SPORTING.

Shannon News, 19 January 1923, Page 3

SPORTING.

FOXTON JUBILEE MEETING. Great interest will centre in the race lor the Diamond Jubilee Cup at the Foxton Racing Club’s meeting on Saturday. After the race the owner of the winner will be presented with the Handsome cup valued at 45gns and donated by the Foxton racecourse trustees in commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee of the club. The trainer of the winner will receive a pair of racing binoculars donated by the executive of the Manawatu Licensed Victuallers’ Association, and to the jockey will be given a- handsome gold-mounted whip, by Mrs Walter Kirkland, ol Foxton.

The acceptances for the first day at Foxton are fair, taken all round, and there should be a good day’s racingon Saturday. There are eight in the Hurdles, and Springtide fills the eye better titan anything else engaged. The Ilimitaiigi Hade, ol' six furlongs, lias 13 acceptors, and a fairly even lot they are. After liis good showing at Marton, Atapo should have plenty of supporters, whilst the Foxton mare, Helen Rufus, will not lack admirers. Fleeting, Projector, March On and Satin are all pretty slick. The last-named paid a big dividend at Foxton last year, and the old quotation of horses for courses may apply again. The big event of the day, the Diamond Jubilee Cup, will be run over 11 miles. 'The field of 14 is well above the average, with Admiral Codrington (9.0) heading the weights, and Printemps next with 8.12. Among the lighter weights are Dissertation, Mark Time and Hallowroz (a Pahiatua winner). The Levin-owned Beloved and Kuia are another pair that should not go without supporters. The race is a very open one, and should he among the best ever seen on the course.

j Eleven remain in the Awahou Hack, . one mile and a distance. The LevinJ owned Pleasure 9.3, and Sweet Song ; 8.13, read well, and if in form March |On or Sling Camp, with the handy '< weight of 8.0, should run forward, i Probate, back from a successful i run on the West Coast, is top weight lin the Anniversary Handicap field | with 9.0. Birkie, Jackaroo, Island and | Snatcher aret a handy quartette, and 1 the place-getters should come, from i among them. j /i dozen hacks are in the Marotiri ' Hack, a 5) furlongs flutter that anyj thing might score in. | The Herrington Welter (seven furlongs) has a dozen acceptors. I his is another good even lot, and Kareao, . Probate and Correspondent should' j help to ‘make things interesting.

A maiden race is also on the card,

and eight runners will start. [ On the second day at Foxton, the. | rider of the winner in the Presi- j dent’s Handicap will receive a joe-1 key’s whip, presented by Mr H. D. j Mclver (at one time owner of Foernan } and First Line), and the rider of the ■ winner of the Apprentices’ Hack Han-j dicap will receive from Charlie Price, r of the Junction Hotel, Sanson (a rider j of many old-time winners on the Foxton course), a similar trophy. Forty-one hacks .4iave accepted lor the Douro Cup, of £750, one mile, at

the Wellington meeting. j The well known horseman, W. Young, has taken up his residence in , Levin, where he will reside in future. It is more than probable that Young will set up as a trainer in Levin. A good many Feilding sports would ;ike to know the whereabouts of one gentleman who vanished alter the second day of the recent Marton meeting (says the Star). For winning the: Wyndham Cup, Silver Peak was re-liandicapped “up a stone” in the Southland Cup, and was narrowly beaten. Her owner says

that the mare will never race in Southland, again. It is generally understood that horses sent to the West Coast lor the holiday meetings are expected to earn their oats and travelling expenses during the seven days’ racing.

Balefire, Demonstrate, and Bestir were the hardest worked. Balefire started in eleven races, ior three firsts and one third, ana Demonstrate r similar number oi times lor two fir its and one second. Bestir had ten races, in which he was first past the post in one, and in the second place on no l'ewer than seven occasions. Persons not interested in racing have little idea' of the large amount of money it takes to run a small race

meeting, neither do these people realise what an excessive amount of taxation is extracted from the club and owners running such meeting. Clubs of the standing ol' Canterbury and Auckland pay stupendous sums, while even a small club like the Strat-

lord Racing Club had to hand over io the Government-no less than £43L-J 15/9 In the way ol' taxes and levies over their recent meeting. AN OLD-TIME MEETING. As the forthcoming meeting of the Foxton Racing Club will be the sixliteh held in Foxton, the Herald, has been looking the old files for reports of some of the early races. They make interesting reading, and show the real sporting spirit that existed in the good old days. The._ programme of a meeting on January 6, 1880, shows that six events were run as follows:

Hurdle Race. —Two miles, six hurdles, 3ft Gin high. One stone over weight- for age. Entrance £l. Produce Race.—One and a-hall' miles, weight for age. Entrance £l. Pony Race.—One mile. Catch weights. Entrance 10/. lliniatangi Handicap—Two"" and ahalf miles. Nomination £1 1/, acceptance £1 1/. Gate Purse.—One and a-hall' miles, heats, weight for age. Entrance £l. Consolation Stakes.—One and alialf iniles, handicap. Entrance

£l. The location of the course was about three miles from Foxton on what was known as the Himatangi Block at Motuiti. The Herald records that soon after 9 o’clock on Tuesday morning it was evident there was an a inaction for the day in ihe direction of Motuiti, for a constant stream of horsemen were seen riding off in that direction. This lasted till :i o'clock, when 1-ox ton was quite deserted, remaining so till 5 p.m., by which time most of the holiday seekers had returned to town. At about 1D.30 a.m. a “special” left the railway station and conveyed a goodly number of persons to the course-. Every preparation had been made before the meeting to make it as successful as possible, and the course was properly flagged off, scales provided and other adjuncts of a race meeting were on the ground. For the judge’s box, Mr Whyte had his buggy drawn up, and it answered the purpose admirably. The attendance, naturally, was large, both Europeans and Maoris. The Produce Race proved a “boil over,” for ihe Maori horse Mulligan, who went quickly to the front, won from Banjo by three lengths, the others nowhere. The Pony Race was the best sport of the day, and was run in heals. Banshee won the first, with Abolition second, and in the second a false, start was made, but the two above horses did the distance at their best pace. The held started again, and Banshee led once more, but Aurora’s jockey got in some good work, and beat Banshee half a head. The last heat Aurora and Banshee fought between them, and the latter got the verdict by a length, and was .enthusiastically cheered. The winner ran six miles lor her win. The. llimatangi Handicap was iwo and a-hali miles, and there were seven starters. Tills was expected to be a good thing for the Maori pony Tim Whilfler, who was a good stayer. After a good start Whiffler got to the front, but half a mile from home Commission came with a rush and won by two lengths from the Maori horse, the rest nowhere. The Consolation was described as a fine race and was won by Maori Boy, whilst the. Hack Race went to a bay gelding belonging to Mr Cribbs.