SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1922, Page 3

SPORTING.

RACING IN ENGLAND. By Telegraph.—Press .Assn.—Copyright. London, August 27. Tamar has broken down aud will noi run in the St. Leger. MORE GOES INTO RACING THAN COMES OUT. OVER 5000 HORSE’S RACING ON THE FLAT IN N S W. (By Pilot in Sidney Referee.) A little while back I mentioned that New South Wales had nearly double as many days’ racing in the year as the whole of England, and I have no doubt it will surprise many people to learn that in this State alone more horses race on the flat than in the Old Country. It may be scarcely believable, but the statement is quite correct. Under Jockey Club rules there were 4519 starters in flat races in England last year, and there is little in that country in the way of what in Australia would be termed unregistered racing. Before a horse can start at a meeting held under Australian Jockey Club rules in New South Wales, an accident fund of 7s 6d lias to be paid. During the Reason of 1921-22 the fee was paid for over 4000 horses. That number is short of the English total, but there are at least another- 1100 horses trained each year for unregistered racing in Sydney alone.

There is also a considerable amount of unregistered racing in the country districts, and I suppose a conservative estimate of horses competing at such fixtures would be 200. Therefore it would be no exaggeration to say that during the recent season 5300 different, horses ran on the flat and over the jumps in New South Wales. It is certain that not more than 100 of these were jumpers, so that would leave "200 for the flat alone.

It would be • difficult to compute the exact cost of training and racing the 5300, as while some would cost a very few pounds, owing to merely being started once or twice at small country meetings, hundreds trained in Sydney would represent an annual outlay of £l5O to £3OO each merely in training fees, entrance money, forfeits, and sweepstakes. Then, again, few are trained all the year around.

Supposing the cost of training and racing each horse that appeared at a meeting in New South Wales during the past season only averaged the low figure of £76 a year—that would not be more than half the total amount paid in sweepstakes alone for some runners in a season —the expenditure would be £402.800. Then there are the trotters to be taken into consideration, and there are now a few hundreds in the State.

It would, perhaps, be a conservative estimate to say that nearly half a million annually is expended in this State in merely training and starting horses, and there are mans’ items tending to increase that total, such as travelling expenses, saddlery, etc. Well, as stakes in New South Wales do not aggregate half a million by a very long way, it. will be seen that owners as a whole are putting more into the racing game than they can possibly get out.

The Hamilton Racing Club’s annual meeting was held last week. The balance-sheet showed that a sum of £6552 was paid to the Government in taxation. Mr. G. W. V<?rcoe was re-elected unopposed as president, and Mr. F. R. Seddon unopposed ns vice-president. The greatest vigilance is observed by those in charge of horses in America in seeking to guard against -nefarious acts, but the men who are out to scoro by hook or by crook are known to take great chances, and at times they get home with their schemes. A case was recently reported by the New York Herald as follows:—“Shortly before the start of the International Steeplechase at Belmont Park, Brooklyn. N.Y.. Roy Craig, owned by Mrs. Payne Whitnev. was acting as if something wns wrong. Dr. Robert McCulley, the track vet., was sent for. He found that some scamp had put a sponge in the nose of the poor horse. When Mrs. Whitney learned of the nefarious act she ordered the trainer to withdraw the horse.”

A Melbourne paper saj-s in a letter to a friend R. S. Sievier stated that in all probability he would visit Australia in the near future with a. team of racehorses. It was Sievier who. under the name of “Bob Sutton.” first Introduced cash betting on a large scale on Australian racehorses. He was prominently before the racing public there, and has been conspicuous in many ways since- his return to Engird. One was as the owner of Sceptre, for wffem he gave 19.000 gns. as a yearling, and sold for £25.000 after winning the One Thousand and Two Thousand Guineas Oaks, St. Leger. and other races, with her.

If Siever does carry out his intention of racing In Australia he can be relied on to create a sensation.