TURF NEWS AND NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 June 1939, Page 9

TURF NEWS AND NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE AND COURSE

Americans Do Things Thoroughly

COMBATING THE DRUGGING OF HORSES

CONDUCTING SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS

(By “CARBINE.”)

The New York State Racing Commission has issued a very interesting report and some informative data on the subject of doping or drugging race horses.

For the past, year their veterinarian, Dr. J. G. Gatlett, and the Chemist Charles Morgan, who heads the laboratory. have been conducting a series of experiments on how to detect the presence of various types of stimulants and depressives that might be used and what was their effect on the speed of the animal so treated. Their research over four years — specially intensive for the past 12 months—discloses that there are some 80 drugs which can be employed to stimulate or slow a horse, and that they can detect the presence of all of them by various different kinds of tests. The recent session of the Legislature at Albany had before it a bill that will, if passed, increase the allotment to the State Racing Comrpission for this laboratory and the attendant work by a sum of £4750. This test has been very thorough and is a noteworthy accomplishment for the New York State Racing Commission. ' This year it is planned to more than ever enforce the regulations that permit selecting horses at random, either 1 winners or losers, and then using one or more of the tests. This increased experimentation was 1 necessary due to the' fact that it had j become apparent that there were cer- ■ tain stimulants that might be used that - would not show in the saliva test. Last 1 year in New York there were only four cases of doping, and of these .three of 1 the horses were tested at the request 1 of the trainer. The laboratory, which has conducted ‘ over 22,000 experiments to discover < these eighty drugs, cost £6250 a year 1 to operate, of which half has been paid 1 by New York State, and the other half by the racing bodies of Maryland, Mas- 1 sachusetts, Michigan, and New Hamp- < shire. ' c

ABOUT NEW ZEALAND HORSES. LATEST JUMPING RECRUITS. The latest jumping recruit is Shangri La, who has been a disappointment on the flat since winning on the West Coast at Easter. He has been schooled several times over the pony hurdles, and shaped satisfactorily. Clarion Call Returns. Clarion Call has returned to L. G. Morris’s stable at Awapuni after a holiday of some months. He is to be prepared for the Wellington and Grand National meetings. The Bigot also has been taken up again by Morris. Three-year-old for Sale. A rising three-year-old colt, by Night Raid from Effort, by Advance, is offered for sale. This colt is an exceptionally well-grown youngster, standing 16.3 hands high, and his a girth measurement of 75in. Also a full brother to Great Don (Great Bingen— Adona). The latter is in work and has shown pace. Cheap Horses—Good Winners. Some very cheap horses have won the Great Northern Steeplechase. Macaroni, the first winner, cost only £lOO. but he was comparatively dear compared with Despised at £6O, Levanter (two Great Northerns and a Grand National) £5O, Hautere £l2 10s, Sol £5O, Kaitere £l2 12s, Gluepot £IS. Coalition £5O, Sea Devil £lO, and Royal Limond £25. WHAT RACING CLUBS ARE DOING. VARIOUS RECOMMENDATIONS. At the annual meeting of members of the Geraldine Racing Club a motion recommending the incoming committee to revert to the single pool system of working the totalisator next season was defeated by 28 votes to 27. The Wanganui District Committee has framed a remit for the annual .meeting of the conference that every club shall provide a set of white colours to be used on occasions when an owner's registered colours have been left at home or are otherwise not available. In Australia “club” colours are used in such circumstances, or where two sets of registered colours are so similar as to cause risk of confusion.

A proposal that the next meeting of delegates to the New Zealand Trotting Conference be held in Christchurch in August instead of in Wellington in July, has met with the approval of clubs throughout New Zealand, and it will be held on Monday. August 7. at 10 a.m. The new arrangement will suit all South Island delegates, and those who come from the North Island will be enabled to see three days' trotting at Addingion and three days’ racing at Riccarton. The following is a list of the recommendations that were made by a subcommittee and adopted by the committee of the Gore Racing Club:—(1) The shifting of the present iron fence between the track and the motor paddock in prcler to provide a new members’ paddock; (2) the shifting of the Press stand from the north end of the stewards’ stand to the south end; (3) the provision of a concrete path along the back of the main grand stand and the replacement in concrete of the wooden steps and landing at the south end of the stand; <4) the painting of the rails round the track; (5) the widening of the track at the mile and a-half start; (6) the flooring of the present gallopers’ stalls with wooden blocks; (7) the extension of. the cyclone

RACING FIXTURES

June 17 —Bay of Plenty. June 17 —Hawke's Bay. June 17—Greymouth. June 24—Ashburton. June 24 —Waipa. June 24 —Otaki Maori. July I—Oamaru.1 —Oamaru. Julv I—Dannevirke1 —Dannevirke Hunt. July 4», 6, B—Wellington. July 15 —Waimate District Hunt. July 15—Hawke’s Bay Hunt. July 22 —Rangitikei Hunt. July 22—South Canterbury Hunt. July 29 —Christchurch Hunt. July 29— Manawatu Hunt.

When the Americans do anything they do it thoroughly. For the past few years doping has received marked attention in all States, and while it has not been absolutely stamped out, it has been minimised everywhere. Doping has also come in for much discussion in Australia and the following article from the “Thoroughbred Record” is of interest: —-

fence fronting the lawn to extend down past the trainers' entrance to the back of the gallopers’ stalls; (8) the provision of a wet-weather track; (9) the tar-sealing of the area round the totalisator house, the railed area at the back and front to be laid in concrete; (10) the painting and renovating of the main grand stand and the stewards’ stand. The work is to be put in hand straight away.

THE SPORT OF KINGS OVERSEAS, I PERSONAL AND OTHERWISE. Spear Chief, Mildura, and Adios are doing as well as could be wished at Cornwell and Ridge’s farm at Windsor. Adios will shortly return to Randwick. During the first week of last month two more important English races were won by French-owned horses. Antonym scored in the Kempton Park Great Jubilee Handicap, and coupled with Happy Hazard in the “daily double,” returned their investors the handsome dividend of £542 10s for a 10s ticket. Tricameron was the other French'horse to win, he taking the Dee Stakes at Chester two days earlier. New Zealand-bred horses continue to race prominently in Australian States, and Takanini, said to have been bought cheaply by G. Gath cn his last visit to the Dominion, won two unhoppled races at the last Ascot (Melbourne) meeting. Takanini is by Grattan Loyal from Choice,'' a daughter of Logan Pointer and Tit Bits, the last-named a half-sister to Benefice.

At Wayville, South Australia, Paragon, by Nelson Bingen—Bonalena, and Marion Axworthy, by Travis Axworthy —Monica Galindo, were winners, while at Victoria Park, Richmond, the Mar-della-bred King Oro, half-brother to Reception, extended his fine list of wins.

For the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles Pooley Bridge is at the head of the list with 11.10, Erination is second top weight with 11.6, Celtic Lad is assessed at 9.4, and Irish Comet and Smilin’ Thru at 9.0 each. In the Grand National Steeples the weights are Pooley Bridge (top) 12.7,, Erination 12.2, Irish Comet 9.7, and Smilin’ Thru 9.0. The Grand National Hurdles, of £2,000. three miles, is to be run at Flemington on July 1, and the Grand National Steeplechase, of £2,500, about three miles and a furlong, on July 8.