RACING NOTES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 23, 19 September 1931, Page 6

RACING NOTES

Specially writien for the "Post" hy the Judge.

The first two-year-old race of the season will be held at Wanganui today, this being the Debutante Stakes. It is almost impossible to select the best of them, for they have been untried.- However, there are^ good repo,rts of March Alone frpm New Plymouth, Sastrugi from Awapuni, and Posy from Trentham.. The lastnamed will be ridden by H. Gray. The Ashburton meetirig is to be held to-day. Gay Crest heads the list in the Ashburton Han'dicap, and if he is to go on and win the New Zealand Cup (as his owner expects), then he will need to show up to-day. He is reported to be well forward after his outings at. the Grand National meeting. Gay Crest is not harshly treated .on the score of weight, so that he'has a grand opportunity of scoring. On Top showed a lot of his old dash when he ran into a place at the Grand National carnival, and Riccarton advices credit him with working well in the interim. When traired in Auckland the chestnut was an impressive and promising hack, and he ought to add to his score very shortly. He figures in the sprint, the Spring Handicap, at Ashburton, and he should'go a big race. The danger may come from a smart three-year-old in Gonvoy (of whom rather big things dre expected this season) and Pakitere. The latter has disappointed since going to the South Island, but the light weight she has in this class may assist her in making ame'nds. There are several interesting three-yd&r-olds claiming engagements in the Trial Plate. at Ashburton. Among them are Grecian Prince and Palace, both of whom shaped fairly well at 'Riccarton last month. This pair ought to be about ready for serious business now, but they will have to . be all that is claimed for them if they are to account for Moorbird. The latter was third and second in two races at Riccarton, and the form was good, for Croupier was his conqueror on each occasion. • Zeebrugge's Mission. Although Zeebrugge was expected to run a good race in the Wanganui Guineas, his real mission at the Wanganui meeting is the Moutoa Hack, un on the second day, for it was thought that he would have little chance of beating his mate Cricket Bat in the classic. Zeebrugge has un some good races, most of them charaeterised by gameness, and as h'e has been finishing on he should be able to see out the middle distance all right. The Moutoa Hack is half a furlong farther than the Guineas, >0 the race the first day should have oharpened him up. It often happens that a good three-year-old, who has sho%n enough pace to perform promlnently if unsuccessfully ln a classic race, is good enough to account for all but the first-class •handicappers over a middle distance on the second day of the meeting, Cricket Bat may be no exception. He was entered for the principal handicap the second day at Wanganui, and if he is kept in that event it may jay to foilow him. When the Derbys come up for decision Cricket Bat. f he goes on the right way, may offer stubborn opposltion to Ammon Ra and Bionze Eagle, for when he Jefeated Night march at Riccarton it was his stamina that enabled him to do it.

Trial Handicap. Incluaed among the entrants for the Trial Handicap the second day at Wanganui is Gibraltar, this big three-year-old having notched his first win in the Scurry at New Plymouth a fortnight ago. Gibraltar was growing all the time last season and'th's prevented him from being seen at his best. He has a lot of pace, and if he is not unduly hurried he looks capable of being developed nto a good hanaicapper. Gray will probably ride Gibraltar on Saturday and the combination promlses, to be hard to beat in this Trial Handicap, a race for which he has been special'iy reserved in order to get the leadmg horseman. It will be of further interest to note the totalisator turnover at Wanganui this week. It is only eleven "years back that the spring meeting *at the river city saw £101,095 hand„ed, and from this onwards it fluctmated considerably. Two years ago if was down to £46,000, last year £3.6,000, and this week it will occasi'on surprise if the turnover exceeds, or even reaches £25,000. That is the trend of the majority of clubs so far as its totalisator figures are concerned, hence the big cuts in stake money. The increased taxation has a lot to do with the decrease. Will the Parliamentary Economic Committee take a leaf out of the Railway Board's book and reduce the totalisator taxation in the hope of inspiring better totalisator figures and consequeptly more revenue all round? Stalre Money. For some weeks past now there has been the sanie old stoiy reported at the annual meetings of rac.ng members, shortage of totalisator revenue. with a fo: ecast of reduced stakes Thei efove it .came as a very pleasont surprise to fi'nd last week one clufc president who did not agree with the principle of, reducing stake money and therefore at the same time take a risk of missing getting the best class of horse to race at the meeting. M..\ R. L. Somers, the Te Aroha J, C. president, was very emphatic in stat ing that they \Vanted the best horses, and therefore the club should think very seriously before cutting down the prize money 'to any extent. That was a bold expression of opin'on, in the face of what every other club in the Dohiinion had adopted as :ts policy in view of the restricted revenue. On the other han'd" there is a lot of common sense in what Mr. Somers, contends. At its last meet'ng the Te Aroha Club drew remarkable fields in both quantity and quality, and it was no doubt this success that induced the president to advocate liberal prize money again this teim in the hope, no doubt, that the response from owners would result in similar fields as were seen out last

season, and a consequently increased nterest on the part of investors. Te Aroha Fortunate. The Te Aroha Jockey Club is in a very fortunate position, despite the L?act that it has recently spent a con- | sidei'able sum on the rearrangement of its race course, which now stands second to none outside of Trentham rnd Riccarton, and with a natural dry iuif, as at the latter centre. It has ilways been liberal in the matter of take money, and this has elevated t to the leading position among the Auckland provincial clubs. If the president's view of the position insofar as stake money is concerned is backed up by the committee, no doubt southern owners will be induced to -send their horses north to compete for the pre-slump stakes. While it has been maintamed that fcho cost of administraation of the New Zealand Racing' Conference was Jecreasing, many racing authorities are by no means satisfied that the most is being done in this direction. One of the biggest items of expendibure is that for stipendiary stewards, which runs into thousands annually. In some quarters this is being severely criticised and the abolition of the. stipendiary stewards is being advocated on the grounds of economy. Should such eventuate, the onus of keeping the sport clean and up to the highest standard "Will devolve upon the racecourse inspectors and the judicial committees of the various clubs.