THE CLUBMAN

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1334, 18 November 1915, Page 10

THE CLUBMAN

We have not had long to wait to ascertain what effect the war tax on the dividends, or the amount available out of every pool for distribution in dividends, from the totalisators will have on racing clubs. There have been three race meetings since the tax came into force, two of them the leading spring meetings held in the Dominion, and the third the leading trotting, or it might be more appropriately called trotting and pacing meeting. At these meetings more money is invested than at any others in the calendar held at the same season; indeed, a better test than is afforded by taking the first results to hand could not be obtained, as the business side of racmg, it is generally admitted, has never presented a more solid front than it has been doing for some seasons past. Figures go to show that racing in 1914-15 surpassed all other seasons, receipts from all sources being in excess of the best recorded in the experience of almost every racing and trotting club. It became only a question with each as to when the high-water mark of their prosperity would be reached. V * * V

The past racing season from a weather point of view favoured ninetenths or even a larger proportion of the clubs. In that respect they were fortunate. No doubt an unseasonable or wet opening day came against the opening of the Auckland Racing Club’s spring meeting, but the second day was favourable, and on both there was a falling off in the totalisator leturns, and consequently from the two chief sources of the club’s revenue, as the attendance also fell short of last year. The weather was responsible to a great extent for that. The totalisator returns for the two days amounted to £56,969, or £2776 10s. less than for the spring meeting of 1914. This meant that the receipts of the club and the Government from the totalisator from the usual tax would amount to £277 less, but the war tax had to be taken into account, and that amounted to £1282.

Cn balancing up accounts over the Auckland R.C. spring meeting, the secretary (Mr. J. F. Hartland) had the unusual and unpleasant experience of having to report a loss of £337, where the committee, in framing their programme on the previous year’s results, expected a handsome profit. It was decided by the committee before the meeting to hand over the profits to the Patriotic Fund, and though the most sanguine could hardly have anticipated that £2OOO would be made, the committee guaranteed that amount. The position now is that the two days’ racing has left the Auckland Racing Club, which fortunately is a wealthy racing institution, £2337 poorer, while the Government has benefited to the extent of £2814, and this on the one meeting of the year which has always been the least profitable to the club. The club would still have made a loss over the meeting whether the £2OOO had been given or not for patriotic purposes, but there is no reason to anticipate any reduction of the stakes for the spring meeting of 1916 as a result.

The summer, autumn and winter meetings of the Auckland Racing Club for this season are each likely to be paying ones, and the average results should be satisfactory. The Government is on a particularly good wicket. The racing public pay generously for the’r sport, and will cheerfully submit to the increased tax imposed upon them, but how long they will stand it before a reaction—which seems to us inevitable —sets in, must be left for time to decide. The money taken by the Government from the totalisator investments goes right out of the racing business. The share the racing clubs get from the totalisator goes back to the supporters of and dependents upon racing in some shape or form. On a basis of last year’s totalisator returns the Government would receive £11,875 from the Auckland Racing Club’s business from the war tax, in addition to £13,144 from the ordinary tax. or, in all, from the totalisator £27,019, which does

not include the 216 per cent, that clubs pay on their receipts from several other sources. We hardly expect these figures to be reached, but may not be far out in estimating that the Government will receive quite £25,000 from the Auckland Racing Club’s meetings this season. The Government will receive a cheque for £724 4s. 9d. by way of taxation on the club’s property this week.

The Canterbury Jockey Club’s spring meeting resulted in £177,045 being put through the totalisators during the four days thereof—a record sum for the club, which was not looked for by those who were making estimates before the meeting and were inclined to view matters in anything but an optimistic spirit. If there is any part of the Dominion where lesources were likely to suffer more than those of the people of Canterbury as the result of the long spell of dry weather last season, we are not aware of it. The long period of stress in the dry areas is over, and money was apparently as plentiful at the big Canterbury carnival as ever. The totalisator returns for both the Canterbury Jockey Club’s spring meeting and for the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s meeting showed very substantial increases over their previous spring fixtures. The war tax from the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting amounted to £3983 10s. from the totalisator, and from the same source for the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s meeting £2822, or for the seven days of the two meetings a total of £6805

10s. In addition to this there is the 216 per cent, war tax on the stakes paid, which will bring the total to over £lOOO per day. As the ordinary per cent, on the totalisator turnover amounted to another £7559, the Government received well over £2OOO per day as their share of the contributions of the racing and trotting public.

The thousands who were present on the Riccarton downs during the decision of the spring meeting of the C.J.C. would deriye much pleasure and satisfaction from witnessing so many good and useful horses taking part in the racing. The best in the land invariably find their way South at this time of year, the four days’ meeting, with its excellent prize money offerings, costing proportionately less to race for than the prizes at most other meetings, being a big attraction. The “stars” of the meeting were confined to a few equ’nes of which we have had previous experience, and they have nearly all again shown out in the racing firmament as brightly as ever. Warstep was by general consent allowed to be the best of her age and sex racing in New Zealand last season, and there is nothing of the same age and sex to equal her at the present time over a distance. Her great effort in the New Zealand Cup under 9.5 and her Canterbury Cup showings establish that Mr. Dalgety’s mare is still retaining her form wonderfully. She has been trained for ■ the longer dis-

tance events referred to and undoubtedly stays well, but, as was the case last season, she met one three-year-old good enough to take her measure over a mile and a-quarter at weight for age, as did Reputation and First Flight in the G. G. Stead Memorial Gold Cup of’ 1914.

Mr. T. H. Lorry's good filly Desert Gold, who won more money in stakes last season than any two-year-old had done previously, is the first three-year-old of her sex to beat Warstep on weight-for-age terms over any distance. Desert Gold early last season left the impression that she would prove the best of her year, and she finished up a winner still leaving the opinion justified by results. She commenced this season by winning the Hawke’s Bay Guineas, and this was followed by her victory in the Wellington R.C. Champion Stakes. Her Canterbury Derby and Oaks wins over Nones, who also ran second to her in the Champion Plate, prepared people for her success when she beat Warstep for the G. G. Stead Memorial Gold Cup on Saturday. It was a genuine go, and the daughter of All Black and Aurarias has thus established three new time records at Riccarton, and she is the first of the Oaks winners that have won all three races referred to. Mr. Lowry may well be proud of her, as apart from owning such a gem he bred her, and there is sentiment in being a breeder and owner as well of such a bright particular star, and though that owner last year won his first C.J.C. Derby

with Balboa, and had previously won the G. G. Stead Memorial Gold Cup twice with Bobrikoff, it was the first time his colours were successfully carried in the Oaks. The Stead Memorial Gold Cup, first known as the Jubilee Cup, only took its present name from the first year that Bobrikoff won.

Three-year-olds have won the G. G. Stead Memorial race eight times in sixteen years, four-year-olds have succeeded five times, a five-year-old, a six-year-old and one aged horse have each won. Achilles won on three occasions, and Bobrikoff is the only, other to win more than once. Cruciform, Isolt, Counterfeit, Warstep and Desert Gold, the last four named at three years old, and Cruciform at four years old are the five of their sex to score. Bobrikoff, Los Angelos and Bon Reve are the gelding winners. The distance for the race has been a mile and a-quarter since Bobrikoff first won, and prior to that it was a mile. Achilles had 9.9 and Advance 9.7 when they won, and penalty conditions attached to the race.

Desert Gold’s winnings last season amounted to £4865, and her Hawke’s Bay Guineas, Wellington Champion Plate (including a lOOsovs. cup trophy), New Zealand Derby, Oaks, and Stead Memorial Gold Cup bring her winnings so far this season up to £3150, so that she has thus far won £BOl5 in stakes. With ordinary luck she should add very largely to this

sum, and in these days of increased stakes, with her present engagements and others that can be made for her she may have the luck to win more than any other racehorse has done in the Dominion. If Desert Gold and Warstep proved themselves superior at the meeting to any others of either sex racng, it has to he remembered that there were other good ones racing. Chortle, who had a change of trainers after the Grand National meeting, may not be quite back to his best form, but he appears to have run very well in one of his handicap engagements. First Glance is useful. Nones is unquestionably the next best of her age to Desert

By reason of his victory in the Stewards’ Handicap, Croesus, the halfbrother to Desert Gold, will be regarded as the best of the sprinters up to six furlongs, and in time we may expect him to go a bit further, as he is so brilliant. Balboa may be difficult to train. He has always caused his trainer some anxiety, and one of his legs, injured when he was a youngster, has carried a suspicious appearance on occasions. Snub has been a good deal boomed, but nothing that colt has actually achieved in public made his efforts look very impressive. Perhaps he got a bit too much galloping with Warstep, and may not have raced quite up to his track form, though he ran fairly well. Eligible is apparently useful. There were no doubt a few runners that will do better by the time the Auckland Racing Club’s summer meeting rolls round and under altered weight

considerations. We shall have a good many outside horses racing at that meeting, and we have no doubt that they will include a few good visiting two-year-olds, about the best of which is Egypt, a full-brother to Desert Gold, if we can accept common report and estimate public form correctly, though there are apparently quite a number of the juveniles much of a muchness, no one standing out very pronouncedly.

The annual sale of thoroughbred yearlings which took place in Christchurch last week, Messrs. Pyne and Co. auctioneers, may be said to have teen a successful one. The lots from each of the studs represented contained some very promising material, and as usual the young Martians made made a very good average, the six from Kinlock realising 1710 guineas, Mr. G. D. Greenwood securing three of the number, including sisters to Danube and Nones. Mr. R. Acton Adams purchased the Forked Lightning colt, who topped the market at 470 guineas. The young Cakewalks were not in great request, but the four by Kilbroney averaged 145 guineas. Three of the Rokebys made 300 guineas each, but the average of the seven lots was reduced to 170 guineas. A colt by Birkenhead from Stratspey made 280 guineas, a colt by Boniform from Sea Queen 160 guineas, and a filly by Demosthenes from Mistime 180 guineas. 1