SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 24 July 1907, Page 4

SPORTING.

TURF TOPICS. Air h. 11. Knight, the well-known Sydney sporting man of that name, has long been regarded as the luckiest of all the thousands of supporters of Tattersall a sweeps. lii addition to drawing numerous cash prizes and non-starters, Mr Knight won one of Tattersall's sweeps l,y drawing blue Spee, he held Scottish King's ticket when that horse ran second to Marmont in the Australian Cup. and lias now l>een fortunate enotHi to draw the favorite, Pestonpans, in No- I sweep on the \M!.C. (Irand National Hurdle Ilace. A remarkable feature of this latter slice of luck is that Prestonpansis owned by Mr W. Murrav with whom llr Knight has been intimately associated in racing matters for some years. Unfortunately for Mr Knight I restonpans ilLl not run into a place in the Hurdles™

The New Zealaiid-lned colt Meteor I Birkenhead—Total Eclipse) i„ said to I lie tile bluest yearling ever seen in [training in Brisbane.

The i~li l.ietl horse Applause, who recently arrived in Jk-llxnlrne from India, is now lieiii" trained at Klemington.

Seddon. the rising threevcarold broliier to Wairiki. is -tated'to have been backed all over the Coutiunnwciilth to win a lot of money for the Cnullield and Melbourne Cups. In the face of the fact that Seddon ran nowhere in either the A-I.C. Breeders' Plate and the Y.A.T.C. Debutant Stakes, the only event in which he started as a two vear-old, it may be doubted whether his recent backing'was prompted by the owner or the immediate connections with the stable.

Some time ago it was announced that King Edward bad decided to acil several horses in training and brood mares by auction, and that the sale was to be an important one; but this must not be taken that the King intends to withdraw his patronage from horse-racing. On the contrary [says the London Sportsman) his Majesty s love of the sport i& as keen, and his appreciation of the practical good which it does to the country, as emphatic as ever, and he has not the slightest intention of withdrawing from tlie turf, but he is of the opinion that there is too much of one blood at Sandringham, and has determined to maku a change.

ihe I rench four-year-old Maintenon, vrlio has been retired from the turf, cost Mr Yanderbilt .€924 as a yearling, and won him £31),331 in stakes. In all, Maintenon won 11 races out of 18 starts, and only once missed a place. A strained tendon brought about his re tirement.

At Hurst Park (England) on May 20. a mounted inspector of police got in the way of the three runners at the finish of the Open Plate, and a collision occurred. Besshorongh, whojiad the race in hand, ran into the policeman's horse, and fell, leaving Carnegie, who started at 6to 1 on. to beat My Stella. Fox, the rider of Itessborough, sustained concussion of the brain. The policeman esca|>ed unhurt, but the scene that followed suggested tint he would have fared very badly if the crowd had got hold of him.

W heu one heard ilie bookmakers at Hurst Park asking for oddsabout Maivobnuuier for Ihe Palace Selling Plate (says a London paper) one's thoughts were carried back to two years ago, when this horse was au inmate of Peebles' stable, and was apparently ill a hopeless condition, and instead of dreaming that odds would ever be laid on him for a rice. nine traiuers out of ton would have had him shot. Peebles, however, got him all right again, and lie won the Selling Plate at Newmarket last October, furnishing perhaps a unique instance of a horse who had had a broken pelvis winning a race.

I'p to the time the latest English mail hail left England (ialliuulc headed this season's list of winning stallions in that country with £0650 to his credit. His nearest rivals were: Orme £4802, Desmond £3037, Love Wiselv £354!), Marco €3383. Ampion £3103. Pioneer £2822, St. Frnsi|uin £2820 3s, Pietermaritzburg i ti")CB Ifts. Janissary C 2174. Diamond Jubiletf £2122. Rill of Portland £2'! S3. Matchmaker £2(U», Son o' Mine .£2051).

The che.-tnut steeplechaser Dingo has made a re-appearance at Randwick, and is again In charge of P, dough. There tan be very few older horses racing in Sydney than the „on of Sou'-Woster. The first mention in the N.Z. Turf Register is in 1808, and as he was returned as aged then, he must lie at least sixMen years old. Despite his jvars Dingo is gay enough to suggest that another win or two will go to his enniit ere the turf sees the last of him.

Thp Racecourse Atlas (England), in dealing with F.psom. the course on which tin? Derby is run. quotes figures which show that Fred Archer iliil not fight for the rail* at Tattenhnni Coiner without, a reason. "A horse on the rails,it says. •'cover* IS yards less than a horse near the centre of the course." \~o wonder a daring rider like Archer would risk a good deal to get the rails coming round Tottenham Corner.

Tn England Festa was best known as tlie dam of Salute fa son of Carbine), but she was not very highly esteemed as A brood mare to all seemingly, for her oreeder and owner. Lord Dnnraven. sold her iu I!KH to Germany. In that country she has done marvellously well for her owner. Herr Weinlierg. Tier children. Festino, Fels. and Fabula. have won in all over £34.000, Bv St. Simon- out of T/Abesse de Jouarre, Festa is an own sister to Desmond, whose progeny are doing so well in England this season.