SOUTHLAND.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1300, 25 March 1915, Page 10

SOUTHLAND.

Gore Racing Club’s Contribution to Government Tax — Trotter Win Soon Resumes Work — Vocation Again Changes Hands—Southland Racing Club’s Autumn Meeting— Riverton Racing Club’s Easter Meeting—Question of Totalisator Permits.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

INVERCARGILL, March 20

The Gore Racing Club’s summer meeting resulted in a profit of somewhere about £lBB, while the Government tax amounted to £567 ss. In the face of these returns, it is annoying to think that there are irresponsible people in New Zealand at the present time who are advocating increased taxation in connection with the turf.

The New Zealand Trotting Cup winner, Win Soon, who has been enjoying a spell, is again in work under A. Pringle at Ashburton. The Martian mare Pretty Jane, who has developed soreness, has been turned out for aspell. A younger full sister is in work from P. T. Hogan’s establishment, and has been showing some pretentions to galloping form on the Southland Racing Club’s tracks. After defeating some of the lesser lights she, in turn, met her master in a half-mile flutter on Thursday morning, when the steeplechaser Tolstoi proved too .'rood for her This is by way of saying that the black jumper is in good form and likely to show improved pace and skill between the flags at the Southland Racing Club’s and Riverton Racing Club’s gatherings. The well-known sportsman, Mr. T. Kett, has disposed of Vocation to Mr. W. T. Hazlett, president of the Southland Racing Club, and the son of Birkenhead will carry that gentleman’s colours at the Invercargill and Riverton gatherings. Mr. Kett, by the way, has also parted with three good light harness horses, Brookbell (trotter) and Merce and Nore (pacers). It is reported that he is about to remove to South Canterbury, where he has purchased an hotel property. Vocation has not lost his form since changing hands, and both Merce and Nore should win in straps before long. At the time of writing the weather is favourable and local racegoers are looking forward to the Southland Racing Club’s autumn meeting next week. News has been received that the Martian —Nantes mare Marsa showed good form at the Waimate fixture, and she will start a warm favourite, if stripped at Invercargill, as she is nicely handicapped.

During his visit to the south in connection with the work of the Totalisator Commission, Mr. G. Hunter, M.P. for Waipawa, paid e visnt to the Southland Racing Club’s property and expressed surprise at the completeness and excellence of the ■ local convincing ground, while he noted with interest the large number of horses at work on the tracks —including trotters, there are between 70 and SO horses on the books of the Southland R.C. As Soldiers’ Chorus has been extensively engaged at the Riverton Racing Club’s Easter fixture, which takes place in his home town, it hardly looks as if he will be seen at Riccarton during the Canterbury J.C. Easter gathering. He has been very leniently handicapped at the Southland Racing Club’s meeting. Pinul, bv Lupin from an Ike mare, who has been an absentee from the racecourse for some considerable time, is again in commission, and may be given a run at Riverton. As the Riverton, Southland and Winton clubs are all supporters of the Birchwood Hunt and can furnish excellent steeplechase country, it. seems a great pity that the hunting folk, in applying for a totalisator permit, did not conceive the idea of holding its racing fixture on each course in turn in alternate years. The hunt is heavily subsidised by the districts mentioned and an arrangement of this kind would prove very popular with the public and at the same time materially benefit the funds of this sporting institution The entries foi the Riverton Racing Club’s Easter meeting came to hand on Thursday evening, and it is very satisfactory to find that the leading events have attracted fields of quality and numerical strength. The Great Western Steeplechase, an event that many sportsmen of the South Island travel some hundreds of miles to witness annually, has attracted 15 entrants, the Otaitai Steeplechase 20, the Waiau Steeplechase 20, and the Riverton Steeplechase 22 nominations. The Riverton Cup of 300sovs (one mile and ahalf) claims a dozen nominations, including the names of John Barleycorn, Rongahere (last year’s winner), United Service, Golden King, Hesione, and the useful Wild Pilgrim (just emerged from the hack ranks). The Riverton Racing Club gives £740 for four steeplechases, and the Southland Racing Club £425 for two similar events, all within a few days, which goes to show that the jumping game is popular in this part of the world. At Riverton 77 nominations have been received for four contests between the flags, and, with a stakes and horse argument to back them, the Birchwood Hunt should be able to show good cause why a totalisator permit should fall to their lot. In submitting evidence in support

of their application for a totalisator permit to the Gaming Commission (Messrs. G. Hunter, M.P., and T. H. Davey) on their visit to Invercargill this week, the Southland Trotting Club made a strong point of the fact that a very large number of light harness horses were bred in this province and further directed attention to what was common knowledge in the light harness world, viz., that three record holders of the current season, Win Soon, Eccentric and Yarraville, were bred in this district. The point is a strong one, and evidently appealed to the Hawke’s Bay member of the party as good argument, for in the course of a few remarks at an immediate stage he said that the Commission had been treated to some curious reasons as to why permits should be allowed in certain localities. At one centre they had been told of the large amount of butter-fat produced in the province, while in the far north the ' were confronted with the coal output of another district, and on a third occasion, in the South Island this time, they had been told of the immense quantities of fruit annually sent away from a locality visited. Surely a club which can quote an exceptional production of horseflesh in its district should score ever

places which base their claims on the butter, coal and fruit industries. The leader of the Opposition, Sir Joseph Ward, paid a flying visit to his constituency this week to aid the Winton Trotting Club in their application to the Totalisator Commission for a permit. The member for Awarua left no stone unturned to further the interests of the electors of his district in the desired direction, and when he found that the ferry steamer from Wellington did not connect with the first express to the south, which resulted in his being stranded at Clinton, he hastened south per motor car and arrived in the nick of time to join with his constituents in their appeal.