SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 20, 17 February 1909, Page 3

SPORTING.

WOODVILLE NcIiATCUINuS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Woodville. Last. Xiglu. . I here i- every pruspi'L-L of line wealhci fur il». Woodville niiliimii niccting M'liieh commences to-morrow. Tin. it Vcptanccs aiv lli„. record ,or t|„. ..1,,!, and lliv ra-Lnu .ImulJ |„. ■ Til,. I'-Howing lior,c. have hcci scralce,,l:-- ,>iiiiitiiuu La., and Uubiu ill! engagement.: Maiden: 1),,| M , : ||„,.. die: M. Amelia „u,l Wiiuraili; Hack; IDulce. nii,l' Sylviii. Jlaii!; Cup; While lac; County: llunon; Victoria Hack.Marathon.

T'AIiAN'AKI JOCKEY CIA B. .ViETKOPO'LITAX .UEETLNC,. A meeting of tin- Metropolita-i Committee wa. held hist night in the secretary's m1i,,.. There wet,, present: •Messr-.. I.i-|>|.i'r (chairman). Nolan, Clill. S'lamliili. Blumlell anil Weston. Tin- .iili-committec's action in passing tin- Opiiiniki. programme was conlirmeir. Trainer,' licenses were granted to W. Elliot and to (.'. 11. Moss, -subject to the report fr tin' Wanganui Jockey Club b.ing satisfactory. ]Disi|,in,liliW,Uoiis for having taken, part in unregistered meetings' prior 1.1 Ist January, 1111,'S, were removed from Joseph .Moore (Wauganiiil and James Simpson lOpunake). At his own request. R. Barlow's jockey's lie, use was cancelled. COMMITTEE MEETINIi. A meeting of the- Taranaki Jockey Club committee was afterwards held, the same members being .),rfseiit. " A donation of .CI Is was voted to the Seaside Improvement Coniniittee. It was decided to engage the Taranaki Garrison Hand for the autumn ■meeting on tho same tonus as at Christmas.

, Mr. 11. Stoeker was appointed auditor, vice .Mr. C'linlwill, resigned. It was decided to alter the hurdles -for the_ forthcoming March meeting to .tho satisfaction of the course commit-' 'tee. This will mean the. abolition of the ■toot of the hurdles, thus bringing then, in linn with the style of hurdles used s>y all other clubs iti New Zealand.

It was decided to charge bookmakers' a fee of £2O a. day, and 10* for clerks. Leave of absence was granted to Mr. Newton King whilst absent on business in .England. Mr. Watson was appointed the club's ".delegate to attend a meeting of the Hub delegates to discuss the appointment of stipendiary stewards.

| One new member was elected. The course committee was empowered 'to make minor repairs to starting inaVhincs. TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.") The first of the .autumn meetings, that of tho Woodville District Jockey Club, opens to-day. The principal event is the Woodville Cup. of 200sovs., run •over a mile asid a-quarte.r, for which a Ismail field is expected to face the bar'rier. The other events have tilled well, and a good day's racing is expected, but 'the meeting excites very little interest outside tiie Woodville district. ~

Rangikapua, a. full brother to Tangimoana, will .probably make his first ap'pcarancc itt the Maiden Plate, but is slated to lie <i slow beginner, and is Ihimlly ready to do himself justice yet ■awhile.

t Moral i* stated to lie amiss, md is an unlikely starter in the Wondville Cup. • Rookby, who has been off the scene 'for a couple of seasons, .figures in the Hack Hurdles, but has caught it hot 'from the handieapper, being set to give away tonnage to a brace of consistent •performers in Whatakura and Dot Carlos.

Artillerie has dropped oul of the Wanganui Cup, too much avoirdupois being •alleged. Also, Artellerie Ims valuable ■engagements in Australia in the autumn •and New Zcalitnd lias little hope of sec 'ing the daughter of Royal Artillery ■then.

1 Moloch has been galloping as well as 'ever, and is reckoned to be a certain Starter at Woodville.

Batlybeigh, the half-brother to Starshoot, has been showing good galloping •powers at Gisborne lately, and there ■have been a number of sportsmen alter 'the son of Stepniak—Crescent. As much as 750gns. wa.s refused for the colt, the ittill price of lOOOgns. being his owner's ■price. • Lord Soult is stated to be. galloping '■veil again, but the old fellow will have •to show great improvement on his revent form to have a chance in the Tcle■pl e Handicap at Wondville. Sonltliiu'. is apparently stayi-.ig bettcr now than in the spring, and the smart 'New Zcalander got away with the. St. 'George's Stakes, run over a mile and a cjinrter, at the Victorian A.T.C. meeting <m MondaiV, beating Lord Nolan. Per'keo. Monobcl and others. This is the Mir.-.t, time Smiltlinc, has won over a 'mile.

' The! Auckland horseman, 1">. fJeeley, ■added another win to his total by ri'l■iiitf Mahinga to victory at Alexandra ■Park (Auckland) <ra Saturday. Deeley 'ha* struck form now. and is after Hatch, ■who at present easily lops the poll of winning jockeys.