THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 222, 12 September 1908, Page 4

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

RACING FIXTURES. , September IB and 17—Raagitikei B.C. Spring. September 10 and 17—Askburtou County R.C. Spring. September 19, 23, 26—Avondale Jockey Club. September 24, 25—Geraldine Racing • Club. September 24 and 26—Waaganui Jockey Club. October 7 and B—Hawke'a Bay Jockey Club. October 14 and 15—Napier Park Racing Club. October 9—Waitara Racing Club. October 14 and 15—Dunedin Jockey Club. October 21 and 24—Wellington Racing Club. DATES OF COMING EVENTS. New Zealand. September 19—Avondale Stakes. September 19—Avondale Cup. September 23—Avondale Guineas. September 24—Wanganui Guineas. October B—Hawke's Bay Guineas. November 7—New Zealand Cup. Australia. October 3—AJ.C. Derby. October s—Metropolitan Stakes. 'October 10—CaulBeld Guineas. October 17—<5aulfield Cup. October 31—V.R.C. Derby. November 3—Melbourne Cup. TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa"). Races at Rangitikei and at Ashburton on Wednesday and Thursday next. Gold Crest has been scratched for all engagements at tne A.J.G. meeting. W. Young has been booked 0 ride Tangimoama in the New Zealand Cnp. Rangipapa made up for a long rua of bad luok by annexing the Park Stakes at Levin on Wednesday. Ail 'Red showed a glimpse of his best form when he carried top-weight to victory in the Horowhenua Cup. After payment of second forfeits for the Great Northern Guineas, Mr. C. Matthew's Sliuja still remains in. 11. Jackson has made a start as a public trainer at Feilding, with a two-year-old full brother to Stratagem. L'hlqndo continues to do all that is asked 'of him, aad Bob Barlow is spoken ol as his probable pilot in the New Zealand Cup. The Avondale J.C. Spring Meeting opens next Saturday. The principal events on the opening day are the Avondale Cup and Avondale Stakes. .Menschikoff's stock is rapidly coming to the fore in Australia. Moonbi, by the New Zealand horse, wou a fivefurlong race at Aspendale Park (Victoria) on August 29. Maharanui, who scored at Marton, is the first New Zealand Cup candidate to win a race since the declaration jf weights for the big handicap. The race twas only worth 95 sovereigns, so Maharanui escapes a penalty at Ricearton. Since her arrival in Sydney from NewZealand the imported mare Saucer has foaled a filly to Multiform, so that at 350 guineas she should prove a bargain to her new owner. Saucer has already thrown a good winner to Multiform, in • the shape of Porcelain, who won the Hawke's Bav Stakes.

That the Conqueror gelding Xaumai can fly over a short course he has proved more than once, and at Horowhenua he carried 10.9 into first ■place in attractive, fashion. Naurnai will probably be seen out at the Avondale meeting next weetk. Last season Xaumai -won five times out of fourteen starts. Oile of the hardest worked prads racing in these parts last season was Miss Vera. The daughter of Merriwce faced the tapes on no less than thirty-three OCeasious, winning at Marlborough, Stratford, aid Taranaki. Yosami started HO times for 3 wins; Spinning Flight 29 for 2; Chicane 27 for 4; and Lochiela 23 for 1 win. Truly some horses ha< e ample opportunities to distinguish themselves, or break themselves up in the attempt to capure the elusive spoil! The first prosecution under the new gaming regulations cropped up at Talmerston North last week, wJien tlie Manawatu Dailv Times appeared before the beak to explain matters in connection with a paragraph which appeared in their sporting columns prior to the last Wellington meeting. The paragraph read as follows:—"Sir Frisco has been doing some good hvork on the track and should be much fancied in the Parliamentary Handicap to-day. Dawn and Seaman should be also handy when the winning post is reached." Mr. E. D. Hoben, editor of the Tinu-s, stepped into the box and pleaded lot guilty, in order to obtain a ruling on the matter. He considered that the intention of the Act was to put an end to straight-out tipping, and not to mere discussion on the form shown by a racehorse. If it were held to apply to a paragraph of the kind referred to, then every newspaper in tile Dominion was committing a. breach of the Act eveiy time it published sporting notes. Ho had a num'ber of exracts from other papers, taken at random, which showed that they were all contravening the Act. He submitted that the matter was one for a purely nominal penalty, as .tlw intention of the Legislature was not to cover such paragraphs as the one referred to. The Magistrate (Mr. Thomson) considered ItotU statements, that "fiir Jjlisco was much fancied for the Parliamentary Handicap" and that "Seamail and Dawil would be handy when the winning post was reached,'' eaine within the meaning of the Act. They were advice or suggestion as to the probable result. "I take it," said Mr. Thomson, "that the object of the Act is to iprevent.writers, supposed to l>e experts, giving information or advice o>i the probable result of a race. This writer is an expert, and says Sir 'Frisco should lie much fancied. This information is given to the readers of the paper, who are not supposed to have as much knowledge as he. They see this, and take the advice and act upon it. The outsider says: 'This man should know something abouf it. I'll take his advice.' Therefore, I think au offence has been committed." Mr. Thomson made the fine nominal, as it was the first offence, the amount being 5s and 7s costs.

And now to analvs-e this momentous paragraph. "Mir 'Frisco has been doing some good work on the track, and should be ihueli fancied for the Parliamentary Handicap to-day." Surely there is nothing dangerous about that. The fact that ISir Frisco was doing "good work" only went to prove that he was in a condition to run in the race; not necessarily to win. And anyone who studies racing knows well enough (alas! only too well sometimes) that the mere circumstance of a neddy being "much fancied" doesn't enhance his prospects of -access one iota. And then again. " Dawn and Seaman should also be handy when the winning post is readied." It would take a long stretch of an extra large size in an Anti-Everv-thing mind to imagine that " being handy" is a paying game by any mean--, and a horse wants to lie more than ■•handy'' when the winning post is reached to put its backers into the delightfully""pleasant position of "dividenddrawers." Mr. Hoben had heaps of similar exracts from other papers which ■might be misconstrued into "can't lose tips.,' That may be so, and we have only unsympathetic benches and erratic legislators to thank for the present stat" of affairs. Things have come to a -pretty pass whun sporting writers cannot say that a horse is in good health; is anything short of dead and buried, in fact; that a prad is galloping as if the Seven Devils ami Pelorus lack are on his track, or that the public—the poor unfortunate public who sunpon horse-racing by losing money at it -s-fancy a horse. But it is well known

thai other 'papers have published notes ' just as dangerous as the i«e under notice. and no action has been taken. The fact of the matter is that tin 1 Manama tu Daily Times sorting scril>c warather unfortunate in his selections of hor-es to write about, for (lie Parliamentary Handicap, and by some marvellon-' coincidence fir Frisco. Dawn, and •Seaman finished first, second, and third respectively. That result must have cleared away all doubts froin the minds of reasonable readers, for no "piclier" of :he newspaper class could tip as well ii- lia'. iiven if he tried, and. of course. nii'liT the <i;tiniuon Act we wouldn't think of such a thing. Th<' conviction opens up a host of po<-ibiliti<--. Would a e:an be liable if he -aid: "Sir Frisco wiil not be hi-t in the Parliamentary v Handicap." or ' t hiamin i- mov ing over * tin- tracks as if the world were flying fa--! in the opposite direction." The thill end of the wedge i- in. and we may expect Anything from the prohibition of smoking down to compulsory reading of Hansard.