NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 69, 14 December 1907, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Owners and trainers are reminded that acceptances for the first day's events at tho Lower Valley Jockey Club's meeting close with the Secretary .'at'.-,,Martinborbiieh ■ this evening.' "Entries 7 foritho Maiden Hack -and the Hack Scurfy .arei.duevat the,.'same'timo. The Telegraph Office at:Martinbbrougli closes at o p.m.;' •':'■:'.■-■'.

The New' Zoalan'd 'gelding '.Firing'"'Spark won_a in-Melbburno Mile)' on December 2,:wh'ilff Savoury,' who 7 'started favourite, nnishcd"-third/. '• - '-• ■ / '■■•:

The Chnstchurch : Racing Club's Summer Meeting will commence at Plumpton to-day. Tho chief event to; be run is- the Dominion Handicap.

The present week and the coming : one mark a slack period in racing; but it is only a lull before the-storm, for after .the Awapum meeting, which . commences next Saturday, there are ■: considerably " over twenty meetings which take place before the New Year holidays are completed:

There ,is a good deal'of comment in different quarters about the running of Mataan in the Wairarapa County Cup nt Clare-' ville last month. lam at.a loss to understand how anyone could expect him.to have beaten Moral or Riflemaid ■ that, clay at the weights. And, taking-the'Woodville Handicap running into consideration, no one ~ should be in doubt as to floral's superiority.

■An Australian paper announces that Lord Boult, by Soult, is reckoned the best three-year-old in New Zealand.. '>V doubt the Auckland two-year-old, General Soult, is being confounded with the Foxton-owncd sprinter.

W. J. Andrews, a light-weight apprenticed to.H. Goodman, of Dunedin,'is about to temporarily join J. Lowe's stable at .Irentham. . • ,• ..

If Boniform is all right on Monday he will probably accompany Armlet to Auckland, while Count Witto' will most likelv represent the x aldhurst'stable, at Awapuni.

_ Messrs. tlesmond and Harper's'bay gelding, by Advance—Endeavour is in work at lorirua.

The black mare Kudu, who is now owned by a Petone gentleman, has been on-a visit to Gboorka.

- l J" s 'tor to Palmerston informs me that the Rangipuhi gelding Itosogrove is improving every gallop. The chestnut won a race ?," Wnrevillo last month, but ran poorly at I 1 eildmg and Woodville.

The Caulficld -trainer, R. H. Frew contemplates taking a holidny trip to Maoriland shortly. It will be remembered that he paid a visit to these parts about- the same time last year.

A. M'Connon has boon at Porirua during the week, schooling Playmate. The son of Stepniak has not been seen out since the Taratahi-Carterton meeting, but he will bo railed to Awapuni early next week to take part in the jumping events.

Poseidon is shortly to be treated, to a lengthy spell, and may riot be started again till the autumn.

•Mr,. J. Harle has leased Valima to Mr. V. 0. Neill, and tho latter intends preparing the \ anguard mare for cross-countrv events in tile winter season.

By the Maheno Mr. J. Cotter, the former owner of Jolly Friar and other horses, returned from a trip to the Old Country. Mr. Cotter informed his frionds in the city that he had had a most enjoyable time, and was greatly benefited in health.

Seal Rook and the Seat-on' Delaval—Janet fillj', who were recently shipped to Sydney, will be trained by I. Earnshaw, who put the Melbourne Tup polish on Apologue. Seal Rock will probably make his first appear-, a nee at the A.J.C. Summer Meeting, which' opens at Randwick on Boxing Day.'

This year's field for the C.J.C. Champagne Stakes should bo a very good one, unless some of the cracks go off before the autumn.

Mr. Tokona, owner of Martello/who has been on a business trip to Wellington returned north on Thursday. '

An Auckland scribe wonders what the Racing Conference is going to do about the Turf Register, since they cannot publish dividends in' New Zealand. ■

. A telegram from Palmcrston North on Thursday contained the news that horsemen Willie Young and Arthur. Oliver had a narrow escape from drowning at Fcilding. They wore rescued in the nick of, time by a passerby. Young seems to bear a charmed life. He is generally reckoned, the luckiest jockey in the Dominion on account of his miraculous escapes from and his good luck seems to stick to him m the water.

The Manawatu - Racing Club's summer meeting commences next Saturday at Awapuni, and when the totalisator opens for

business on the first raco there will'doubtloss, bo competition from the bookmakers. When tho Club made public the conditions on which they would issue liconscs, tho bookmakers oxpressod themselves as not satisfied, but I think that when next Saturday 'comes round it will be found that a number of them will have complied with the conditions necessary to obtain a license, and will be .operating on the course. During the past three weeks, 'while they have been arguing ■ with the racing clubs and interviewing Ministers of the Crown, golden opportunities have slipped'by, and they aro anxious to commence business in earnest and make up for lost time. Consequently; although they profess to be dissatisfied 'with .tho conditions framed for the Manawatu mooting, they are not likely to stop at an expenditure of a few- pounds if it is .to stand in the. way of. their making several hundreds. ' "... - : '.".'..'-. .

.Looking at the Feilding meeting, it certainly appeared as if bookmakers admitted on favourable terms would not have affected tne totalisator turnover, whereas their-fees would have been clear profit to the Club, and; as for. the bookmakers themselves they would havo reaped a rich harvest. The Feilding Jockey ,wub were, of course, placed in a very awkward position. Tboy had the interests of. racing clubs generally to consider as. well as their own, and, besides being faced with the new . totalisator regulations, thoy had a' large mooting to control and a 'new totalisator machine to- work for! tho'first time. The experience of-the meeting has doubtless ( taught them that with tho •" now totalisator regulations the horses .should be .sent to the, post early, and the starter instructed s to., despatch..' 'them promptly; .'..that : a mix-up. similar ;to that which occurred in the Scurry .is undesirable, that it is possible there is a fault in, thehurdlo whore Earmark and Ass'ayor-fell, and that it is absolutely necessary'to have a hospital room' on the course with, an adequate supply of pillows, mattresses, stretchers, etc.

Serious accidents on. a racecourse cast an uncomfortable gloom' on -the proceedings, and are apt to unnerve. the jockeys.. . .1 have noticed at sovorar meetings when jockeys are injured there is seldom a suitable, place to remove them from the' inquisitive gaze of tho multitude. Surely some.of the Accident Aionoy would be well spent .in measures tliat would minimise heavy claims on tho fund, but if club3'are unable to'draw on that fund, common charity requires that'.they, should spend a little out of their'incomes..';VA hospital room properly equipped with a'nurse in attendance.on race days would not bo.a heavy exponso, and thore could; always 'be an understanding with an honorary, surgeon to bo at hand.

. Ono point racing clubs, will have to take into consideration is f tthe inclination for public sympathy to turn against the totalisator., Racing would get a sovere set-back in the Dominion wore tho totalisator abolished, for it would .be well nigh impossible to give good stakes .without its help.. -It,is public. feeling that the clubs will, have- to combat rathor than .the- bookmakers.'- The experience of'the Tnlrapuna Jockey Club.in tho North 1 and tho Hororata. Racing Club in tho South show that there was a profit with tho license fees, and it is almost certain that had tho Fcilding and Woodville Clubs • obtained the feos they demanded they would both have, been gamers ..thereby.-. .When the bookmakers commence' operations'Von-the' course they will have a good deal.in their favour, viz,, their own personal- connection, a monopoly 'of silver ■■■betting,"'.'and. , tlip. i : : ad-: vantage of place betting. It may be some time before their presence wi!l..n>a'ke any; appreciable : effect ton; thd.r>to't'alisntor"itufn:overibut if ■ chi^k'"'i^jliddp^^;! !,f pHJUlip from' themselves"" a 'j;cha'ng'6'"''ihny' iconic later on. ■. There are plenty of'people.now, ■Who have grievances against''tho clubs'and the machine Take a--.■ recent caso. in the .Poverty Bay' district, where••.. a .spectator walked up to the!.machine arid/bought a ticket on a' horse that was leading .by several lengths a few yards off the winning post.' This because some dunderhead had forgotten to-ring a belL. Then there was a similar ease in' this district two years ago, where a large' number of spectators procured tickets on a winner after the race-was finished.- The' totalisator. clerks knew the race was over, but refused to close down till the bell was rung. The writer was ..holding tickets on ■ the- winner, and instead'of -receiving a dividend of something like-£3 10s. the. price was reduced to less than £3. It is quite natural that the public should ,-■■• sent such treatment. The, lax of ten per cent, on money that passes' through the machine is a heavy ono, and the odd money which clubs receive should be enough to pay for all mistakes and leave a balance. It is not yet too late for tho racing; authorities to regain the whole of the public. sympathy, and with it the> should oasily withstand the onslaught of _ the bookmaker. Money has flowed freely in the past towards the upkeep of the sport, and the- public are not likely to- leave clubs in tho, lurch now, but when they arc doling out their .money- and allowing a ten'per. cent, deduction they want to know that they are receiving• a fair deal, and it is right that, the racing bodies should give them some assurance to that effect.