Racing Bits and Turf Tattle

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 234, 24 May 1932, Page 2

Racing Bits and Turf Tattle

HORSES AND HORSEMEN. AUSTRALIAN CAMPAilGN. A campaign in Australia has been decided upon for Gaine Carrington and Peter Jackson, and, unless present intentions are altered, J. Fryer will take them to Sydney after the Wellington winter meeting in July. Gaine Carrington's mission will be the Australian Derby, and Peter Jackson will be entered for the important spring handicaps at Randwick and Flemington. Richfield's Failure. 1 Richfield appeared to be unable to , show his best in the wet ground at Wanganui, but he ran fair races, and no one would he justified in surmis- ; ing that he has suffered a sudden loss of the good form he showed at Hawera. John Noble's Wins. John Nobl'e's recent wins have been j widely attributed to a "retuni to ■ form." There has been nothing arniss with his form or his condivion for months. His failures were due very largely to his nervousness at the barrier. More than once he paced the fastest time in a race, but delayed too long before setting out on the journey. In the pre-system days John Noble was one of the most harshly handicapped pacers in comrnission.but he has had nothing to complain of lately, and if he continues to leave the mark smartly and is driven in the same manner as at Oamaru, he should he in line for another win before long. - Did Well for Novice. Ghesham (W. G. Smailes) and Rasouli (E. Dunn) went out to do a round of the schooling fences, but the latter ducked off at the first. How'ever, when taken back he went well enough for a novice. Rasouli has only had a few lessons yet shapes as though he had raced over them. Although he has taken kindly to this department of the business, he is not the sort that one would pick to develop into a National horse by any means but in his class he might he made to pay his way. Mason and Gloaming. Gloaming and R. J. Mason went over almost together. y Gloaming's opinion of Mason we do not know, but we have Mason's opinion of Gloaming, which was that up to 11m. Gloaming was the best .horse that had raced in this part of the world. Next to Gloaming, Mason placed Carbine. This statement was made before Phar Lap appeared on the scene, but, still, with the mile and a quarter reservation, it is probable that the greatest trainer would have ranked Gloaming as the greatest horse. A Great Stayer. R. J. Mason once expressed the view that if Gloaming had been trained .for distance events, he would have ' won distinction as a stayer. Stajing was not a characteristic of The Welkin's stock, but it is pretty certain that had Gloaming been cn deck forty years ago he would have gone down in history as a great stayer. Two miles in 3.28 to 3.30, with all the pace on in the last six furlongs, would have been a jog for the big gelding, and he would undoubtedly have been rated as a great all-rounder. Owner Dissatisfied. F. J. Smith's American maiden trotting mare, Nell Volo, was not taken to the Thames meeting, her owner being dissatfied with her handicap, 3.41. Smith asked the Conference Committee to review the position, explaining that her record, 2.26i, was a breeder's record, and not taken as a standard performance in America. Nell Volo's owner received a reply stating that the mare would be placed on 3.50 next time, as the Thames adjustment could not be altered after acceptance closed.

Havering's Form. In the one race he had at Wanganui, Havering strengthened the impression that it should not be long before he gets into the money again. He was sa poorly supported that one can hardly imagine he carried the confidence of his connections. After going well for a considerable pcrtion of the journey he faded to fifth place at the finish, but with the uercfit of the race will be expeeted to dr better next time out. On his breeding Havering should not experience difficulty in running a middle distance, but he always leaves one with the idea that seven furlongs or a mile suits him best. Bound for Ellerslie. Gay Conrt pleased his trainer by staging a good finishing effort in the hack sprint on the opening day at Wanganui. The Trentham hack did not race on the second day, but there is nothing the matter with him, and he is to go on to Auckland to contest some of the minor events at next month's meeting. Threie Dividend System. There is.no gainsaying the popu.Jarity of the three-dividend system with the great majority of the trotting public. The present 50, 30, 20 allocation is recognised as unfair tothe backers of a winner, especially if it happens to be a short-priced favourite, but this no doubt will be reviewed by the Conference in July. A distribution on a 60, 25, 15 basis could make the systenra awinner where big fields reign at t'rotting meetings. The present ratio obviously is ridiculous. Where there are two dividends, the winner takes 75 per cent. and second 25; where there are three dividends, the winner takes 50, and second 30. The winner loses 25 per cent., while the second gains 5 per cent. Good Thing Beaten. Otairi looked to be the best of good things beaten in the Century Hurdles at Wanganui. He was going very strongly and appeared to he able to gathsr the leaders at any moment when he blundered badly at the hurdle five furlongs from home. Otairi did not f all, but the mishap took so much steam out of him that he was quite unable to regain the ground he lost. Feeding of Horses. It is only natural that trainers in New Zealand do not like to see in print that many of them are accused of not having sufficient money to feed their horses as well as they should, says an exchange. What they do in Germany has nothing to do with us here in this country, a^d wi do not want invidious comparL.ons. Of course, in clubs and on street corners and other places we may hear that so-and-so does not feed his horses, as he cannot alford it, but that is "all my eye." Anyone that has been in the game or had a close connection with it knows all about the feeding business. All horses are not alike, and as a rule the big majority of trainers in the Dominion cannot get their charges to. eat enough. One need not look at trainers who are not in a strong position as the root of any trouble in this respect, but to the owners. How many trainers in Hawke's Bay, for instance, can to-day show you hundreds of pounds on their books as owing for training and even for travelling expenses that they will never get? Oh, no, laddie, the wonder is not how the trainer manages to live, but how some owners own a horse. A trainer with two or three horses getting paid regularly will manage to exist and there is no wonder in this direction. Mr. R. Gooseman, who has now retired from active training, puts the matter in a nutshell: "It is not difficult to keep your st\ble full of horses, but the question is, do you know when Saturday night is coming?" —————— mmmtmmmm i ■ in — — i TI