GUARDING THE FAVOURITE

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 77, 22 June 1927, Page 6

GUARDING THE FAVOURITE

BOMBARD’S TRAINER DECLARES HIS HORSE WAS DOPED T. J. Hayes, trainer, is taking adequate precautions to ensure the safety of Bombard, the Victorian National favourite, between now and the day of the race. The necessity for this will not be seen as plainly by the general public as Hayes himself sees it. He has grounds for believing that Bombard was doped before his race in the Glenhuntly Handicap at Caulfield some weeks ago. It is possible Hayes is wrong, but his suspicions have been aroused and he is now taking ordinary precautions to prevent a repetition, if such a thing did happen. PERSPIRED FREELY Something went wrong with Bombard before that Caulfield race; the gelding perspired very freely, and quivered all over. At the time Hayes was at a loss to understand the cause of it all, but from something that occurred a few days later he formed the conclusion that the gelding had been tampered with. Everybody will remember that Bombard ran a shocking race on that occasion when expected to do really well. A week before he had made a bold bid for victory in the King’s Cup, and Hayes thought so well of his chance in the race at Caulfield that he invested £IOO on him. The general run of racegoers who back horses on their form also invested heavily and the gelding started favourite for the race. WELL PROTECTED To ensure that Bombard’s owner will get a run for his money in the National, Hayes has posted himself guard over the gelding. He has taken his bed on to a verandah in close proximity to Bombard’s box, and has provided himself with means of protection apart from those things with which Nature has endowed him. If he should happen to sleep too soundly to hear any nocturnal visitors there are a couple of bulldogs about the place that will soon disturb him. Hayes will be “off duty” for a few days, from to-day, because he intends to go to Sydney to see Gulyarri run in the A.J.C. Steeples, but his place will be taken by his foreman. It is because he considers Bombard has a chance second to none in the National that Hayes is going %o so much trouble to protect the gelding from any evilly-disposed persons. Trainers often find it necessary to take such precautions.

lacious method of punting—that the new method of allocating dividends was devised. Conflicting Dates The following letter from the secretary of the Rangitikei Racing Club appears in the “Dominion”:—ln your racing columns I note that you discussed the question of the Rangitikei and the Manawatu Racing Clubs making claim for the same racing dates next March. I may mention that I was extremely surprised at this, as the matter is at present sub judice and a decision has yet to be reached by the Dates Committee. Further, the wording of your statement is liable to lead one to a wrong impression, for it is stated that next autumn both the Rangitikei and Manawatu Clubs have applied for March 21 and 22. This should be: “Next autumn the Manawatu Club has applied for March 21 and 22,” being the dates which have been allotted to the Rangitikei Club for years. (For the last 14 years the Manawatu Club-has not held its meeting in the month of March.) You also state: “This season the Rangitikei Club secured the March dates and the Awapuni meeting was put back to the end of April.” This should be: “This season the Rangitikei Club secured its regular racing days in March and the Awapuni meeting was held as usual in April.” If there is any friction as referred to in your columns, it has not been caused by the Rangitikei Racing Club, which has applied for its recognised dates only. I note your paper recognises that country clubs have claims, and I should be obliged therefore if you could find room for this letter at your earliest convenience. From a country club’s point of view, when a case of interference by a large club is concerned, it is very essential that any wrong impression be immediately corrected. Grand National Double During the last few days the combination Pildin and Clan Robert has been backed for the double, Victorian Grand National Hurdle Race and Steeplechase to win about £20,000. The money was taken for Mr. T. Davies, the owner of Pildin, some of it before, but most after, the weights appeared, giving his Burrabadeen gelding 11.4 in the Hurdle Race. It is noteworthy that" the three first favourites for the Hurdle Race—Pildin, Bombard and Grosvenor—each has over 11.0. Noteworthy, because in the early days of the present century there was such a remarkable run of lightly-weighted winners of the National —in 13 years only two carried over 10.0—that a prejudice was taken against the heavy brigade, which led to the late Dr. Lang framing the handicaps on a scale more generous to the good horses by starting at 11.6 instead of at over 12.0. Fiscom straightway came home with 11.6, and Jackstaff, with 11.5, repeated the trick two years later. Mr. J. H. Davis has not hesitated to follow the ' doctor’s lead, and 11.5 is the main this year. Looking at the records of the race it would seem that the prejudice against the eleven-stoners has b§en something of a bogie, as in 45 years no fewer than 13 of them have won. That gives an average of 29 per cent, (almost one in three).’ A closer search would surely reveal that not nearly one in three of the starters has had over 11.0, so that the high winning average is rather remarkable.