WAS NOT ENTHUSIASTIC

NZ Truth, Issue 1209, 31 January 1929, Page 9

WAS NOT ENTHUSIASTIC

"Riding Did Not Appeal Too Much

To A Visitor

That horsemanship is a,t a L generally admitted, but a well-ki is worse than that. THE visitor, who came over for the yearling sales and the Trentham I meeting, was very emphatic when he stated that our present-day jockeys were the worst bunch collectively that he had ever bumped into. He did not spare any single horseman when it came to discussing them. They could not do this and they could not do that, he said, but what appalled him most was their inability to ride a finish. The incompetence of jockeys to get the best but of their mounts when the crucial stage was reached is, of course, just as important as is the getting out of the barrier smartly and gaining a favorable position. To a big punter, -as the visitor is, all angles have to be considered when it is the intention to have a plunge. Going on his remarks, he would J think more than twice before he risked putting a hundred on a^ horse m, New Zealand. That riding has deteriorated m re- I cent years there is no doubt, but that it is as bad as. the visitor holds many will not agree.

ow ebb at the present stage is nown Australian visitor thinks it of one's hands the good riders of the present day. They are all what can be called oldtimers m the game. New lads come m every season, but they seldom reach a standard that can be termed top. For such a state of affairs there must be, a reason, and perhaps the best to offer is the absence of the right class of races to educate boys. More races foi - apprentices should be on programmes, and m making- it . compulsory for one such race on every two-day programme the authorities would materially help to bring riding back to its former standard. Such races are, of course, not liked a great deal by either clubs or the general public. The public will not bet with any confidence, and of course the club suffers. That is. all 'very well, but it is a short-sighted attitude that is proved by present conditions. The public are squealing about the poor riding, yet they have m a measure brought the visitation on -themselves. They do not like the complaint, neither do they like the cure. The remedy is m the hands of delegates tp the conference, and the sooner it is applied the better.