THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 148, 13 June 1908, Page 4

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Kg? - RACING FIXTURES. gjlfri 17 and 18—H»wke's Bay J.fJ. WinWkae « and 25.—Napier Park B.C. Win- ?? t«. jlnly » and 10.—Gisborne K.C. Winter. Tlic Uawke'a Bay Steeplechase Bill he run on Wednesday next, and the Napier Steeplechase a week later. • • . . Auother victory for Temperance! Blue Ribbon won a hack event at Otaki but week. • • • Marguerite and Munjeet, in company with a number of Australian horses, left Melbourne hwt week for India. • • • • Tie King's borse Perrier finished thirteenth in the Derby. Twelve prads owned by mere blokes had the audacity to " donkey-lick " Hia Majesty's horse'! • • • • Waipuna, Marinai, Grenadier, Reddon. Delaware, Putty, Natalia, Apa, 'Frisco, Dr. Sbinrose, Sea King, Cross Battery, Nobel, Golden Slipper, Ringdove and Idyll are the New Zealanders entered for the Melbourne Cup. a • • •

Jockey L. H. Hewitt seems to be making headway in Hingjand. At Birmingham lie rode a couple of outsider* to victory, and with the splendid riding connection be la favored with he should climb well up the winning jockeys list thja seaaoß. »'•••• Racing at Sandown Park (Aust.) last week Pink TJn, giving away a lot of weight, ran a creditable race and is rapidly picking nobis old form. The next event, tin Welter Purse, fell tor the Haorilander Natalia, who just got np in the but few strides and won by a bead. • ♦ * Dr. Shimoee has certainly been highly flattered by being nominated for the Melbourne Cup. Up to the present the bay son of Advance has not even shown decent hack form, and he will probably St Bst. 7tba. in the Cup because they n't dispense lighter weights in that event. If Dr. Snimose comes to light hia owner will hare the laugh on me, but I'm willing to take the risk anyhow! • « » » The following are the New Zealand entrie* for the principal events at the Australian JX>. Spring meeting:—Epfom Handicap (one mile), Apa, Frisco, Nobel, Ringdove, Sea King, Cross Battery, Rose Noble, Golden Slipper, Idyll, Soultline, and Tamainupo. Metropolitan Handicap (l'/j miles), Apa, Frisco, Nobel, Ringdove, .Sea King, Cross Battery. Rose Noble. Golden Slipper, Idyll, Soultline. -, . • • • • Since they were taken across to Australia, Maui and Ataahua have had an easy time of it, but the pair will be given a chance to pay their way in the Victorian Grand Nationals, Hurdles and Steeplechase. It will be interesting to note their treatment by the handicapper in these races as compared to Australia's best jumpers. In the hurdles 1 also notice the names of Waipu, Lionheart, and Cachuca. Eclair and Swimmer figure in the steeplechase. * « • •

An English racehorse named Banker HI. had an uncommonly uncomfortable experience recently at the Southwell meeting. Having disposed of his jockey early in a race, lie went on riderless and finished like a lion, and was evidently no'pleased with himself that hj? left the course, plunged into the River Trent, and swam down the mill race and under the archway of the mill. Then be got jammed in the floats of the mill wheel, and there he stuck. Next a gang ot rescuers, by way of "larnin' 'im better," got a rope round his head, polled him out on the other side, actu- ' ally dragging him under the wheel, and got hia to the bank in safetv! • • • • An event of interest to sporting folk took plate on Wednesday morning, when -the well-known Xew Plymouth sports- ' nan, Mr. H. Eva, led a beautiful and ► blushing bride, Miss Olive Urry, to the barrier for the Matrimonial Stakes. A large crowd of sports rolled up to w» the event, and "Jfotuna"' add» his congratulations to the many alreadv expr.-wed, and wishes the happy coupk a long and prosperous career, "r think I might mention without fracturing the Gammon Act that the "bracketed pair" started tljr the 10 to 1 train, and in consequence should pay a good dividend. The popular comer wore a more expansive smOe than on the afternoon his ho»e wo* ike Taranaki Cup. Good luck to them!

*ke aftermath of rice meetings up ; Auckland way is invariably a crowd of comic advertisements, in the daily press. Sometimes it ii a "gentleman" who WMdcrs off and forgets to pay over taw sweep-money, but this time " The • lady who held the ticket on Loch Fvne" V - is requested to rail at a certain* address immediately, "as her name is . known," etc. It is really amusing, and j the remarkable part of these affairs is the fact that it is always "a ladv " or "agzntleman" who is the defaulter. Yon never bear of a " Woke ' or an ordinary "iroTe" dipping anvtme up. which is strange, to My the least of it. • « • • Talking of names, writes "Boondi" in the Referee, a bookie who had ovci laid his ledger, and couldn't get over the fence quick enough for the crowd who -got a ran for their money'' from him, but didnt get very much of it wen then, propped his back against the fence and said he would pay out while the money in his bag lasted if his patrons came along in the alphal>etical order of their .names and put up their '•briefs''! As this seemed a fair thing to do, and half-a-dozen angry punters had got into bad trouble for merelv killing a "welsher" a few months before, the mob agreed to the proposal,but one man was going off discon-olat? when another asked the reason. "Oh. wots the use of me waitin'." was the woeful'reply, "I've got no show right down at the bottom of his Moomin' alphabetical order with Ttehins." Luckily his friend was a "scholar," and took Hutchins back, for the liag paid down to "John Johnsdn. 2/8."

Alien we read accounts of the weather experienced by race-goers in other parts of the world, we in New Zealand must consider ourselves extremely fortunate in getting through the year with comparatively few wet days, and certainlv we never experience the shocking mixture <>f rain, snow, and fog which settled over Newmarket (Kng.l at the o|N'ning of the season. After running off tin fourth race, the Ifcibraham Plate, th" races were postponed until the following day. Referring to the weather conditions which obtained when this race was en. the London Sportsman says:— "Nothing whatever could be seen of the race from the stands, and. as a matter of fact, betting was still in progress in all unconsciousness that the start had taken place when the horsewere within a quarter of a mile of the winning post. The snow was coming down in white sheets, and the state of affair.- which prevailed while this race was going on is best described in th< words of some of the jockeys riding in it. One of them said lie saw horses a few lengths in front of him, hut had no notion whether those horses were a* the head of their field or whether there were others a furlong in front of them. Another put it this way: 'You could not not see four yards in front of you I felt at if [ was absolutely blind. I got some flakes of snow in my eyes, and jou could not tell if you were in the course or outside.' (It must l»e noted the courses at Newmarket are not r. iled in, but merely marked out with rioats set alwut a hundred yard< apart i. The chief thing the jockeys had t'> go by was the starting-gate. • If you passed a starting gate you knew you were still on the course.' added this j'ifkey." After being post|Kined for another day. the three undecided races, as well as the -ix to be run on the third day. were abandoned, owing. to the continued fall nf snow. I