SPORTING.

Shannon News, 22 September 1922, Page 3

SPORTING.

OTAKI MEETING TO-MORROW.

The Otaki spring meeting opens tomorrow and continues on Monday. The club has been favoured with splendid acceptances, and everything points to to-morrow’s racing being attended with every success.

Reports from Otaki state that the race circuit is in the best of order, and with a continuance of the present fine weather some smart times and good racing should be the result.

The Otaki Club has added a good many improvements to . its properly within the: last, few years, and the latest addition is a tea kiosk, which is expected to be completed in ampl? time for the present meeting, an-l should be fully appreciated by patrons.

No less than 25 runners are in the Maiden Plate, which event will ooen to-morrow’s proceedings. In this field are Prowler and Sleeping Beauty, who* ran into place-money at the Manawatu Hunt .Club meeting on Wednesday, and may be expected to repeat their best form to-morrow. Another runner is Noble, who accounted for the Te Matai Hack Hurdles at the same meeting, so that, with a. sprinkling of more seasoned performers, of which there are more than a few engaged, the event appears very open, and backers will have their work cut #ut in picking the winner. Race two is the Otaki Hack of seven furlongs, which shows a card of 18. This should bei one of the best of the short races of the day, as it contains some horses that have recently shown winning form. Mark Time (0.8) Ins been well in the limelight of bite, and critics put the tag of a. “good one” on him, and the son oT “Mark Time is bound to be well supported. Helen Rufus, owned and trained by F. J. Carmont, scored at the Marten meeting, and there is Yankee Dan, Auckland, Petunia and several others who have proved sprinting powers.

The High-weight Handicap of a mile and a-quarter has brought seven acceptors, with Explorer (10.13) heading the list-. Fisher, Pacific Slope and Mattock follow closely in the weights, and it would not be surprising to see the winner come- from this brigade. Mattock has had some success of late, and ran second to Noble in the Hack Hurdles at Palmerston North on Wednesday. The next event, the Maldtcnorc Memorial of a mile and arquarter, is the big race of the day, for which a field of 10 have: paid up. That consistent performer,'Printemps, who heads the weights with 8.11, will have plenty of admirers, and the recent form of Ambitious stamps this daughter of Absurd as being another of the tribe with a turn of speed. Pnoanui and Kilgour are a pair that should run well and help to make an interesting race.

The Stewards’ Hack, a six-furlong: flutter, has some speedy ones among the 13 starters. Mungakino showed a clean pair of heels to the field in the Newbury Handicap at the Hunt. Club meeting on Wednesday,, and Comic and Pillage among the others have some galloping powers. The field is fairly open, and punters-have a wide choice.

The Hying is the main sprint event of the day, for which a dozen are left in. Solfanello is well loaded with 10.5, and Sunarfc is next with 9.3, but if the Solferino gelding can get his burden home first he will prove himself a good one indeed. Probate is showing form, and ' Astifiome, Waimatoa and Insurrection can do fast. time over this distance, so that there should be nothing wrong with the time registered.

A dozen is also engaged in the Welter of one mile, and comprise a. laiMy even lot with the exception of Mark Time 10.7, who is weighted 161 b above Lady Nassau. Olynthus has -been off the track for some time, and may run forward. The Roere Welter of one mile concludes the day’s spoi’t. Zircon got a place at Wednesday’s races at Palmerston, and Probate and Cold Steel should help to make things interesting.

Esperance was accepted for in the big race at Otaki, but has since been withdrawn, a,s "'she showed signs of soreness. Gloaming and Beauford are due to meet on September 30 at Randwick, in the Spring Stakes, of one milt; and a-half, w.f.a.

The Absurd gelding, Ambitious, was backed with a good deal of confidence for the principal fiat event at Awapuni on Wednesday, and in all the circumstances the price that was obtained about him was a fairly good one.

The best price paid at the Manawatu Hunt gathering on Wednesday was that returned by Mungakino, who. scored in the last event of the da.v. A field of moderate hacks was engaged, and Mungakino, being poorly supported, paid just on double figures.