AUSTRALIAN RACING.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 September 1922, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN RACING.

“VERY LITTLE SPORT.” SWEEPING INDICTMENT. London, August 11. The journal Truth quotes a letter from an unnamed well-known English racehorse breeder, wirtten from Sydney, in which he says:—“l have now seen some of their racing. Heaven preserve us from the totalisator. Talk of betting and gambling at home. They’re in their infancy. All that people here think of is the value of stakes and bets. Horses are only a means to the above. “There is very little sport in it all. There is no fair chance of seeing the runners. Very few people want to, as all they want to know is the amount paid on the tote. There are bookies aplenty, each with a numbered stand, but they are not allowed to make place bets, because of competing with the tote, around wihch men, women, and girls crowd with money.

“God forbid that our racecourses should ever become like this. The stands are very fine, but the horses do not matter. It is nearly impossible to get a good look over them. As far as I have been able to form an opinion, there are a -few useful horses; but the majority are a sorry lot from our point of view.” “There is the opinion,” adds Truth, “of a well-known practical breeder, who started on his tramp abroad possessing an open mind regarding the halcyon days promised to breeders and owners by the pari-mutuel enthusiasts. With him we say most fervently, ’Heaven save us from the thing.’ ”