Rich Australian Races This Year

Press, Volume C, Issue 29498, 27 April 1961, Page 4

Rich Australian Races This Year

(From the Australian correspondent or “The Press'!

SYDNEY, April 24. Never before has Australian racing had such a wealth of big stakes offering in a bid to capitalise on the apparent return of interest in the sport, shown in continued improvement in attendances. Consolidated Press, which sponsored the Sunday Telegraph Doncaster Handicap and the Sunday Telegraph Invitation Stakes at the autumn meeting, is sponsoring the Daily Telegraph Stakes (6f), a new race on the opening day of the A.J.C. spring meeting. Because of this the A.J.C. has increased stake money for the mile Epsom Handicap to £lO.OOO. The club will try a further experiment by holding both the Epsom Handicap and the Metropolitan on the one day —the Monday holiday in October. Stakes Waiting to be won In the next few months are the following stakes for sprinters:— Stradbroke Handicap £lO,OOO (7f) in Brisbane in June. Doomben Ten Thousand of £10,500 (7f) in Brisbane in July. Daily Telegraph Stakes £lO,OOO (6f) in Sydney in October. Epsom Handicap £lO,OOO (Im) in Sydney in October. Craven A Stakes £6OOO (6f) in Melbourne in November. George Adams Handicap £lO,OOO (Im) in Melbourne in November. For the staying horses there are the Brisbane Cup, Doomben Cup, the Metropolitan, Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup with stake money ranging from £6OOO to £154)00 (Caulfield Cup) and £20.000 (Melbourne Cup). Such a ran of big stakes should bring the strongest invasion of top-class horses from New Zealand that racing has known. Racing attendances in Sydney and Melbourne have increased in recent 'months, but they have dropped slightly in Brisbane where admission prices were increased. However, it is found in Sydney that at a carnival programme the gain in attendance is usually confined to one of the four days. ft seems now that people decided to go racing on one day, and not as in years past to attend all days of a major fixture. The Daily Telegraph Stakes is to be used to attract additional patronage on Derby Day because the race will be an excellent guide to prospects for the Epsom Handicap to be run on the Monday, which is a. holiday. Then by holding both the Epsom Handicap and ’the Metropolitan on the Monday

it is hoped to attract a crowd comparable with the days when 70,000 to 80.000 would come out to see the champion horses in action. N.Z. Riders There will be room, too, for New Zealand riders in the spring. All told 12 of Australia's top riders are either “out” or overseas. A. Mulley’s appeal against a two-year disqualification was dismissed by the A.XC. last week. N. Sellwood is to France, A. Ward and N. McGrowdie in Singapore, A. Breasley in England, R. Hutchinson, G. Bougoure and W. Williamson in Ireland, G. Lane is in Germany, and R. Maddock is in England. G. Moore, Tulloch’s rider, is under suspension tor one month. At Warwick Farm on Saturday the seven winners were ridden by apprenticed riders, and no-one can remember when the lads have had such a feast