THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 308, 24 December 1908, Page 3

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

t BA^v&JEgmKes. December 23, 2Q, 28-rManawatu Racing /. piuK '..,'-",'' . ~ ...... So ariu" 30,' Ja'auirx 1. and 2 Auckland"R'.C'.' '■fieeeniber"26 "aßd'2'j-taranaki Jockey , Club Xma's.' December 2d"aud 28—Duuediu J«k«v club.- '"• - ; , ~ .. ." December 28, '3l, and''Januan *J—AuekUiud Trotting Club. December 20—Ashurst-l'ohangiua Earing i Club. January 1 and 2—Stratford B.C. January 1 and 2—Kangitikei Racing Club. January 1 aud 2—Wairarapa Racing Club. DATES OF COMIXG EVEXTS. New Zealand. December 2»—Manawatu Cup. December 28.—Auckland Cup. December 30.—AJJ.C. Summer Cup. December 2»—Ashurst-Pohaugina Guineas. January I—Ureat Northern Derby. January I—Kangitikei Cup. TUiiF TOPICS.

(By "Moturoa"). l'imlers all! A Happy Xnias. Christmas Day is a line day to ''spot" winners for the Boxing Day meetings. ' When a punter goes for " hot stuff" he often gets badly turned. • # # Saturday will be Cup day at luckland and at Manawatu. Bobrikoff will carry a lot of good money if started in the Auckland Cup. Gold Lace will be an absentee from the Manawatu meeting, having gone to Auckland. # * * Uhlaudo is standing up to his work in good style, and will probably take on the Christmas Handicap. Cyreuc, Uhlaudo, und Lady Menschikoff figure amongst the nominations for the Wellington R.C. Summer meet. The Taranaki Jockey Club's meeting, which takes place on Saturday and Monday, promises to be a great success.

" \Vas your husband lucky at the last race meeting I' 1 •'Yes," answered ilrs. Tomkina, "he sprained his ankle badly, and so couldn't attend." Master Douglas, who has raced consistently for hack hurdle events this spring, was taken to Auckland last week and is engaged in each of the three hurdle races at the A.R.U. gathering. • # * Hie local course is in splendid order for the Christmas meeting. The tracks . and lawns bear a particularly green appearance and reflect great credit on the caretaker. The club only requires fine weather to make the meeting a recoid -one. On December 2!), at Auckland, the appeal of the Poverty Bay Turf Club against the Hawke's Bay Metropolitan Club's removal ol the disqualification imposed upon Deelcy and the horse Andrew Mack, will be aeard". The recent successes of Tarina prove that Andrew Mack was very lucky to beat the St. Clement's mare on the first day at Gisborne, and Deeley's side of the argument is considerably strengthened thereby.

The dividend pUd by The Saint at Daunevirke came as a shock to all hands. On the first day, with Jenkins up, he ran like a sinner, but with N. Campbell on top he went off like Old Nick in the Telegraph Handieep and scored from start to finish. By the way, the good thing was wired through to several local sports, aud considering that the horse's connections did not place a match on the saintly one, th.; tout's tip is a very surprising one and .suggests that the tipster was inly guessing—and, luckily, '•fluked it"!

No tale of colonial life would be complete without it* chapter on racing, and such writers as Nat Gould, '• Banjo" Patterson and A. L. Gordon— to take a few at random—quickly recognising how. closely the colonial was connected with horse-racing, wrote books upon books, all to describe the up-and-dowus of the sporting life and the adventures of the racecourse. It is a pleasure to read .books, the authors of which have a thorough knowledge of the game, but the number of alleged first-class writers who touch inaccurately upon sport, with disastrous results to themselves, is simply beyond counting. We are. all familiar with Ouida's mistake in quoting a dozen or so horses at " evens, 2 to 1 on, 3 to 1 on, 4 to 1 on, 20 to 1 on, 100 to 1 on," etc., and all these were in. the one race! This is only one of the many absurd instances which might be .quoted, but the latest to come under jny notice occurs in a. recently-published book, " Venturesome Tom," being a true account of the adventures of a Caplain Tomalin in Australia. His "Barcoo Hurdle Eace "is a screamer! The stakes were fixed at £l2, and entrance fee £2 each. There were half-a-dozen starters. Betting on, the race was: 2 to 1 on Docketty, evens Whiffler, 3 to. I Sally, 6 to 1 Snowball, 7 to 1 Duchess, 10 to 1 Ginger. Ginger finished first and Whiffler second. So far so good, fcut tben comes the most surprising passage of all. I give it in toto:—"Thus it will be seen that, as is- often the case, even with thoroughly experienced handicapped, the outsider was first past the post." Did ever anyone pen such rubhish? Just fancy a handieapper trying to frame weights so that the favourite would be "first past the post." That would be easy work, but the owners of the, outsiders might have something to «»y on the matter—and they might drive (their argument home with an axe.

' It is amusing to watch the punteis! after the favourite has won. Rushing pell-mell to the bookmakers' enclosure, with pasteboards in hand, they stare at the man with the tag as if their lives depended On hiru entirely. Long befoie " AH right, pay the winner " is ordered, the mob gape around waiting for their cash. Bookmakers are no better than any other class of men, and probably no worse, and I could name a dozen or so in half-a-minute whom I wish owed me a pony apiece. The men who takeout licenses these days usually pay £li| or X'M per day for the privilege, and the days when the bookie often had t> .borrow a bob to get oa the course arcover. Of course welshing will always be done, but the " scalers" are well known, and if a man is fool enough to trust his coin to a " rougbie" he lias only himself to blame. While on the subject, I recall an incident iu the life of the late somewhat eccentric Earl of Dudley. The Earl was a heavy bettor, and on one occasion won C3OOO from a bookmaker and lost another £1(100 to him. The blue-blooded gent immediately paid the €IOOO, and as he. never asked for his winnings the bookie thought he had forgotten about them, and was much elated in consequence. But the Earl had not forgotten, and, calling a few months later, claimed his winnings, remarking, " I did not claim on settling day as I heard you had had a bad week, aad I thought the demand might inconvenience yon." That generous spirit does not obtain in this country. Tin mere fact of the Bar Von owing us a dollar is enough to make us rush rouni! and watch him a* if he was likely U ,do a sprint for the main road.