SPORTING.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 20 August 1920, Page 4

SPORTING.

Nominations for the Manawatu Hunt Club’s steeplechaso close with the secretary (Hr W. (McKenzie) tomorrow at 10 p.m. - Great interest centres in the event, and beides nominations it is expected that there will be a crowd attending the fixture from this district. Mr G. Currie’s, colt Tliesian InAbsurd —Leta, is reported to be shaping satisfactorily at Wanganui. T. A. Williams, an ex-Aucklander, is amongst those trainers licensed by the Australian Jockey Club to train on courses other than at Randwick. The Wellington District Committee have granted L. Manson a ■ jockey’s license, so that all the boys concerned in the Avondale incident are now reinstated. Coalition’s time for the Grand National Steeples, 7,29 2-5, is the slo west recorded since 1006, when j Phaotonitis took 7.44 2-5. Only on nine occasions has a horse won the Grand National Steeplechase with a heavier weight than Coalition won with last week. The poundage Coalition was successful under is the heaviest successfully carried since Levanter won with 12.0 in the saddle in ISO 7, just 23 years ago. Mark P. Whitby, a well-known Melbourne trainer, died recently at the age of 00. He was most successful with horses, among his most prominent winners of late years being Uncle Sam, which he trained for Mr Ilcid, and which won two Caulfield Cups. The time, 4min sJsec, recorded by Hylans when he won the C.-J.C. National Hurdle Race on Thursday, is the slowest since the distance of the race was increased to about 2S- miles. Not since 1911, when Continuance won under 11.11, has a horse with a weight equal to the 11.4 carried by Hylans been successful. Record Reign holds the weight record, winning in 1900 under 12.12. & After the Grand National Steeplechase, R. Thompson, rider of Gusinaco. complained that H. McSweeney. rider of Coalition, had bored him out when racing for the last fence. McSwoeney’s version was that, ho was ia danger of being pushed out toward the inside rail and so running round the fence. The Judicial Committee supported this view, and administered a caution to Thompson. Gavlight, who broke his neck in the C.J.C. Grand National Hurdles, was pulling double at the time of the mishap, and took oil' too soon. Had he stood up he would have bec-n very hard to beat. General Petaln is one of the most promising hurdlers seen out for some time. He stands close on seventeen hands high.