THE COST OF RACING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 54

THE COST OF RACING.

The English list of winning owners is calculated to make the unthinking believe that there must be money in racing in the Old Country. They overlook the cost of keeping a string of horsee. " Rapier," m the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, says it takes about £500 a year to keep in training what may be called an average horse. He explains that by this he means an animal that is put into some 16 or 20 races of medium class during the season, and rune for about a third of them. " Rapier " 6ays some trainers are p*id three guineas a week for a horse. That means over £150 a year, and then, he goes on, "there are entries, forfeits, travelling, 6tabling away from home, jockeys' fees, possibly share of a iockey'e retainer, plating, owner's travelling and hotel bills, colours, trainer's incidental expenses, and 3JI -sorrs of little items." I am not sure that the owner's hotel and travelling expenses are a fair charge to make against the horse. Then comes the value of the horse. You can hardly tell how that will work. The animal may leave off racing much more valuable than when il began ; maybe the other way. The forfeits seem to be the deadly item. "Rapier" picks out a fow well-engaged two-year-olds, and gives the amounts their owners must pay in forfeits, supposing they never run. Mr Arthur James has a colt that is in only eight races, the forfeits for which come to £464-, if he misses all his engagements. Should he run in some of his races and not win, the expenses will come to a good deal more. A filly of Lord Derby's may cost £578 this year, without a run. The King owns a. filly that has £662 worth of engagements. I asked a. Victorian owner (says a writer in an exohange), who is not following racing as an "industry " if he had ever worked out the average cost of keeping a horse. He had not. He pays his trainer £2 10s for each horse, and he (the owner) finds everything. I am afraid a good many trainrs in Australia are not as well off as this, but I know that one trainer, who always has his stable full, gets £2 10s for each horse. _and 10 por cent, on first, second, and third moneys won.