HIDDEN COURSE

Hokitika Guardian, 8 April 1932, Page 7

HIDDEN COURSE

ILLEGAL TURF SCHEME. DISCOVERED BY POLICE. SYDNEY, April 6. I One effect of the winning bets tax and other taxes imposed by the Lang Government on New South Wales turf devotees has been, of course, a huge growth in starting price shops, that form of bookmaking which is illegal and pays no taxes. But an unexpected .aspect of the flight from the taxing authorities was uncovered last week-end, when parties of disguised police swooped on a miniature racecourse constructed by enthusiasts in a partially hidden valley some miles from Fairfield, in the Liverpool district. The course was complete with a seven-furlong track, a rough stand, bookmakers, real jockeys, and some smart racehorses, many of them blueblooded animals often seen on the registered tracks round Sydney. . It was ideally situated for its purpose, in .« valley enclosed by hills, covered with thick bush and huge gum trees. Attempts to Escape. The police found that more than n dozen horses, mostly recruited from the “pony” tracks, were competing for prizes, and that bets ranged from 6d In £l, One fielder, who offered 6 to 4 the field in one race, owned two of the starters himself, At a pre-arranged time, car-loads of other police swooped past the scouts and converged on the racecourse, from whieh owners, trainers, bookmakers, and horses attempted to escape. A dozen horses and their owners were held and taken to the local police station, while thre e men who were calling the odds were also taken along for identification, Police who were present throughout the afternoon said that the favourites rarely won, and that the conduct of the racing, while resembling that of the legal racing courses, left much to be desired, in addition to being outside tbe law. One of the men arrested is a prominent judge of horses at metropolitan and country shows, and when the ease comes on for hearing many names prominent in racing circles are sure to be mentioned.