Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Friday 10 October 1919, page 8


THE TURF IN ENGLAND.

BANK HOLIDAY; RACE MEETINGS

(From Our Special Correspondent )

LONDON, August 7

Bank holiday race meetings appear to come and go with whirlwind sudden-ness. It seems (our racing correspondent, "Centaur." writes) only a short time ago that we were engaged in the Easter Monday meetings, and in the interval there was, of course, the Whit Monday meetings, and now, at the moment of writing, we have just com-pleted those set apart for the August Bank j-ioliday-at Sandown-park, Birmingham in the Midlands, and Ripon in Yorkshire. The function at Sandown-park was much interfered with by the lightning hir.A of enginedrivers and firemen, who, without notice, came out in sympathy with the new oath-break-ers in the London police. The result was that the race special trains from Waterloo to Esher were cancelled. The effect on the attendance was marked, but nevertheless it is astonishing what a lot of people managed somehow to get to the place. The Sandown authorities offered very poor stakes, so that they would not suffer much, if at

all.

As regards the winners, two in particular can be singled out for special notice. One was Golden Melody,, an old horse. He had run extremely well for the Goodwood Plate under a light weight, and on that form he held an undernino chance for the North Surrey Handicap of two miles at Sandownpark. The race was supposed to rest G"jtucpu him and Warwick, but there was only one in it at the only place that matters-the winning post. Golden Melody, with Donoghue in the saddle, won easily from Warwick, with a few odds and ends of others now here. The chief two-year-old winner was Major McCalmont's Lu Dauphine, a chestnut Tetrarch filly, which had run well at Goodwood. It had been disclosed then that she was much fancied, and so her success now in a far simpler task was a foregone conclusion. She, too, won easily. A conspicuous loser was Ava-tar, who was caught on the post and beaten a head for the Maiden Plate by Sir Carl Meyers Ninon. The loser is not fulfilling the high promise he showed in the spring, and it is clear now that he has been overrated. He belongs to Sir Edward Hulton, and is one of those trained by Wootton at Epsom. A strong favourite in Lady Symline, trained bjT Prank ' Hartigan, was beaten for the Lubbock Sprint Handicap also by a head, and then there was an objection to the winner, Mr. Bowen's Clarice, on the ground of boring, but it was not sustained. At Birmingham Mr. Pat Hartigan's turn three. year-old Monteith won the chief event the holiday Three-year-old Han-dicap and at Ripon the leading race was won by the Newmarket trained Skager Rack, a bad horse, but the others happened to be worse at the weights !

From Sandown-park to Brighton was not a far cry, and moreover the usual racing army was reinforced enormously by the holiday crowds on the South

Coast. They came in swarms, and it mattered nothing apparently that the racing itself was poor. 'The public had only one desire-to engage itself in a vast picnic. Certainly' its chief feature of the opening day at Brighton, apart, of course, from the great crowd, was the success in the Brighton Stakes, which was a mile and a half handicap, at His Majesty's Jutland. This horse had been equal favourite with Irish Elegance for the Hunt Cup at Ascot, and he had run badly. A little later he was favourite for the Newbury Summer cup won by Arion, and again it was, noticed that he would not show of his best. The King's trainer was much upset, because he

knew what the horse was capable of at home. Once again later, however, the horse was beaten for the Duke of Cambridge Handicap on the July course at Newmarket, and yet such is the faith of the public that they "stood'' up again. They are to be congratulated, for the horse at last rose to the occasion. He found everything to his lik-ing, with none of the opposition capable of seriously worrying him, and so he came away at his pleasure at the finish to win in good style. There was tremendous cheering, and so the public generally felt they had not "picnicked" in vain, and that they, really had been

Away

fortunate to see such a rare and chasing thing as a victory for one of the King's horses.

As- regards other events, we saw a great gamble fail to fructify on one of Mr: J. B. Jost's horses, The Plough. It was not Mr. Jones's, hut the public's, money which made him a hot 2 to 1 on chance. lins horse had won in the easiest possible manner at Liverpool, and he had not been put up in the weights owing to a misunderstanding. To do justice to all concerned, there-fore-the handicapper and other owners

in the race-Air. Joel very sportugly agreed to put up a 7lb. penalty as overweight. The fact that he did I so did not influence the result, is, mind!; the 7th., he would still not have beaten the Duke of Portland's Dumb Waiter, who ran away with the race, being never caught. "The truth is that The Plough is one of those horses that must have everything their own way to win. It was so at Liverpool, and it was not so at Brighton, for because

he could not at once catch Dumb Waiter he sulked and refused to do his best. I don't think he will start odds on again in a handicap.

As regards other winners, on the first-day Linton very easily won n sell, ing plates, and was then bought by Mr. AA". Mumford for GIO guineas to go to India. She is of the right stamp for that country", and therefore a very judicious buy. Second ' to him was -Mr. J. R. Joel's Souths, once second for the Middle-park Plate, and used as a charger in the war in France by his son, Lieut. H. J. Joel, of the 10th Hussars. The ex-charger will win a race, too. Adopted and Marcia Blanche wore the winners among two-year-olds, and the rest of the racing is really not worth talking about.

A CRAZE FOR RACING.

LONDON, August 19.

Someone was trying the other day to diagnose the racing fever which has attacked so large a section of the community (writes "Centaur," our racing correspondent). The virus unquestionably exists but its origin is not so clearly defined. Broadly' speaking, it is symptomatic of the craze of the moment for excitement, relaxation, and money-spinner. If half that the bookmakers say- is to be believed, then they- are losing money consequent on so many favourites winrain, and therefore the racegoers must be winning money were usually they are losers in the long run. Here, therefore, is a probable reason why the fever rages unabated. Naturally, the people find racing popular, and an irresistible attraction, it they can get money easily and quickly thereby. There will, of course, be a rude reaction. But that is another story, the telling of which does not press at the moment. But it will inevitably have to be told, all the same!

Racing provides an easy outlet both for money and for emotions. Whether the racegoer wine or loses, he gets that excitement which he is craving for, and the fact that the expenses, apart altogether from the chances of winning or losing, are heavy", is made quite a minor matter. Another reason for the huge attendances which show no sign of diminishing is that no one wants to work now. Everyone wants to make holiday and play, and only there will work in order that others? may play, if they are paid extravagantly', and out of all proportion to their work. The racegoer

was always used to being fleeced in the old far-off days, but now he has to pay very high railway fares, exorbitant prices for accommodation, and meals, and appalling charges if he must employ con-veyances to reach racecourses not actually touched by railways.

During the week under review,.. enormous crowds were attracted to the race meetings in the sour at Brighton,- Lewes, and Folkestone, while the people of the Midlands flocked to Nottingham, and in the north-east of England to Redcar. The arrangements at Brighton were ap-passingly bad, and the accommodation hopelessly inadequate but then it was

merely a reproduction of-the impossible state of affairs at Epsom. . -

As the racing in the week under review , has been only third-class, comment need

only be brief, I may mention the race, for the Brighton Cup, a mile and a quarter

event for three-year-olds, which only , brought out two horses in African Star and wilson.' The former is owned by a Huddersfield woollen manufacturer in Mr. Theodore Martin, and the other Uj the South African magnate, ' Sir Abe

Bailey. At Goodwood in the previous , week AA'ilson had won a handicap, and African Star' had been third for the Chesterfield Cup. The latter's, however, was the better form, and he was? made favourite for this Brighton race. He justified the choice by winning easily. He is a son of Snnstar, and a very fair socond-claräs-three-v'ear-old. It was for-tunate for him, however, that Mr. Persse was afraid of the hard ground and Tough state of the course, and so would not chance running Sir Hedworth JJeux's Sir Douglas, who at Goodwood for the Gordon Stakes had given 2116. and a beating to ChatTer, II Munton-lrained'three-yearold. The point I wish to mate is that at Lewes at the end of the week Chat Tor, backed to a very short price, easily won the chief handicap. AA'c must infer from this that Sir Douglas continues to make steady improvement, and has already qualified to be taken seriously' into consideration for the St. Leger next month. All going well vvillii'hnn. he is sure to be a formidable rival. to Buchan for the last of the classic races, and some good judges, indeed, are prepared to see him win.

Mention of races to come is a reminder that entries closed last week for the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire. Both these popular handicaps received extraordinarily big entries, "the long distance race netting 97 and the Cambridgeshire 89. Yet it is beyond dispute that there K a shortage of horses of three years old and over. I need hardly say, therefore, that the 97 in the Cesaren i tell are an extraordinarily mixed collection, and include a number that would not be out of place in selling hurdle races. Neither the Derby winner. Grand Parade, nor the Ascot Gold Cup winner, By Jingo, is entered, but Alec Taylor, the famous Mansion trainer, who won the race last year with Air Raid, holds a strong hand. Grand Parade is also missing from the Cambridgeshire, but that erstwhile celebrity, The Panther, is one of the 80, ns WPI) as the most famous horse of the era-Irish Elegance. He will have to be placed on of about the 10 stone mark, otherwise it will not be possible to get a number of the rays" on the minimum mark of 6 stone.

Both the breeders'' races at No.ttingham were won by odds on favourites. That for two-year-olds was taken by Sir L'dvaried Bolton's AA'imasii, a big colt by Stornoway from AViiiootba. The drum was an extraordinarily big and fine mare. As a two-year-old she was in the first-close, but as a three-year-old she quite failed to justify her record when competing for the classic races. Now, at the stud she hoe produced this race winner William, who,, although far. from being the best of his age, is nevertheless a colt won a nice future, so far as one can judge at present. Golden Orb, who won the race on the following day for three-year-olds is a half-brother to Dark Legend, the best horse in India. This is the first race Golden Orb has won as a threeyear-old. and it is quite conceivable that he will be heard of in connection with the Cambridgeshire.