SPORTING.

Otaki Mail, 5 December 1923, Page 3

SPORTING.

1 Marqucteur started at an ■ outside price in the St. Andrew 's Handicap, at t'eilding, and looks in need of a race According to an Auckland authority the successful Australian trainer Peter Kiddle will .-.hortly transfer his headquarters to Christchurch. '/.r\ ■'s recent defeat of In Memoriajii made him America's greatest stakewinner. His winnings are now £60,214. There Were 13 applicants for the position of starter to the Foxton Club and Air. A. ICrith received the appointment. Axecta, which ran second to Millimetre in the Aorangi Plate at the I'eilding meeting, is an aged mare by Taitoko —Hermia. She runs in the colours of W. Hiistie, of Feikling. Bonnie Heather's wind trouble, appears to bo getting worse, and it is quite on the cards that Heather Mixtun' gelding will shortly be retired Iront the turf. The Murton mentor, J. Morris, has Martulla looking in good order, and if the daughter of Martian—Tortulla does not notch a win in the near future it will not be for the want of condition. Pantler ran a good race in the St, Andrew's Handicap, and was responsible for the solid pace set for threeparts of the journey. The son of Panniurc will win a race during the holiday fixtures. The Trenthani mentor, H. Telford. who recently took Flight C»mmandcr over to Sydney, is expected back in the eemve of ti ivw days. He will leave for Sydney again during the month, ami mav lake the Boniform fillv Bonnie Sox with him. If is understood that .1. O'Shea will pilot Tarleton in the Great Northern Defliy, and as his services were sought for Suggestion, it is evident thai Mr. Bidwill intends, sending his representative north again, when it may be expected that he will be ready to do himself justice. New- Zealand-bred horses had quite a good day at a recent meeting tit Kensington* Svdnev, three of them being winners.' The Flying Handicap, live furlongs and a quarter, was won by Red Rock, by Rokeby—Red Rose; the Approved Handicap, one mile, went to Ballymena's 6-year-old half brother, Golden'Mixture, by Kilbroney—Medley: and the Kensington Handicap, one mile and a quarter, was won by Kilwa. by Kilbroney —Divinia. Evidently the stipendiary stewards have started out on a belated spring cleaning and jockeys should sit up and take notice. At Feilding, no fewer than three riders were stood down: the apprentices W. S. Bagby, H. E. Ryder and Jockey R. .T. Mackie, the first and third for a fortnight, and Ryder for a month. All three were getting plenty of riding and are bound to feel the pinch. Still, the stipes are right, ami jockeys must learn to look where they tire going. Some Writers have complained of harshness on the part of the Feikling Jockey Club stewards in heavily penalising a jockey for crossing and careless riding. While refraining from making any comment on this particular case, "Avis" is of the opinion that if all stewards were as watchful, concerning the real interests of racing, as are these gentlemen, the sport would have fewer spots on it. While in Melbourne recently, on a holiday, Mr. P. Garritv. of Terrace

End. witnessed llio running of the j Cup. and on his return related to! "Avis" his impressions of the fixture.} "I attended the same meeting 50 years j ago." said Mr. Garrity, "and on thaf » occasion—lS73 —there was a considerably smaller crowd than on this occasion. At the meeting fifty years ago Don Juan won the Cup in oinin 36sec. and carrying fi.l2, while at the recent meeting. Ritalli won the event in 3min 24-lsec. carrying 6.13. The most striking thing about the meeting to the tends. On the day I went there were tends, n the day I went there were 135.000 watched the running of the Cup, DOMINION'S FIRST TOTALISATOR, MOVED ON A CART. Ovfeide the horses there is no crues- • tion that to-day in the sport of racing the most important item is the totalisator (says the Auckland Star). Not only with the public, but with the : clubs, is the result of the working of ; the automatic recorder of odds a , source of much concern, because the | future of racing in New Zealanch if nowhere «lse, depends for its very existence upon the amount passed through the machines at. the various meetings. Like everything else the totalisator has been revolutionised and those who were present in the Dominion over iO years ago must wonder at the wonderful improvement made in "totes" when they compare the present day electric machine with the "tote" of the 'eighties. The introduction of the totalisator to New Zealand took place way back in ISSO, and was first tried by the Canterbury Jockey Club. Prior to this all betting had been done: with the bookmakers, and naturally muck curiosity was evinced in the introduction* of the "tote," which eventuallv was to oust the penciller from ihe racecourses of the Dominion. On the .occasion referred to the late Mr G. G. Stead was chairman and treasurer of tihe Canterbury Jockey Club, and a model parimutuel was exhibited and submitted to him by a Mr Frains. Mr Stead decided to give the J "tote" a trial, and at the end of the 'frst year's working a profit of £l3O t was shown. The machine was only a ! small affair, worked by hand, and verv often located on a cart, on the course. The same machine would be carted from meeting to meeting, but in those days there was nothing like the volume of betting that is chronicled now, and the day's turnover in the 'eighties and very much later would not be the equal of what any fairly well-backed horse would carry i now in a race. Gradually the totalisator was lm- : proved upon until to-day we have Hhs . electric machine which records every 1 investment as the ticket is issued, anc no matter how many tickets are taken on .a horse at the same moment al • are recorded correctly and simtutaue ously.