THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 324, 16 January 1909, Page 6

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

- RACING FIXTURES. danuorv 20, 22, 211—Wellington Hating Club.' January 22 trad 23—Foxtmi H.C. Annual. January27—l'nhinlun Uaeing Club (Annual). February 4 and .">-C.isbornc H.C. Summer. February 10 and 11— Egmonl !!•«'. Summer. February 11 and 12.—Poverty Hay Tmf Clnli Annual. February 17 and 18— Woodvillc District J.C. Autmr.n. February 24, 25, and 27.—Duncdin .I.e. Autumn. March 4 and 3.—Wangauui .I.e. Autumn. DATES OF COMING EVENTS. January 28—Takapuna Cup. January 20—Wellington Cup. January 2!l. 30. February 3-Takapiina .luckov Club.'

TUrtF TOPICS. (By "Moturon"). \ lliisliiiiiiliiiuii is « certain starter for I In- Wcllnglou Cup. I'uy- showed iinpnvi'il jmnpi.ig ut 'J 1 lutings ii"' l "ill, I'' - ' undoubted l lia,! should win ii l-iiiro shortly. I Kx-'Slralian jockey F. Wonnton pilul- i cd I ill winners in Kughinl la-', ac.i.'ii, linishcd second to 1). Mahcr wliu ' •■•* jiiecessl'ul lllil times. Gulden Slipper who linishcd in.jiigst the Newmarket Handicap ami Hie 'St.'linn Cup entries is in work ill Handwick bill is not pleasing the touts. The crack Sohstraliim sprinter, Lord Ciirylon, who is in the Newmarket, recently carried list 3lbs to victory in a 5 furlong race, run in lutin 1 4-jsoe. Maorilaud is well represented in the Newmarket with Mntun, Penates, Soultline, Pink 'Un, Idealist, Seddou and tloldeit Slipper. Motua will probably bo top-weight in the spring event. Koyul Guard, a compactly built chestnut which at it 100 guineas was one of the bargains of the Yaldlmrst sale, is stepping along in line style at Trciitlitun Signor, tin! hero of the last Canterbury Ctip, if landed lit and well at tin post for the Australian Cup, 2'/ 4 miles, should keep Lord Nolan, Tulkeroo and Co. busy. The entries also include Moral, Delaware and Aeolus. Of Sir Oorgc Clifford's team for Trenthain, Husbandman, Flitaway, Broadsword and Sharpshooter are already on the scene, anil (llem-ulloeh, Guld'water, Kiliviiraing and Applegarth are expected to join them to-day. Perle d' Of (s.ster to Golden Slipper), which realised 2000 guineas at the much pulled-up Valdhurst sale, is a rank disappointment and it is doubtful whether Mr G. D. Greenwood will ever gel a race out of her. The veteran Poseidon is i.'i work again al liuudwiek, but whether he will stand another preparation is doubttul. Jle has not been nominated for either the Australian Cup or Champion Stakes and it looks as il he will be tried over shorter distances iu future. .Something of a record was put up by the progeny of Gambol at tlie Wagga (Ausi.) Jioxing Day meet. Lord Gauiool won the opening event, Lady Gambol caught tlie second ami Dinbolo, another sou of Gambol, won the next race, whilst Lord and Lady Gambol won the concluding events. There were only six races on Hie prograinmi. Oh, for a gamble on Gambol ! A yearling f.dl-brolh : tu I'ink Tn al Gisliorne is statcu to uc a line looking youngster and since Pink til's siieeesse.in Australia the youiig-icrs price hut jumped from 100 to ,i(Ki guineas. Tin owner who ussesse-, a puns «orlli ac cording to the performance* ul its rein lives should study such fnilir.es as Hen gist, Kilderkin, Wadily and a host o others, not forgetting the prince o failures—Xoettiiforin. The Wellington Cup has drawn an acceptance of nineteen und the dt'fectioi ut Dubrikoff has loft the race very open All Bed is a greatly improved horse am has oaim'd every pound of his impost Husbandman, the Great Northern Herb; winner, is very partial to the twelve fur long journey and is not overburdened Artillcrir- scored in the C..1.C. Oaks, am with Moloch (last year's winner) read ' the best handicapped of the 7th division 1 Colli Crest and Penates are "on th mark" in the Telegraph Handicap, bu on Munuwatu running Prosser's hors reads best. Armlet will probably star ; in the Electric, but Full Hate, Sir Fris co, Tiunut and Flitaway arc ri quartetl ■ who have proven their ability to • snip fuily fast. There is every prospect of < ', line race. The Manawatu Racing Club rccentl; concluded an,inquiry into complaint , madc.by Mr K. .1. Watt, as to the liandi capping of Separator, Moriarily in , Muskerry. Handicnpper Henrys ex pressed it wish to meet Mr Watt befoi the commit lee and a meeting was subse . qucntly arranged. Mr Walt slated hi ■ case concerning each horse, and M ; Henrys got to work in great style, rpiol i ing ligures, races and results, and com i jiletely galloped over t'no dissntisite [ owner on all < omits. The committee wer i unanimous in their verdict:—"Tha having hoard Mr Henrys' explanation <i the charges brought against his naniV i capping by Mr 15. J. Watt, this commit i tee are satisfied that there are n i grounds at all for complaint." In con nection with the above "Gemini" point out that in Mr Henrys' 20 yeaw o I handicapping for (i 4 clubs there hav only been eight written complaints mail i ' against his adjustments, and of the., ; rive have been made by Mr E. .T. Watl i It stands to reason that the popula handieapper is " too good in the head ' for those who find fault with his figure and he is not likely to risk a notubl reputation for the sake of pleasing o the likelihood of displeasing any liors owners. We are thankful to say tint the " electric spur" is a practi tally unknown article on New Zcalani racecourses, but there is no doubt thi Yankee abomination has come into frt qnent use on Australian courses. ; writer iu the Bulletin asserts :—"Th passing of jockey McDougall at th Perth Cnp meeting will deal the ilna slumber-stroke to the practice of usiiij electric batteries on racehorses. The electrical spur has been very pre valent in the We»t of kite. The jockey have been warned thai if ihey orcfmni moke-electrifying they would'be disqnn lilied for life. A l«iv recently eaugh wearing a battery and his traiue", re ceived the promised ■'• lifer." Withal the practice grows. Present scribe im, seen and handled the batteries, know: the man who supplies them. The con traptiotis are small mid light. Thev an worn round Hie waist and have wire: running down the legs and cmineethu. with the spins. The spurs become elec trifled, ami as soon as Ihey are appliei Ihe horse receives a powerful shock which shoots him forward like a streal of greased lightning. Th.' battery i> used mostly on sluggish and sulk\ horses, who can gallop but won't. <)',. these it's effect is magical. There can be no doubt that the battery i s hjuri im< to the horse and dangerous to' the rider. I have seen a horse leap in the air under the shock. On another occasion, at South Perth, a horse bolted clean across the track, jumped .the fences and freaked madlv for the bush is to the rider's danger, „ leading jockev on one of the •• outlaw" courses told me recently thai once, when 1,.. was usiii" fhe battery, a wire got !•.-■ ' ' •'], t .|,e saddle, ami even- lime h ' •„ he received a terrilic shock. I' rude Herace out (and won) hanging |» the horse s neck. Tint he reckon, il was In? nearest hi:ig (o a M „l m ,„ , aill] nn . thm . a" denll, he has vet c„c»m,t,red. II will be remembered tlial McDougall was electrocuted whilst endeavouring lo operate an electric spur.)