Divided Race Leads To Confusion

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 157, 23 September 1927, Page 7

Divided Race Leads To Confusion

The totalisator will be open only once on the Maiden Plate at Ellerslie to-morrow, in which event there are two divisions, and the dividends will be paid out on the winner of each division. The manner in which the horses are set out in the race book will confuse many, and it would have been much better to have divided the race as in the published list, i.e., in two separate lots, instead of the procedure adopted. In the “correct card” the old style of bracketing horses is adopted, and this

will apply in the event of there being so many scratchings as to obviate tht: necessity of divisions. However, a divided race appears to be a certainty, and in this case the brackets will not apply. This is all right to the initiated, but to the majority of racegoers the situation will be confusing. And when racegoers are uncertain about anything they hold otf, or, in the alternative, are likely to consider themselves injured if they make a mistake. Should there be eleven withdrawals to-morrow the race will not be divided, and in that event the brackets shown in the book will stand. Run in divisions, there will be the following brackets: First Division. Leveuside-Master Noel, Royal March-Ponticus, RoyalSalamander, Scaramouche-Simplicitas, Star God-Thurnus, and Whaka KingYaqui. Second Division.—La Roma-Marble Boy, Nassock-Ototoa, RestaurantRoyal Doulton, San Quin-Scot Free, Standfast-Taurimu and Valentino-Wy-oming.