SPORTING NOTIONS.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1919, Page 3

SPORTING NOTIONS.

, CHRISTMAS RAGING. Thle Westland Racing Club, comments the sporting writer of the Grey Star, has adopted a minimum weight of 7st. for all its handicap events, except the welter races in which the standard is Bstj This is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, seeing the great scarcity of suitable lightweight jockeys all over the Dominon. There is nothing an owner detests more than having to put up overweight to secure a capable horseman. It is to be regretted, says a writer in the Grey Star, that the Reefton Hookey, (Club did not fall into line with other Coast Clubs, in the way of adding a hurdle race each day to its programme. However, between Hokitika and Greymouth there will be five valuable hurdle events, which should draw good fields from over the Ranges and the North Island and their substitution in place oh trotting races bn “gallop” programmes will be appreciated by owners and public alike. The Greymouth correspondent of the Referee says: —With the appearance of several clubs’ programmes for the Christmas arid New Year Carnival, ina’-.-ters in connection wth racing are beginning to take a more interesting shape. I bear that several local sportsmen are on the look-out for suitable horses for the New Year Carnival, and as the whole of the Coast Clubs are putting on hurdle races, there should be a few hurdlers changing hands in the near future.

The Westland Club is putting on hurdle events in place of the of the “trots” and although they may not prove quite as profitable, still they should help to make the meeting more interesting. The Westland Club, says the Christchurch sporting weekly, instead of being the last to race, will now set the ball in motion, and there should be a record gathering at Hokitika on Boxing Day.

Another view of the hurdle events on the Coast is offered by the sporting writer of the Grey River Argus: The principal trailers across the ranges state that they are of opinion tine hurdle races on the West Coast will be a decided failure. Mr Bert Gillett, Len Hegarty, and W. MacDonald, are advising the Greymouth Jockey Club, through one of the Committeemen, not to entertain the idea as in their opinion the fields would be very small. In face of Reefton Jockey Cub have again been wise in framing their programme minus hurdle events. At a meeting of the Committee of the Manawatu Racing Club, it was djecided to hold three days’ racing next Christmas. The chief events of the programme will be:—First day, the Cup of 1000 sovs; second day, President’s Handicap, of 700 sovs,; third dny Liverpool Handicap of 600 sovs. Improvemens to the course were decided upon, including the erection of a tea kiosk, costing over £2OOO.

In his address at the annual meeting of the Wellington (Racing Club, Mr J. B. Harcourt, the president, sail. As mentioned at the previous meeting, the total isator contributes towards clean racing. It does not canvass for business. No one is asked for business, and totalisator betting is rarely responsible for the downfall of anyone. It is betting on credit with the bookmaker that is the cause of nearly all the trouble and the remedy-is to get rid of him, and one way of securing this would be to restore to racing clubs the use of double .betting on the totalisator, as recommended by the New Zealand Racing Conference. Investors should also be allowed to use the telegraph wires to remit money to secretaries of clubs to make investments on the machine. If these two points were granted, the life of the bookmaker w'ould be short and the revenue of the Dominion increased. Since the beginning of the war the Wellington Racing Club has paid the Government £77,921 and this would probably bo nearly double if the bookmaker was dispensed with.