SPORTING.

Shannon News, 11 April 1924, Page 4

SPORTING.

Acceptances for the Wairarapa Racing Club’s meeting close on April 14th, at 8 p.m. At the Westport meeting on the first day Pillage ran a first and a third, Matarefia was first in a race and second in another, and Bestir ran into a second place. An initeresting visitor to Awapuni on Wednesday, was one who had recently seen the races in Melbourne. In comparing th(o appearance and the 'appointments of each, he was mildly apologetic for the Melbourne course, and frankly pleased with the Manawatu Club’s. j The flowers and the turf, he ' said, were the gift of our climate, whilie the drought on the other side was a welter weight handicap. The luncheon pavilion here was a great improvement on theirs, which was comparable 1 only to our old time concrete floored dive under the stand. Theite the race day is a serious business proposition, but the people here make it a pleasant diversion from the business. A good story was told a Palmerston North resident by a well-known racing visitor to Palmerston North. A farmer who had made up his mind on an Easter trip to Sydney came back from Wellington very dissatisfied with the berth allotted him. on the steamer. In casually mentioning the matter to the racing man, he was asked: “Du you spe the shipping manager or tell the booking-clerk who you were?” On being answered in the negative, the R.M.‘ asked the traveller to step into the post office with him for a bureau call to Wellington. Thje manager of the shipping company was hailed, and after a few preliminaries the R.M. said, “Do you know who the Mr. —— was who booked last week for Sydney?” When informed to the contrary he was answorpd, “Well it’s and he’s worth a cool hundred thousand!” Next day the astonished traveller got a wire to say that the company had transferred him to a two-berth deck cabin! Happy Days has been omitted from nominations in connection with the Wairarapa raeps, but it is understood that the oversight on the part of theelub hhs~beuir'i-Svviiiid:__ ___