SPORTING

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 955, 16 February 1911, Page 3

SPORTING

TARANAKI MEETING. The Taranaki Jockey Club’s autumn meeting was opened yesterday in beautiful weather. The attendance was large and the racing throughout was of an interesting nature. The amount passed through the machine was £8057 10s, as against £6370 10s on the corresponding day of last year. Appended are the results :

First Handicap Hack Hurdles. —'Winchester 1, Cloudy Morn 2, Kotare 3. Time, 2tnin 4736 c. Stewards’ Handicap.—Gladiole 1, Hohungatahi 2, Peggy Pryde 3. Time, imin 2sec.

Timaru Hack Handicap. Soultiform 1, Lady Loo 2, Glen Tulloch 3. Time, imin i6sec. Taranaki Cup.—Lady Medallist 1, Meudip 2, Monoplane 3. Time, 2iniu 7 3-ssec.

First Welter Handicap.—Golden Loop i, Lethean 2, Shining Star 3. Time, imin 43 2-ssec. Okato Hack Handicap.—Similax i, Kauroa 2, Manawakaha 3. Time, xtniu 43 2-ssec. Flying Handicap. —Gladiole 1, St. Bill 2, Mulga Bill 3. Time, imin 14 2-ssec.

Hack Scurry.—Con the Shaughraun r, Katua 2, Makara 3. Time, imin 2 4-5500.

NOTES. The New 1 Zealand horse, Muudic, now in Australia, has been scratched for the Oakleigh Plate. Full Rate is reported to have broken down badly, and has been scratched for all his Wanganui engagements. Trafalgar has been withdrawn from the Australian Cup, and is undergoing special training for the Champion Stakes. Three of the most prominent horses in the Australian Cup, namely, Alavva, Crucinella, and Lady Lucy have been scratched.

The Soult —Chrysalis gelding Hopscotch, who was sent to India last year, won a race for ponies at the Calcutta meeting.

It is stated that the ex-New Zealand horse, Broadsword, is one of the fancied candidates for the Newmarket Handicap. There was an unusual incident at the St. James' meeting (Vic.) the other day, when iu the principal event there were only two starters, and the pair ran a dead heat. By the death of his owner, which occurred last Sunday, the nominations of St. Toney for the Taranaki, Wanganui, and Danuevirke fixtures have been cancelled.

In abolishing betting with the bookmakers, New Zealand was only following the lead of the Argentine, where all speculation is done by means of the tutalisator.

The locally owned horses, The Rover and Waipaku, have accepted for the Woodville Cup, to be run on the 22nd. The former will carry 6st. ylb., and the latter 7st, nib.

Mr Middelton Melrose has accepted with Truganini and Lord Kelvin in the Newmarket Handicap. It looks as though the New Zealand pair are flying at rather high game. R. Marsh, who used to train for the late King, has now in work twenty-three horses belonging to King George. Included among them are ten three-year-olds and ten a year younger. Cruciuella, the New Zealand bred mare, whose scratching in the Hobart Cup caused a lot of comment, was subsequently started in the big handicap on both days of the Launceston meeting, but finished out ol place both days.

Among the recent winners of hurdle races in Melbourne was the New Zealand horse, The Raft (The Possible Lifebelt), who started a rank outsider in the jumping events at Sandowu Park on February qth, and won easily. The Victorian jockey, W. Andrews, who was injured when Moutain Chief fell in the luveresk Stakes at the Launceston meeting, has died. His brother, P. Andrews, was killed riding in the last Ascot Thousands in November.

Recently the rulers of the proprietary racing clubs in Sydney received a hint to the effect that they had better increase their stakes from 500 to 600 sovs. per day. They at once decided to raise bookmakers’ fees to the extent that the increase will bring them to another ,£1:000 a year.

It will be remembered that the last Champion Race at Flemingtou was in the nature of a fiasco—a long canter and a smart sprint home. To guard against anything like this in the next contest the Messrs Mitchell, owners of Trafalgar, have nominated another horse who will carry their colours, and whose duty will be to act as pacemaker for Trafalgar.

The latest additions to the hurdle ranks are Puketotara and Aimwell, whose names appear among the horses engaged in the obstacle races at the coming meeting of the VV.D J.C. Puketotara is a gelding by The Officer, who has sired several good hurdle racers. Mr A. M. Wright does not go in for hurdle racers as a rule, but hopes before long to be able to put the gelding over the fences with great success. Mr T. Walls, a comedian appearing in “The Arcadians” had the mount on Chrouoscope in the Counthian Handicap, at the recent A.J.C. meeting in Sydney. As the horseman went out for his preliminary the band played one of Walls’ best known songs, and the amateur horseman got a good reception from the public. He is said to have ridden a good race, but his mount was too green to win. The modern motor car is a fairly reliable machine, but it cannot

; always be depended upon to get , one to a racecourse at a specified 1 time. Four well-known Adelaide : jockeys had an experience of this lat the Kapuuda meeting, when, I owing to the machine coming o [ grief, three of the riders dia uot ; reach the course at all, while the | fourth turned up a few minutes j before the last race. What the j owners who bad engaged the jockeys to ride thought of the adventure is not stated. Iu New Zealand when a wellbacked horse is iu the way and someone desires that it shall be prevented from winning, it is usual to attempt to square the jockey. In Africa the nobblers apparently believe in more drastic measures. At the Benoni (South Africa) meeting recently, a filly named Sand Rose died in the paddock just after she had been saddled up for a race. Sand Rose was favourite at the time of her collapse. The club’s veterinary surgeon, Mr C. Trevena Bray, examined the animal and gave as his opinion that death was due to strychnine. The stewards held an inquiry, and the matter is to be reported to the Jockey Club. The contents of the horse’s stomach were to have been examined by the Government Analyst.