SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 130, 23 May 1908, Page 6

SPORTING.

Tl'Ki' TOPICS. iKy "Moturoa.") The Wangauui Steeplechase i* set duwii for decision to-day. 'Owing to y\v. .lames Coombc* hiving met with an aeciuent, he will he tuiui.de to act as starter at the Wanganui nueting, and the services ot .Mr. Harry Piper, the well-known starter for the C'auterlauy Olub have been obtained to slip the Hi-ids.

.Motoa is top-weight in the Borough Handicap.

Miv Vera and Moriarty have been galloping well at Wangamii. Kuiu>, Tilson. and Fretwork are said lo 1 1 1• the hest-trained ones of the field for the Wanganui Steeple. trui-inella. .Mulga r»i!i. and Mai) are three Klectric Handicap candidate* who have been pleasing the lonU hv their re-olule manner of galloping.

'J'e Kainui ami Jminolation -Imre the honor of carrying top weights in the .Mav Hurdles.

Compass, who won at J.'atea and at llawera recently, is the makings <»f a line hurdler. Heports from ralmerston >ay that Defeat is looking well. Sigiior will probably be .Mi'. 0. K. Moored representative in the Conmdlv Handicap. Kairoma and King I »i!!y arrived at Wanganui on Wednesday evening, aud the latter covered live Imiongs in Jniin -lsec on Thursday morning.

Tiptoe, licsoaicli, Aiirtus, and Mi.v tres», who ail run prominently at liawera, are engaged in the I'unui Handicap. l'iiritutu in giving away a lot of weight (0 a very poor crowd in the .Maiden Hurdles at Takapuna. Malieuo put up a good gallop in company with Scotty at Ellerslie 011 Tuesday, and lliighie easily beat Frederick and Explosive over four furlongs in jl li-osec. Le Beau is considered a certain starter iu the Maiden Steeplechase a'. Takapuna. "The will of the late Mr. George (i. Stead Ims been lodged for probate and sworn at £170,000," So runs a telegram received from Christehurch during the present week (states ''i'haelon" in the .New Zealand Herald). The deceased gentleman having raced 011 an extensive scale for a period covering nearly two decades, curiosity prompted 1110 to dip into history anil rake up some figures hearing upon affairs connected wiili the 1 ahlliur.-t stable. Making a start ill 18: H, I find that from that period down to the of Ilia life Mr. Stead purchased over 00 yearlings, at an outlay of something like £21,1100. As horses carrying the yellow jacket and black cap won in the same period over £IOII,OOO in stakes, it will lie readily recognised that Ynld'liuiv-t stable paid handsomely. Tin' largest sum expended in any one seasun by .Mr. Stead was in 18!K)-1'J00, when he bought Mensehikoll' (-lligs), lJny.il Artillery (MtlOgsl, Crncitonn Siege Gun (Otitlgs), Field liatlery (j:!.>g<), San Patricia (lli>g»). San Iti'iuo (7-ogs), and Knight Errant 12-"igs), totalling: an, outlay of -ILSflgs. Thmigii lie two last-named li'irci |no\ed dowurigilt failure-, and l>"If and lloval Artillery retired at three years old, the combined st.ik 1 - captured by this collection ran out to U1.i,07.'i, of which sum Cruciform was responsible for ;CTiOS and Menscliikud lor .CI2IM). Mr. Stead had, therefore, good reason to rejoice over his purchase,; in isiw-inoo.' The London Sportsman has the following version 01 11. 1). llletsoe's story of lpiw be won the Liverpool Grand National On liubio:—"When 1 got 011 Kiibio be who watching eve.rything, and was very sensible and quiet, t was disappointed I could not get the inside place, which Tom West took from inc. but lJuhio jumped the first few fences wonderfully. When we got to the Canal leitce I was lying fourth, Xewey. Anthony. and Murphy in front. Rubin jumped very quick, and gained several length* round the turn. I did not see any id' the falls the first time round, Ix'cause I was in front of tlieni. l'ubio bit the lirs| fence on the racecourse very hard. That was where Rollasou c.inie down, and I thought to myself. •You must not do that any more.' .« ! steadied him. losing tny phiee a little to jjive lii 111 bis second wind, lie took oil' lengths 100 soon at the water, iml I tli it was impossible for liiin to

t over. hut he did nicely: lie niuM have jumped ;iit oiioniioiit distance. I Im-ked at Nowcy at the 1:1-1 lein-e in tlie country tin l >ceond time round, and he had Iteen £roin<.' ><> well thai when he jVj] directly afterwards I said Hi my>elf. 'That h another mil <>l' th.' W;i v.' 1 1 ;i It >T thil tin! Tnin W.-t w ;ir~ iny daii-.r. I'lit he tell at the h-n.-o alter Ili-ciii'iV. hitting ii. and iilniidiMtil on to hi* nose when and Murphy was shot yards mi r hihead. Kinsman than >eented the i>ni\ nil,. I h.id in li(;nt. Inn I heard him hii the fence nexf to the canal fence. and ! knew I had him 1 eaten. lie was very tired. J ua* in front Ihm. will) .Maiii- 1 rloi;> he-ide me. and that is how \\r came oil ilie racecourse. lluhio w;it. very well, and he kept jumpin:.: away from Mattie MacjiTrj.'or. I kiU'W three fences from home that 1 hid only to stand up to win. Tie was not tirinjr at all: lie could have gone another (wo iuili*s. Hi- jumped the last fence* perfectly. and juilliml up fve*h. and unless lie had very lit he could not have done what lie did.''

- Vi.u must not look a ♦rift lmrso in tlir mouth." says the prowrh. lmt Cm! would probably like to take as many anyone caved to «ivu liini, t-oeth or mi tooth. if thoy turned out a* prolil M>ly a* ha> Adylh (says the London Sportsman). The son of Moeannir was n pro*

-cut to liim. and the Mult on !"*(:» 1<». a (ivo-fiirl»uijr handicap worth run at Leicester on March .'{o. w the third \i\fv lie ha* won. Ho was <jn ofl'cr 1m»fmv th«' nunilH-is wont np in anyone wh.o liked to Imy liim for 100 guinrns,

but no one would have him so Cort was lucky. Nor was the horse altogether unfunded, for Mr. ('. Jirwicke, thu chief patron of tiie stable, was per* siiaded to have .LiUO on, which lie did at starling price. Itather a jiOod tale U told of the oldtime English jockey, Sam Darling, who rude 72 winners; out of 17-1 mounts in one Sam had a habit of closing one eye -when he was saying anything particular. He had barked a hor-e on some raceiourse with a stranger for two •sovereigns., and next day. was asked for tie money. "J)ash me," exclaimed Sam, opening both eves very wide, as if astonished at the request: "me l>cl you two sovereigns?'' The man looked at him rather jirtzzled for a moment, thci said apologetically: "Oh, I J>eg your pardon, sir: the gentleman f bet wilh had only one ~ve. I've made some mi>tnke."' He was turning away when Sam. having enjoyed the joke, called him hack and paid him the money. A further budget of Turf Topics will be found in to-day's Supplement.