SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 322, 22 January 1908, Page 3

SPORTING.

TARANAKI MCTKtHHtI.IT.VX COMMITTED A meeting of tin- Taranaki Metropolitan Committee was held mi JUmilijt night. Mr Fred. Wat.-on presided. I lie othrr members present were--Messrs Blundell, Cliff. FUi-. Hill, l.epper. Sole, Slandish, and Wrslm. The jockey'* license granted to (!raham Goner was cancelled: al»o the trainers' license granted to C. lames. ( Ureses were granted a* follows: Gentlemen riders: C. Clout. F .Flinn. and A. fireivcs. Trainers: W. 11. Coffey and C. .Tackxnn. lioth of Hawcra. The programme of the Patea Racing Clnh's meeting for Easter Monday, April 20th, was approved. TARANAKI .TOCKF.Y CUB. | A meeting of the Taranaki Jockey j Hull Committee was held subsequently, the same gentlemen being present. | It was decided to refund the nnmi- i nation fees paid hy Mr C. Smith, whose hor-e Explode met with an accident whilst training at Wanganiii an<b had to lie destroyed. . . • The secretary was granted permission, to attend a conference of racing cluW secretaries to lie held in the Chamlicr of Commerce. Wellington, on the 24th inst.. The balance-sheet for the last meeting of the club was laid on the table and approved. _ The date of the nominations for the autumn meeting was altered (rom Feb nurv Hth to Febrnary 28th. \vote of tlianks was accorded MH A. W. Biidse for officiating as starter at the Christmas meetingTlie remits to he *ubniitted to the , facing Conference to he-held in Welling- , ton were discussed, ami several TeeonimemUtiona made to the chairman, who , •will act as delegate. I

TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa"). Ideal weather prevailed for the opening day of the Wellington R.C. summer meeting, and the attendance was well above the average. Nukutihi, Waikaraka, Orisis, and Teotane were withdrawn from the Trentham Welter, leaving a field of nine runMrs. Gold Thread quickly took up the running and led until 100 yds from home, where Red Bain got up and won comfortably by a length. Gold Thread faded away in the last bit, and would be better suited by a *U furlong course. Chatterer and Clanehattan, who claimed engagements in the Cup, were tho only withdrawals from the Anniversary Handicap. Tbe veteran Melwood, who was quickest out, ran well to the head of the straight, and then broke down. San Julie and Kairoma fought out a neck and neck struggle right up the straight, the former winning by a bare nose. . .

Suttee and St. Ludlani were miming from the Ruapehu Hack Handicap field, is which race Nukutihi carried a lot of money. Nukutihi was ridden by T. Jones, and showed up well for a furlong and then appeared to get a bump. Mon Ami quickly ran through her field, and won all the way by a length and a-half. The winner is a black filly by Soult— Satanella, and cut out the six furlongs in lmin 15 l-ssec. •

-Miss Vera got a bad passage, and with ordinary luck might have been returned the winner.

Armlet proved a good thing for the Nursery Handicap, winning from start to finish from Aborigine and Sir Arteg«L Zimmerman was the only withdrawal from the Cup, leaving a down starters. Downfall led Gold Crest and Moloch to the head of the straight, where Gold Crest took charge but was quickly tackled by Moloch, who came on full of running, and won easily by a couple of lengths in the fast time of 2min 33 4-5 etc. Gold Crest, The Rand, Saga, T&ngimoana, and Clanchattan finished in that order, and Splendid Idea and ChatUrer were last.

Loftus dropped out of the runners in the Telegraph Handicap, and a doren faced the starter. The start was a poor one, Ballarat, Munjeet, Petrovna, and Cross Battery losing ground. Moriarty, King Billy, Kitchen maid and Ballarat ( were most prominent to the straight, the former being in front when th« field straightened up for the run home. Bister Anne collared Moriarty a furlong from home, but was immediately ovarhaukd by All Red, who came with a neat burst of speed and won very easily. Sfuajeet came very fast in the straight and wa sthird; Bucclcuch and Dawn being close up next. The Tongariro Tack Race saw an awful blunder made. The race was started fifteen minutes before the time posted on the totalisatore, Suttee winning, and the favorite, Culmination, was badly beaten. Then the hitter's backers called for the race to be re-run, and the stewards decided to run the race over again after the concluding event of the day, the Electric Handicap. In the runoff Culmination, who was benefited . y the previous gallop, caught Suttee and Lochicla at the bend for home, and romped in an easy winner by a couple of lengths. This was most unfortunate for the backers of Suttee, but sent Culmination's numerous backers home in a good humor—their luck was "in" that day. Finery was made a warm favorite for the Electric Handicap, and won all the way, finishing up an easy winner by a couple of length* from Gawain, w'.tli Swimming Belt, who got a bad passage, close up third.

The Foxton Racing Club open their summer meeting to-day, and quite a ■amber of local horses appear on their cards. Immolation, who has been showing good form on the flat lately, the Strat. ford Cup numbering amongst his victories, figures in the Hack Hurdle Race, Golden Eagle showed improved form " at Stratford, and will probably start in the Electric Hack Handicap. Aberration and Waipaku are said to be training on nicely. MikotaW carries 8,18 ip the Awahou Welter. .„. Lord Soult is top-weigbt in the rl}iag, and ia set to give away 321bs to Fisbermaid. M , . ', Tarina is fairly fa*t over four fur°Ataahua. who showed a good dash of speed at Manawatu, Is running in t*e; opening event at Wellington to-day. Swimming Belt, who had bad luck on Saturday, is looking bright and well. Culmination is giving away between two and three stone to her opponents m the Pnneke Hack Race. . Great interest in being manifested in the meeting of Fleet foot, Armlet and Finery in the Wellington Stakes to-dav Fleetfoot did not accept on the fir-t day. and this race will be his first start at toe meeting. . Gold Crest put up « {treat per orm) Ute When he ran second in the W ellingtcVCup. As the time indicate- he race was ran at a solid pace all *J way and it was onW in the last quarJ Tn of a n,ile that the chestnut began to fail. . , , , i „ Berengarnt, who finished out or a D Uee in the Vur.ery Handicap on Pat urdav, is said to I* a nl«- mover. The consistent f.iwain -cored a second in the Electric Handicap- and bad '■■■' lnek to bump up agam-t a -man nll> ike Finery. The five furl""!; »"' left Whind in lmin l«rr. R.wjiin akon All Red and company in the Metro poilt in Handicap to day. Vera has Wn runnmg con-U entlv of laic, and bad a tad run m h Ruapehu Hack Race on the nprn.n" day. .