STANLEY WOOTTON

Hokitika Guardian, 20 May 1930, Page 2

STANLEY WOOTTON

AU STIIAL IA N 1M PRESSIONS

JOCKEYS DISAPPOINTED HIAI

The English trainer, Stanley AVootton, has returned to England after a sojourn of some weeks in Australia. He will be home to the llerliy run at Epsom on June 4th. His impressions of Australian racing will be of interest.

‘■Rhar Lap is great,” was Air AYootton’s reply to a query as to the relative merits of that horse and England’s 'best. ‘’That is obvious,” he continued, “both from the why he gallops and appearance. His power is phenomenal. It would be difficult to draw comparisons between him and England’s best, as. time .would, really be the only guide, and we don’t rely much on the watch. Climatic conditions and courses .are too varied to make it advisable.

GREENLINE BRILLIANT,

“Among your sprinters, .Greenline is a fine individual, and wonderfully brilliant. As he has shown his best form at six furlongs, lie would not be raced beyond that distance in England. It is unusual in England to see a. horse run at a mile or a mile am! a quarter, and then in less than a month run in a two and a quarter mile rac-e, as Phar Lap and Nightmarch did-. In Aus-tralia-the horses are not turned out as smartly as in England. No fault can be found with their condition for racing but grooming and. general appearance do not m-cive a,s much alto in ion.

“On the whole the jockeys have rather disappointed me. , It is,, however, a pleasure to see Pike ride. In every respect be is a first-class horseman, and Bnrtle, AicOarten, Wilson and Afun.ro are capable, strong and determined. Lack of tuition is probably rospom-ible for some of the indifferent apprentices. If you want, capable apprentices you must first choose n boy for bis individuality, then tutor him. bringiug bint on step by stop. “Without exception all the courses 1 visited wore well appointed, and the racing snlemlidly conducted. In my opinion it is more advantageous to take horses from a cold to a warmer climate Ilian vice versa, but I am very hopeful R'reohon will do well in Eugl-itul. It will be an incentive to others to follow Air Green’s snorting action.”

ST I PEN DT AR Y STEW All DR

Mr Wootton ooos not bold with the stipendiary stewards system. “T am definitely against the employment of

lendiary stewards,” was his answer

to a question on that score. “I do notbelieve the are in the best interests of racing."' They should only intikt when everything else has '■failed. Continual disqualifications, suspensions, and fines, create a bad impression of the sport with people who are not regular racegoers. A .oetter idea might be a board of advisory stewards who could visit every meeting and report to the jockey club on the way they were conducted, and the various happenings, as well as make suggestions. “I should say betting at Randwick in normal times would about equal that at Goodwood, Ascot, Epsom or Doncaster. There was a great market at the recent meeting despite the reported depression. As fox 1 the books, it was a pleasure to do business with some. I have collected figures in connection with the totnlisator. The Government share of 9 per cent, of investments' is too great, and the heavy deduction must tell against the popularity of the machine. Investments would be much heavier and the Government would not be the loser if it took less.”

Altogether, Mr Wootton is returning to England favourably impressed by Australian racing.