The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-08

bred stock, should certainly produce
great speed and records.
There is no more interesting study to-
day in the world of sports than the his
tory of horseracing in Australia, and of
the untrammelled growth of the love Of
horseflesh in that genial climate.
The race course at Pennington, near
Melbourne is a modern Coliseum. Its
amphitheater of hills. traced after
Rhenish vineyard, rise behind and
around the grand stand. enabling every
body to see the whole of every race. 1t
is in keeping with the fitness of things
in a democratic country that nature
should have so made provision that the
sovereign people may equally with their
governor see the race from start to fin
ish, and all for half a crown: or. II a
man choose to go on the fiat and inside
the course he need pay nothing at all.
There are five meetings in the year,
two of which are of one day only. The
added money amounts to 100000 and the
stakes and forfeits to $4,000, making up
100000 to run for. Since the formation
of the club in 1864 s1.7s0. 900 has been given
away. The club consists of 1900 men,
bers and the committee elects FIVE stew
ards, who control the meetings. The
club revenue exceeds $4,000.
The course is a pear-shaped oval, one
mile and a half around. There is also a
six-furlong straight run. The steeple-
chase course is rather more than a mile
and a half and consists of 10 jumps rang
ing from four to five feet in height.
Each furlong is marked with a white
post. The starting posts are connected
by electric wires with a starting bell in
the paddock and a chronograph for tim
ing the races at the back of the judges
box. The assistant time-keeper goes with
the starter and touches the electric but
ton when the horses start; this sounds
the bell and starts the photograph.
All horses go out with saddle cloths
bearing numbers in red on white
ground, corresponding to the horses
number on the card, enabling the spec
tators quickly to identify them.
For the summer meeting the pro-
grammes are printed on silk fans for la
dies use No man is allowed to carry on
the business of public betting or book
keeping without the previous permits
sion of and registration by the club. II
he wishes to bet in the paddock he must
pay an annual fee of 1925. or IL he con-
fines himself to the outside, $50 is
charged. Each man, like a New York po-
liceman, has to wear his badge of Office.
Provision is made on race days for
stabling 500 carriage horses In separate
stalls. Thus IL will be seen that the
Pennington stewards lose no opportunity
of increasing the comforts of the 10000
people who come together to witness the
Melbourne cup.
No one travelling in the colonies can
fail 20 be struck with the number of race
courses. However small the village, 1t
must have a school and a race course,
generally a public house, and sometimes
a church. In New Zealand. with popu-
lation of little more than half a million.
there were during the season of 1Ss9-90
29S days racing for nearly $4,000 of ad-
ded money.
At New Zealand race meetings there
are no bookmakers. They have been
driven out of the field by the totalisator.
This machine made it's first appearance
I'm France under the name of the Paris
Mutuel," and its object is to automati-
cally register and to offer, similar to the
mutuals used in this country. the precise
odds. according to the relative amount
of public support and favor accorded to
each of the competitors in the race
During the season of 1SS9-90 over So $685.
600 passed through New Zealand totalisa-
tors in 22i days racing. The largest div
idend ever paid was on horse called
Cumming at Hawkes. Bay, when the
lucky investor of one sovereign secured
a dividend of $3.50.
OF the thoroughbred stations imported
into Australia the most successful stock
getter has been Musket. Musket was
bred by Lord Glasgow in 1867.
In the first year he got Martini-Henry.
who won the two greatest Australian
races. the Melbourne Derby and Mel
bourne cup. lie also got Maxim, Tren-
ton, Nordenfelt. Carbine and Tirailleur,
all winners of the chief events on the
Australian turf. In the season of lSs9-9O
he headed the list of winning sires In
New Zealand. his stock having won s47,-
6l0.-New York Mercury.
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