by King Rufus, three by Harrow, and one by imported Marble Arch.

Five are colts, two each by King Rufus and Harrow, and one by Marble Arch. They are from the best of matrons, most of which have left winners or are from excellent winning families. Mr. Moore has patronised the best sires in New Zealand, and in the coming season will send a number of his mares to be .naled with horses in different studs, while Signor will be given further chances at Bushy Park, having so far put forward some striking advertisements for his owner and those who have mated mares with the son of Pilgrim’s Progress and Ma Mia Rosette.

The appeal of the New Zealand lightweight, Emmerson, to the Australian Jockey. Club against his recent disqualification has, we are informed by cable, been upheld. It was not generally believed by those acquainted with Emmerson, and who knew that he was on the point of leaving Australia to return to New Zealand, that he had been guilty of pulling the horse Strathfield, who is said to be anything but a good one, and was not at all fancied for the race in which he was beaten. It was contended by Emmerson’s friends and by the sporting writers for the various papers that there was really nothing to be gained by stopping a horse of Strath-

field’s class. He was at no time in the betting, and was really a chance mount so far as Emmerson was concerned. The disqualification of Tyrrel, the trainer of the gelding, was also removed. As a rule the saying “Where there’s smoke there's fire” holds good, but in this instance keen judges who were present at the meeting and saw the race were at a loss to account for the finding of the stewards, who would appear to have been unfortunate in arriving at the verdict they did. Emmerson may, in the opinion of the stipendiary official, have ridden an unsatisfactory race, but unsatisfactory riding is not uncommon, and the best of horsemen are sometimes at fault, and stipendiary stewards can also form Wrong conclusions. We have had instances of this brought home to us, and there is reason to believe that some fines have been imposed wrongly, even during the short time the stipendiary stewards have been in the service of the Racing Conference in New Zealand. That innocent persons should be punished is very much to be deplored, and while stewards of meetings must show all respect for the opinions of their stipendiary officers they should be men capable of using their own judgment and knowledge as well, and if they cannot do this they have no right to sit on cases which are of so much consequence to others.

A shrinkage in the totalisator re- . turns in France of £280,000 last sea- i son has been announced. This is !■ merely an indication that money was ! not so plentiful, or at least that is f the generally accepted view of the I matter. The totalisator may be a r capital barometer. It has been held i to be so in New Zealand, but here in times when money has been tight and the rate of interest has been higher than for a long time previously, the totalisator returns have gone on increasing. The close of the present season will show that it has exceeded very considerably all others since the automaton betting machines were introduced into the Dominion. Every meeting, with one or two exceptions, has shown a more or less substantial increase. With the racing and trotting clubs it has been the same. The toalisator turnover has increased only slightly with a very few, very largely with others, and with some to the extent of from 50 per cent, to even as much as 100 per cent. It will thus be judged that the season now so well advanced will, from a club point of view, be highly successful, since the revenue of these institutions will have benefitted so largely. In a growing country like New Zealand, where racing is the chief sport of the people, it need not be wondered at that speculation has reached to such an extent, but there are many who are already beginning to wonder when high-water mark will be reached and how leng it may be before a reaction may be experienced, such as has at times been experienced in the country where the totalisator was first introduced. That was not so very long before we had it first in the Dominion. For over a third of a century it has been in use in New Zealand, and the returns have been increasing all the time, and most of the time in leaps and bounds. The prosperity of the people, and the fact that they have been educated to its use more and more and to waiting for the day to make their investments has been largely responsible for this, but the improved facilities for doing business have materially helped, and, indeed, the clubs that are most up-to-date in this respect have been doing best. It is surprising even now to hear of money being shut out, but it is said that at the Wanganui meeting on Thursday last investors were frequently too late, and that the windows were shut punctually, and that the receiving of money was in no case permitted after the advertised time for closing, otherwise the investments on the totalisator would have reached larger proportions. It is in order to cope w r ith the increasing business that up-to-date machines are necessary, and that the staffs required to handle the money and sell tickets have had to be increased, but*it will always be the same with investors. A proportion will always be late, no matter what the facilities.