SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 91, 3 September 1912, Page 5

SPORTING.

Commenting on the decision of R. Wootton to abandon training in England, the Sydney Daily Telegraph says: I Since Wootton settled in England some years ago he has been one of the most successful of trainers there, and long . since came to be recognised as able to> ' hold his own against all others. Last season he trained more winners than any other member of the profession in England, viz., 48, and won £14,015 in ■ stakes. Frank Wootton, for the last three years, headed the list of successful jockeys, while on another occasion he was second to D. Maher. Australians ' who have seen Wootton's training quarters at Epsom, in England, describe them as outrivalling anything else they,have seen. There is nothing necessary that is not installed, including Turkish baths and a farrier's shop. Assuming that , Wootton does abandon training, he is not unlikely to retire to his station on the Lachlan, in New South Wales. Among the objections raised to the installation of the totalisator at Randwick was one to the effect that it would be almost impossible for any staff to adequately cope with the investments. However, it is probable that anything possible of accomplishment in connection with racing in France can be equalled in Australia. On the recent Grand Prix day at Longchamps (Paris) the totalisator turnover was just short of £200,000. That is decidedly good for one afternoon, and there is no mention of any difficulty either in receiving investments or paying out dividends. The sum mentioned is a record for Longchamps, and no doubt it would have been even greater only for a heavy shower during the afternoon driving hackers to procure shelter wherever possible, and damping their ardor for speculation. At meetings within Paris limits £14.054,000 was put through the totalisator in 1911, ans that' year 3,257,000 people paid for •admission to these particular fixtures, the figures in each instance constituting a record. These figures are from the London Sportsman's Paris correspondent, who adds also that in admission fees to the course on Grand Prix day over £13,000 was taken.