NOT MERELY CHANCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 777, 25 September 1929, Page 12

NOT MERELY CHANCE

BIG BETS PULLED OFF BOOKMAKERS SUSPICIOUS A well-known punter who operates on a very big: scale backed every winner at Randwick races on Satur- ; day. writes C. G. Graves in the “Guard- ■ lan” last Wednesday. The results in several races were unexpected by followers of form, and ' a- this, together with the fact that a i he j number of other big bettors followed j y. i this man’s lead has load to suspicion ! lls j and murmuring in turf circles, he ! It is even suggested that the. victory t : was made easy for some of the winners, i There were three events in which rej suits provided a distinct contrast with - 1 >n, the previous last effort of the winning i of horse. Yet in each case the horse was c iic heavily backed. Not Merely Improvement se In fact, in two instances the wager- , ing on the winner was so heavy as to suggest that not merely improvement 1 but a complete reversal of form was \ c- confidently expected. t he There was a neat turning of the irt tables in one event between horses who 3’s had met on a previous occasion. c go One animal had gracefully retired -

after running prominently in his previous engagement. That was won by a horse heavily backed. But on Saturday this one dropped quietly out of the market, and didn’t show up until the race was over. The horse he had beaten at the previous meeting was, however, so superior that there never appeared the possibility of his being beaten. The heavy bettor mentioned scored his biggest win on this race. And after investing his money at 12 and 3 4 to 1, he laid other big punters on to the good thing. Thus the demand for the horse was so consistent that he shortened from the early 14's to less than half the odds. The punter mentioned usually safeguards his plunges by backing two, three, or four in a race, but even when ho had paid all losing bets lie cleared a profit of over £3,000 on Saturday. £I,OOO On First Acre Another heavy winner was a New Zealander who had £2OO on Nightmarch, and put over £I,OOO on First Acre (at "Value and "White Fang prices) in the last race. Earlier races had cost him money, but he won nearly £7,000 on the day. I Big books who laid extensive bets on some of these long-priced winners were substantial losers. And some of these reckon that punters have more than a gambler’s chance against the ring with the reversals that are allowed to pass bv without official attention. Books declare, in fact, that a certain clique of heavy bettors know too much before a race for their constant winning to be all chance and guess work. AVONDALE CLUB WINDFALL FOR TREASURY The sum paid to the Government in the form of taxation in connection with the Avondale Jockey Club's spring Meeting amounted to £6.503 0s Sd, made up as follow:

RACING FIXTURES SEPTEMBER 26, 27—Geraldine R.C. 2S—Hawke's Bay J.C. OCTOBER 2—Birch wood Hunt. 5, 7—Auckland K.O. Z —Napier Park R.C. 5-Kurow J.C. 10. 12—Dunedin j C.

Totalisator tax .. .. 2,105 l Dividend tax . . . . 3,597 5 9 Stakes tax 298 10 0 Amusement tax .... 142 1 2 Total £6,503 0 S