SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 53

SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

I Bt Ravens wobth.

MELBOURNE, August 31. RACING IN MELBOURNE. A race meeting was held at Moonefr valley last- Wednesday The day was beau- .; tijfully fine but the going heavy. Wattle Vale 10.2. by Invermay, won the Hurdio Race, ir which the well-known rider A. S. Henkel met witb a serious accident. H« ! was riding W P., and this gelding led foy a considerable listance. He was beaten, I and lost his plaoa before coming to the la«b j hurdle, at which he fell, and Henkel sus- ■ tain-ed a comminuted fracture of his lefti | thigh and a comminuted fracture of th» right pelvis The Maiden Plate attracted 23 runners, and the three- year-old Masterpiece, by . imported Riding Master, fronr, The Gem, by Grand Flaneur, was successful^ He cost 50 guineas only as a yearling. C Bolton rode him. and he also got Shot: Tower 7.13, by Shot and Shell, home in the Valley Handicap, 8i furlongs. King's County 9.0, by Majestic (son of Trentonf was ridden to victory by S. Howie in the ' Steeplechase, and Lcnore 7.13, by Orzil tooia the Welter Purse The New Zealand-bredl Idyll, whe has yet to win her Qrst race, was thought to have a first-olass 1113x106 ir\ the Welter PuTse, but again ran disappointinglj. She cos' 590 guineas at the Stead! sale. It was left to the good-looking Argonaut ho rvc A.B. to soore an easy wia from Charleroi, who made most of the rui.-" rung. On Saturday races were held at Williom--stown. It was a miserable day, rain falling nearly all the afternoon, but there was a> (satisfactory attendance, and fields kept up well. Idyll made up for past disappointments by winning the Purse, but she must still oivc ht>r party a lot of money The Purse was the bottom half of a divided handicap, and sho only had 41b ovei the minimum, so there was nothing in the form. Mint pa»=ed Idyll ot the turn, and looked like winning easily, but failed to stay. So far Idyll ha: shaped a long way short of> her siatcr Isolt. She 's in all the bigspiing handicaps, but her class does not appea> good enough for anything like an, important race. Knox, who is also in tho big spring handicaps, in Sydney and Melbourne, won the Spring Handicap, one mile, in good st\le, with 9.9 up. He is a fine galloper, bu* does not stay, and for that reason Mr Menzios let him into the Melbourne Cup at 7.5 In a field of 15 Last Mistake 10.7, who had never previously run in a jumping race, was successful in tho Hurdio Race, the unlucky Louise 10.2 being second. C. Boltor rode Malmsey 7.9 to victory in the Plate, six furlongs. Malmseyis by Maltster from Lovelawn, by G-rafton from Loveloch, dam of Confetti, and ia a good rut of a gelding He is trained at Oaulfield by George Wheeler The Moonee Va"'le> winner, Lenoie 8.5, led all the way ir tbe Trial Handicap, five furkpgs, while F Bam CnWied tlio day's sport by riding Leo 9.7 to victory in ths Jumpers' Fiat Rhc< v . Leo come, from Tasmania, and is by Merriwee"s half-brother Leeholxne. ? RACING IN SYDNEY J. E. Pike rode- two winners, Confetti 7.3 in the Flying Handicap, and Doy 8.5 in th& Park Stake at tho Canterbury Park meeting' on Saturday Confetti, wiio is a. four-year-old filly, is closely related to the Williamstown winner Malmsey, being by Maltster from Loveloch. Doy is a three-yeax-old bj the New Zealand- bred Lancaster (by Hotchkiss). Vylands 9.9, by St. Swithin, took tbe Hurdle Race, while tho Stewards' -

ifQe went fo imported 1 Buctleberry, by ' Oberon (son of Galopin). from Polly Mar- ' Sen, by Manden. War Bee 9.0 won the Canterbury Handicap, one mile and a-quar-ter, but only had a head to spare at tho finish from Outbreak 7.7. War Bee is by T ' tho Carbine horse War God, and, like Doy and Buckleberry, is engaged in both the 'Epsom Handicap and Metropolitan. J. Finn, who trained- Golden Slipper, won the Shorts Handicap with Hope Royal 8.7, by ' Grafton, Glade (J. E. Pike) being second. RACING IN WEST AUSTRALIA. The Boulder Racing Club meeting vt-sa i. continued on Wednesday, when the Boulder "t Cup, of 800sovs, two miles and 53 yards. r /was - run. Ine winner was Baerami 9.6, r trhois the Grafton gelding, that T. Payten t Jhad -as a two-year-old. He seems to have | developed into a fair hore9 in. the West. i .Tihe field In the Boulder Cup included Willy ' -Waly, Gravity, Boidol, and Thackeray, all .well known in* Melbourne. None succeeded f in even getting a place. The Hurdle Race < -went to Vareena 9.9, by Le Var, and the '. Horseshoe Plate to Hatteras 8:10, who is f Ijy Chesterman, and was once a -champion in f? .Tasmania. The stipendiary stewards faeJd I' an inquiry into tfie running of Ellis in this -. race: The horse, trainer (T. K. Louder), I' and jockey (Jas. Trenoweth) were cmqnfcli- '- fied for two years for malpractice. Laughing Water 10.2, by Bobadil, won ihe Ladies' i Bracelet after a good race; -while Angeliue I 8.0, 4>y. .Simon, was successful in the Hbrse- %' -shoe Plate. Trumper 7.0, -by Inverm*y, %" iieat the much-fancied Severity 9.9, by a f "neck in the Lake View Handicap, one r- mile. ; The meeting was concluded last Saturday. > .The Encourage Stakes went to Myall Primer f 7.13, by Siramer. and the Welter Plate to "■ Nuoifersu 9 12, by Haut Brion. Nucifera ris another of T Payten's cast-offs. Pro minenco 9.6, by Eminence, won the Grand r Stand Handicap by a neck from Brunswick l 7.3..' The Great Western Steeplechase, of ? 500sovs, two miles and a-half, attracted six 5 runners, • and only rhree of them finished. } Ijavel Lyne (by Straightfire), one of those f to fall, was 'killed. He was until recently I racing in Melbourne. The race went to * Old • Chum 10.5, by Autonomy. King o' '■ Scots 9.11, by Wallace, was successful in I tho .Welter Purse, and the New Zealandj' tired Annapolis 9.4, by Phoebus Apollo— ' Itoxana, ecored in the Farewell Handicap. I I one mile. I '■ f SENSATIONAL BILLIARD BREAK. s The young Australian George Gray broke ' the world's, record for a billiard break last j Wednesday in the counss of a, match he is ■ playing at Aicock's Rooms, Melbourne, with * J?\ Lindrum, jun. They play 16,000 up. "- Gray receiving 1000 start. Gray's particular stroke is a. losing hazard into the ■. middle pocket, v a.nd there is a certain '%' amount or monotony, about his play. The j, break v.as more interesting than usual, for r ths very roason. that it toot him come little i while to rind the middle pocket strength - accurately. At 3841 Gray was once more in po>se£ 3 io:i of the 1000 points start which I iiir.driiHi .fc-ad conceded him at the etaxt of ? tho game, and his play was gaining in , precision ai 50 after 50 was left behind. The murmur of approbation round the room j . had died away — it was realised that big Bgiues were ah.-ad, and the spcctatoie ,' settled down to a silenco which amounted ; almosi to wc.')dL'iment All that was to bo heard was Hi* click of the balls, followed by ths mor.oton^ ol the marker's voice as the score v.iis called. Ho ran to his eed- - sional Doint-s in one hour and 20 minutes with v. 432 unfinished, all of which but . the lire: fi\e points had been made with only the red ball on tb<j table. This left Gray .witu ? perfect position, and only 52 points • etill to get to beat his own world's record >of 528 off the red. On resuming in the evening it \va6 evident as soon as Gray t 4utd played his first few shots that new /^ figures off the iv" were to be established ,-Tho 52 necessary for that purpose were soon got Gray's own record of 528 off tlic V 3ied was gone, auc' the room became hopeful that the f)00 might bs passed ; hope became expectation, and expectstior realisation, and so again wi'h tha seventh hundred. As •jTay's run went on wall into the eighth hundred, the possibility of Stevenson's iigures of 802 — the world's best record at billiards und<»r existing conditions of play — being parsed lent added interest to the •break in progress. Gray carried the break *o £36, 831 of which had baen made off the led. He failed, as he had so often before, oa the forcing loser into the top left-hand •pocket— he seldom missed the shot' on the f other sids. Altogether it was a magnificent achievement of skill, nerve, and endurance. The proudest man in the room ' mwm George Gray's father, who had had the ! special table fitted up by Messrs Alcock for the -match officially measured and certified, and. the crystalato balls with which the game is being played tested and weighed '-ibefore the start of the contest. Gray was •fcoru in South Melbourne on March 28, 1892. He js, therefore, only in his eighteenth year. It is intendied that he *ball visit England for the billiard season of 1910. Tho Messrs Alcock presented Gray .with a cheque for 100 guineas in recognition *of his feat. DEATH OF EVANS. Harry Evans, at one time billiard champion of Australia, died last week in Mel"tSoufiie, in his seventieth year. Evans arrived in Australia as far back as 1882. He started to play billiards in England at eight year's' old, an<? when a mere youth was pitted against some of the leading players. •In a game against "Tom" Taylor, in the Old Country, Evans made a break of 406, ■.which was considered at the time an exH oellent achievement. Prior to leaving EngH ian'd, he won an all->round spot-barred .tour- ■ nament, in which Bennett and Peall comH f>eteS. Evans, on coming to this country, Mrmt first settled in Adelaide, where he made ■ '1000 points (including a break of 708) in ■S7 minutes On arrival in Melbourne he ■ won a billiard tournament at the Temper- ■ ance Hall, the other players being Weiss, ■ Byrne, Albers, and James. He then be■came the recognised champion of Australia, ■but lost the title to C. Memmott, at the ■Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne, in 1892. H THE TROTTING DISPUTE. ■, To all intents and purposes the dispute ■wtiseen, the Victorian Trotting Association ■ *nd the Melbourne Trotting Olub has been ended The association has agreed to make Bats constitution more liberal by giving re- ■ (presentation to the Melbourne Trotting ■ Olub and other interests. Mr John Murray, ■ ths Premier and Chief Secretary, was pri- ■ marily responsible for the settlement of tho ■.ddspute. The Gaming Act allows 20 dav\s the year for trotting meetui'gti, ami the

aßotmeni of the dates is t-este'd in the Chief Secretary, and Mr Murray told Mr Wiren (Melbourne Trotting Olub) and Mr Alan Tye (president Victoriain Trotting Association) that unless the parties came to an agreement no dates would be allotted at all. A meeting of trotting men to consider the situation was held on Saturday night, when about 60 persons were present. Mr John WTen, the principal speaker, said that a fortnight ago representations had b,een made to the Victoria. Trotting Association asking them to give the new association representation. The Victorian Trotting Association's reply was that they could) see no aood reason for taking such action. It was then decided to show the association that no matter how strong their constkution might be they dared not go against the majority in the business nor against public opinion. The conference was held cm Friday between him (Mr Wren) and Mr A. Tye, on behalf of the association. They had seven or eight hours' discussion. At finst fehei association decided to grant representation to the Melbourne Trotting Club only, and to give that club two representatdves on the association. That, he (Mr Wren.) pointed out, was ha>rdly sufficient, aa he believed that thosg engaged in the sport were entitled to some consideration. After three or four hours' discussion he 'had suooeeded in getting two representatives on ■behalf of tha owners, making four altogether. Thare was no doubt that that was a great concession. He had also attempted to_ secure representation for country districts such as Bendigo. Up to the present he had mot succeeded, but he hoped that at tb» next- meeting of the association on Monday they wou'd see the fairness cf giving a representative to the people in the country. — (Hear, hear.) If those propositions could be carried into effect .he thought that they would have secured a great victory. — (Hear, hear.) A fortnight ago their requests had bean laughed at, but to-day the asooriation aealieed that they could no longer deny the rights of those who had sought representation. As contributors to the revenue, -they -were entitled to a vote in the management. If they could get one representative on behalf of the owners end trainers in country districts they would have done a great deal towards settling the question permanently. He was with the meetimp whatever it decided. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr P. Kierce— "That Messrs J. B. Zander, J. W.ren, and H. Bambridge be empowered by this meeting to finally act in the matter of accepting or rejecting the Victorian Trotting_ Association's offers of representation en its executive." In reply to Mr T. Chatto. Mr Wren said that no airranigememt would be thought of unless every man's disqualification were removed. He would not be a pa.rty to any man being made a scaroegoat. At a conference held on Monday night the whole dispute was amicably sattled, and tlie Melbourne Tiott-inj? Club will continue to race under the auspices of the Victorian Trotting Association, whose constitution will be amended MISCELLANEOUS. As tho tracks at Ballarat are in a bad way James Scobie has brought nearly the whole of h's team, 15 horses, to Flemington, where he will remain until the spa-ing meetings are over. The lot lie brought down comprise Alawa, Mother Goose, Keynote, Barm, Glue, Jack Smith, Florance, Spryfoot, Eye-glass (imp., by Isinglass), and the two-year-olds Vigilante (b c, by San Francisco— Vigil), Glenspean (br or bl c, by Maltster — Cradle), Scuttlecask (eh c, by Maltster — Coal Queen), Andesite (br or bl c. by Sylvanite— Florodora), Tatala (b o, by Bobadil — Lippen), and Aluminite (b f, by Dreamland — Andalusite). All the horses are on the big side. Mother Goose looks greatly improved. At the Ballarat Miners' Turf Club races, held last Friday, the principal event, the August Handicap, one mile, went to Joan 8.1, who is by the Bill of Portland horse Eminence. R. Fennessy rode Paddy to victory in the Hurdle and Miclr in the Steeplechase. This is a good Hibernian double. Owina: to heavy rain falling the previous day, th«> opeming of the South Australian Jockey Club spring meeting-, fixed for last Saturday, was postponed till next Wcdnesdav, when the S.A. Derby will be run. The leading football match in Melbourne on Saturday was "between Fitzroy and Mcl- | bourne, and Melbourne won by 61 points to 31. South Melbourne, Essemdon, Gollingwood, anid Carlton. won their matehee. South Melbourne is still leading Caxlton and Collingwocd for the League premiership. In the football match Malvern Grammar School against Toorak G-ramma.r School, in Melbourne last week, Malvern kicked 30 goals, 20 ■■behinds (200 points), while their opponents failed to score even a minor point. This is surely a record in its way. At Tillimby Stud. New South Wales, Nereid, the dam of the New Zealand crack Achilles, has produced a colt foal to the imported sire Prudent King. Preparations for the sculling match between Harry Pearce and George Day for the championship of Australia and £100 aside have been prog-ressing steadily. Pearce ins still rowing from his own sheds j at the Spit, with Hagney as his pacemaker. I TJie water has been good, consequently they have been abJe to put in good work. Pearce is aiieady beginning to feel in good trim again. Day ha 6 been with George Towns now a little over a week, and is showing improvement not only in condition, but in style. Hwgnej and Thoroughgood have been definitely matched to row for £100 at. Raymond Terrace on October 9, while Albert Haydon and Georjre Hirst have been matched to row over the Ray- I mond Terrace course on Saturday, October ] 9. As Hangney and Thoroughgood have , also arranged to row over the same course ; on the same day some other arrangements will probably be made by one of the two pairs. When Mr R. Coomb^e arrived back in Sydney from New Zealand after the late Arnst-Webb race he was authorised to challenge any sculler in Australia on behalf of George Whelch, who recently defeated Fogwell. The challenge remained out for some time, and Day accepted it, The annual road race of 100 miles, momoted by the Victorian Cycle Traders' Association, was decided on Saturday over the usual course, and resulted in a win ■ for P. Jenkins, 13min handicap, in 6hr 19min 30sec. S. Barker (Tas.), fiom scratch, was scecond in 6hr 7min (the fastest lims of the day), and H. T. Motto j (3min handicap) third in 6hr 12min Tho stare and nni^hintr point was at North "Bssendon, the course leading along tho Sumbury road, through Tullamarine and Bulla, to within a milo j,r fo of the firstnamed town, where a turn due north

made, past Laneefield Junction, and ! through Romeey to Laneefield. Here a } cross-road was adopted, through Rochford j and Newham to Woodend 1 , and another tuirn ; north, to Oarlsruih& made, from which point ' the course led back direct to Easemdon, ' through Woodend again, then Gisborne, Diggers' Rest and Keilor. Of an entry numbering 37?, 300 faced the starter, while the officials checked 73 riders who com- ! pleted the course within the time limit, I which, owing to the inclement weather, was ' extended from ssven hours to seven and a-half hours. The competitors had a very ! trying ride. | but before he covered the deposit he wanted to finish up with Pearce. The match, however, will now have to fall through, as Whelch has withdrawn his deposit and challenge. The New Zealand colt Tribulation has been withdrawn from the cla&sic evente of the A.J.C. spring meeting. The raeehorsee Mundic, Kairoma, Rewera, Ikon, Seraphic, and Bulworth arrived Sydney last week from New Zealand. j The racing days of the imported mare Aurifera are over. She hurt herself when j 6he last ran at Moonee VaWey. She has been sent to Adelaide, and will in, due course be mated at the Blair Athol Park Stud with imported Playbill. j Amongst the horses going -well op the tracks in Sydney are Umgarie, Prince Foote, Kyeadgerie, Goldef Slipper, Artil- j ierie, Danilo, and Nadir. ] Uxbridge has been withdrawn' from tho CauWfeld Cup and Melbourne Cup, and Distillery from the Williamstown Cup, and Nandilyan Mail for the A.J.C. Epsom Handicap and Metropolitan. J. Caffrey is now training at Fleminglon, the New Zealand galloways Eleraore and Norma. j In anticipation of a visit to Sydney next month Slipper is being worked right J •handed' at Flemington. Slipper is engaged ! in the AJ.C. Epsom Handicap at 7.10. ' A First, Second, and Third-class Platewill be run at the Findon Harriers' Hunt Club races, to be held at Moonee Valley on Saturday, September 18. It was at a j Findon Harriers' meeting that this class of | event was first introduced in Australia. The V.R.C. Committee some little time back intimated that no objection would be offered to a continuance of such events — for the present, at any rate. At the Fitzroy racecourse laet week a trotting handicap was sandwiched into the programme of horse, pony, and galloway racing. There were 60 entries and 32 j starters, and it was decided to divide the race into two heats, the owners of the r placed horses in each section agreeing to a division of the £50 stake, which the Melbourne Trotting Club had allotted for disbursement amongst the first four competitors. Eighteen trotters and pacers figured in the fir&i, division, and 14 in the second. In the former event Brown Wing, the favourite, was just beaten out of a place, victory destine with the Clarks' Harold mare Harold Bell«, who was an outsider. She comfortably defeated the Sjdney mare Queen Tuxedo. The second 1 heat provided a brillianl struggle for the winning post, and five of the 14- were almost abreast a. few yards from the posl, which the Honest Harold gelding Delmas, from Warrnambool, passed first a neck j ahead of *he backmarker Nelly 8., who , ; started favourite. The winners of the flat races were Mystery (by Dreamland), Eva, ' Gyroscope (by Torpedo), Larrikin (by Beauohamp), and Graceful (by Alva). Collarit was awa.rded first prize in the olase for thoroughbred stallions at the recent Forbes meeting in New South Wales. Madame Melba recently registered her ■ racing colours with the V.R.C, and at a meeting of the V.R.C. Committee last week she was elected by ballot a member of the club. Nothinsr has transpired aa to her intentions in regard to racing horsee in Australia. Master Soult has been scratched for tho Melbourne Cup. Morpheus, by Dreamland from Hurrah, has been soVl to go to South Australia, where he will do stud duty. j When Wanrua fell in the Knowsley | Steeplechase at Oaulfieid on August 14 he , fractured a small bone in hie neck • At firfct it was thought that he might be =aved, but paralysis setting 1 in he had to be destroyed. Wanrua was a six-year-old gelding by Duke of Portland from Corena, and was bought a month or two ago by Mr H. A. Armytage from Mr T. M. Linton. The second day of the Bendigo Jockey Club had to be abandoned owing to heavy rain, and the olub suffered a loss of £116 ove.v the fixture. Wahwallah, by Simmer, while running in a paddock near Goulbura (N.S.W.), collided with a fence, and broke hie neck. The New Zealand jockov H. Cairns has arrived in Sydney to ride Osiris and Tumut in their engagements in Australia. At the Boulder Club races in Western Australia on Auzu. c t 25 Thomas K. Lauder's horse Ellis ran isecond to Haiteras ij> the Horseshoe Plate, and was fiuhseauently, with the owner and jockey (J. Trenoweth). disqualified for alleged mal-uractice. A writ has been issued by Lauder against the stipendiary stewards and chairman of the West Australian Turf CJub, under whose rules the races were run, claiming damages, and also apnlyinsj for an injunction restraining the defendants from proceeding with or acting upon the disqualification. On Monday morning Mr Justice Burnside made an order that the stipend iarv stewards a.nd the West Australian Turf Club should be restrained until the trial of the action from further proceedings with, or acting upon, the disnualification of Lauder and the horse, with liberty to the defendants to apply to dissolve the injunction. — The application of E. "Turner for a jockey's license was finally dealt with by the V.R.C. Committee la?t week, and refused. The committee decided some little time back not to reopen the case of W. Burn, who has on several occasions applied to be reliocnsed. Buckleberi-v. who won a race at the Canterbury Park moetinir on Saturday, was imported to New South Wales from England in 1905 by Ml W. Brown. Buckleberry was sold at auction last year, and isecurec* by his present owner, Mr S. j Menary. for 115<?s. I i The jockey W. Gullum was fined by tne , \ Canterbury Park stewards on Saturday for rpmovinir his oap and riding without it in the Flying Handicap. - i

— Que^n Wilhelmina of Holland ha=. a r"o-t . c uecc**ful and payine daiiv fai--n* «mA r far from her pulaca ai Hct Joo. ' '