SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 169, 10 August 1909, Page 3

SPORTING.

TURF TOPICS.

(By "Moturoa.")

The 34th New Zealand Grand Nation..! h eeplechase comes up for decision at j Kicciirtou to-day.

-Miiunland horses were well to theffoer e «on the Balaclava Stakes, Hacreuiai the » ilgnh Steeplechase, a lu [ (j„| lk . n ' G h ran second in the Moruiugton Welter llie hrst race to-uay, llie Jllllllcra . Hack Hurdles, is timed to start at 12 5 hd«ded in the field are Glengarill, wh o laced prominently i„ Tarnnaki last sc so,, n„a Tyrannic, who won « double at the Woodlands Hunt Club .nieeli,,., last week The latter will be piloted l,v J. Hercoek. Blue Ribbon is showing si"n< of sw iiess,;and her New Zealand Cun ,„•,.. Paratioii has | WOII ],„„„ , .• ' qiience. ° '

Qf-the Trial Hurdler., Re.idrock gave a taste „f „, s uuality at Ti-eullutm.and there is no doubt that the son of Explosion is a greatly Unproved ' iiorv Auratus, on Wangamii running, appears - l,a ( n. plenty „f W eigl, t , ~,^ a l 1 L ) , p0) ,»ho f,„,51,e,l Miind Polyanthus in a ■mid of the *eliooli-., B ~„e , .s , u J|ast . .11 s last week has yet to prove himself k . 11, !' 1. ■„ ''"'."'"t'- ">'-« taken kind, „ UIP ,|leg,t„„ale ff „„, ,„, ivtlso snowed ].roin, s<l „( unlet things "' /"■"tliam. To-day's race will "ive punters a lino for the National Hurdles, cernd' '" top-weights are co:i-

Jockey JackO'Com.ell, recently ren led from Stralia, state* that Kiaciv injured Ins leg while Win.r r-iiled '•Wli -Melbourne tu Sydney, and Wooil . zoning .subsequently set in, neecssinting In* withdrawal from the bi<r tecplechase. B To-day's Winter Cup has drawn an aetwenty l,or a e 3 , »,„d the issue ppcars to lie very ope,,. Opinions differ onsidcrably as to whieh province will 'M>ly the winner. . Wangamii-ites pin lion- faith to Xorth-East; the man .T„\ Me " ln ß to , n W* his capital .on enates; Grenadier finds favor in AuckMid, Gwendolina m Canterbury and so ii. The wise man—but, of course, lii'le are no wise men j„, the world •t punters-puts his hands in his pockts ami keeps them there. It is assuredy hard to pick! Tile G.N. Steeplechase has only drawn leven Anal acceptors. The following onibiimtioiis are reportedi-Jaek-pot •m <; V -.^ om g), Eurus 11.3 (T. Cuf!j 1 , 11 ' 2 < M - Deeble), Le Beau 0-1J (J. Pinker), Te Arai 10.13 (F Porer), Moeeasin 10.9 (H. Cairns), Nadador 0.8 (J. Hall), Irish 10.5 (C.-Cochrane), Jingerer 9.1(3 p.vnn), AVangnnui 9 7 11. Car.), El Dorado 9.7 (R. Thompson). -Most of the startex haw gdod records o their credit. Jackpot (Hawke's Bay W'J-"? S ('p-, Le Beau A.K.C. Winter Steeple), Capitol (G.N. tceple), Te Arai (Gisborne, Weill™, on and July Steeples), Moccasin (OS nd Wanganui Steeples), Nadador (Waganui, Hawke's Bay and Wellington teeples-), Irish (G.N. Hurdles and A.U. -. H inter .Steeple), and Lingerer (.\aier and Napier Park Steeples) read a erv formidable lot, but whs-ii it is all 'Oi ed down they are just plain 'chitoerß, md not even first quality at that. Le ?eau meets Eurus on 31b better terms ;lian last year, when they ran second tnd _ first respectively. Te Arai was a insistent -winner last season* and his showing will interest most people. The Tally-Ho Plate, which follows the big steeplechase, has drawn the follow- ' mg entries::—Bess, Tyrannic, Thunder- ! storm, Gammon, Unele Tom, Pretoria, Barney, Kildare, Hokianga, Svlvia Maid ' Puzzler, Lovell, Matai, Glengariff, To- ' pato, Strayfox, King of Trumps, Train- \ bearer. '

The Jumpers' Flat Race will give a few of the old hands a chance to exert themselves. The evergreen Scotty. who raced successfully at Trenthan:,' holds the. .place of honor, and the Aucklander was responsible for a slashing windingup gallop on Saturday morning, wlicn he made no race of Compass and Lionheart. Rin'gman has been showing good track form, and his showing will probably be full of interest to soutHuejijj sports. Wairaka, ridden by F. Howard, was responsible for a finished exhibition of jumping on Saturday morning, and is a likely starter in the Enfield Steeplechase.

Knlnuek, who was fatally injured'in Ihe 'Strnlian Hurdle Race on Saturday, has raced with hard luck throughout the season, and was second to Fossil in the Grand National Hurdles at Flemington recently. • Nylund ran a fast five furlongs on Saturday morning, and will make his first appearance under the mentorship of ex-jockey George Price in the Avonhead Handicap.