SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8026, 12 January 1906, Page 3

SPORTING.

RACING FIXTURES. January 11: Hororata R.O. Annnal January 17, 18 : Gore R,C. Summer Jan. 20, 22 : Wellington R.C. Summer January 22, 23 : Foxton R.C. Annual January 21, 25 : Wairoa R.C. Annual January 25, 20: Tapanui .T.C. Annual January 29, 30: Nelson J.C. Annual Jan. 31, Feb. 1: Paliiatua R.C. Annual February 1, 2: Maniototo J.C. Annual February 8, 9 : Gisbornc R.C. Summer February S, 10 : Canterbury J.C. S. Feb. 11,15: Egmont R.C. Summer Feb. 15, 16 : Poverty Bay T.C. Annual Feb. 21, 22, 24: Duncdin J.C. Autumn March 1, 2 ; Wanganui J C. Aufunm March 7, 8 : Dannevirke J.C. Annual Cojiino Evkxts : January 20 : Wellington Cup, 600 sovs RANDOM NOTES. i [bt "MOTraoA."] C. Bolton, the light weight who steered Mr C. Piper's horses at the last C.J.C. Cup meeting, rode Fitzgrafton to victory in the Stanley Plate at the Queensland R.C. meeoing held recently. Mr G. G. Stead's two rcpresentatiues, Nightfall and Cuneiform, are located at Wellington, and aro being exercised on the Hutt track in view of the Wellington summer meeting to be held on January 20 and 22. Sir GeoClifford's pair Clanchattan andGlenow let arc quartered at the Upper Hutt. ' The double, Nightfall for the Cup, coupled with Cuneiform for the Telegraph Handicap, has been heavily backed in Wellington for all the money available down to 20 to 1. Mr Stead's mare has also been strongly supported with the Porirua trained Ailsa. In France during the flat racing season just cloßcd twenty-one of Flying Fox's progeny won a little over £42,000 in prize-money, bringing that sire's figures for three seasons np to a total of just short of £104,000, Winkfield's Pride, another stallion owned by M. Blanc, is second on this year's list with something like £23,000, while Callistrate is next with about £22,500. In England, up to the 6th, of last month, the tli.ee most successful stallions for the season were Gallinule, £23,851; Isinglass, £23,502; ( and Cyllcne, £21,555. When the first payment fell due for the Wellington Cup on Monday last 18 horses, out of an entry of 28, continued their engagements, a fact which ( must be very pleasing to Mr J. H. ( Pollock, the handicapper, lhe princi- , pal deflections were Mahntonga, , Quarryman, Gladstone, Ghoorka, and Savoury. The three first named , showed symptoms of soreness after ; their exertions at the A.R.C. meeting, and have been cased up in consequence. | Ghoorka met with a slight mishap ( when contesting the Wnirurnpa Cup, which will probably be the reason for j his withdrawal, as with Bst lib the - Lochiel horse was nicely handicapped. The stable still has Achilles to do j battle for them; the big horse has not , been seen out since November last, when he certainly did not appear in his best form. From time to time reports have come to hand to the effect that the ex-champion is well, and doing good work. His rc-appcarancc r will arouse considerable interest. Mr - Stead has allowed Savoury to drop out, 1 but still has Nightfall and Delaware to ' represent him. Sir G. Clifford is now without a cup candidate. This popular ' sportsman seemed to have a splendid ' team in commission a month or so ) back, as was evidenced by the sue- 1 cesses gained at the N.Z. Cup meeting, but lately the stable has been very unfortunate, Quarryman, Gay Spark ' and Kirriemuir have displayed symptoms of unsoundness, whilst the balance appear to have lost form. ] During the next few days some news ] of track form ought to be available, ' which may shed some light on the , chances of the cup candidates. A ' final payment of 5 sovs. is due next. ' Monday. My fancies at present are Nightfall, Armistice, Achilles and i Putty, The following interesting romance I of the turf is culled from the Sydney i " Referee " : —On November 15 the I daughter and heiress of the late Fred I Archer registered twenty-onc years of t age, and became sole mistress of over : £120,000, besides a iargc amount of jewellery and plate, Fred Arc] er, one of the best jockeys of all time, was married on January 31,1782, to Rose Nellie Dawson. She died within a year, leaving behind her an infant daughter. This little daughter became the object of the famous jockey's most devoted affection. It was on the day that her father won the Liverpool Cnp on the Duchess of Montrose's mare, Thebais, that the young lady was born, and in her birth supreme joy and the deepest sorrow were very closely linked. When, after weighing in for Thebais, the telegram announcing the birth of his daughter was thrust into Archer's hand, he joyfullly exclaimed; "By Jove, what a splendid double!" And then, immediately : "Cai' I get te Newmarket to-night?" Tliis had all been arranged for him whilst ho was winning the Cup, and in a few minutes he was bowling along towards Liverpool behind one of the fastest of trotters, caught his train for the South, and by means of a special train, which was waiting for him at Cambridge, he reached Newmarket close upon midnight. But his joy was shortlived, for in a few hours his little daughter was motherless, and he was almost broken-hearted. To keep him from brooding over his sorrow, lie took a trip to tlu> United States, in company with bis friend, Captain Bowling, and returned in time for the racing season at Lincoln'. DeTotion to his ' calling, of which he was passionately I fond, helped Archer to forget his 1 grief, and in all his wonderful career as a jockey he never rode more brilliantly than during the season of 1885.

Ia 1886 lie iron the Derby ami St. Leger on the unbeatable Ormonde, but there was one important race, the Cambridgeshire, which had hitherto eluded his grasp, and he had set liis heart on winning the great handicap of the Newmarket Houghton meeting. It had become absolute martyrdom for hin to ride below 8.11, jet lie set himself the task of getting down to 8.6 to ride the three-year-old colt St. Mirin in the Cambridgeshire at 8,7. Archer evidently knew mo t about St. Mirin,

for lw backed him to win £BOOO, and " wasted " until lie got within a pound of the weight at which the colt was handicapped. A furlong from home, Archer and St. Mirin, after a prolonged duel with Mellon and Tom Canon, appeared to have won the race, but in the last few strides the alnioat exhausted pair were challenged by The tailor l'rinee, ridden by "Tiny" White, and, incapable of another effort, Bt, Mirin was beaten by ahead. "It was Mellon that heat me," said Archer regretfully, as he unsaddled his horse to weigh in, and he immediately prophesied that Melton would win the Liverpool Cup. And so Melton did, but by this time the veil had been drawn over the most sensational career the English Turf has ever known, and Archer had joined his wife in the (ire;U Jieyond.