SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 341, 17 March 1910, Page 3

SPORTING.

WAIMATE TROTTING HANDICAPS,

The following' handicaps have been declared by Mr. F. W. Edwards for the above meeting, to be held at Manaia on Wednesday, March 23: — Wainiate Plains Handicap, two miles —Glenora scr., Ninirod 2sec, Craigaruskey Bsec, Phil Bsec., The Flasher lOsec., Macquarrie 12sec, Waikino 16sec, Pearlie Maid lOsec, Lillian 22sec, Tia 22sec., General Joubert 2Gsec, Messenger Girl 28sec.

Publicans' Purse Handicap, one mile— Jac W. scr., Jungle lsec, Pierotte 2sec, Phil 3sec, Little Harold 4scc, Rothschild Lad Bsec, Rutland 9sec, Gather-no-Moss Usee, Santa Claus lOsec, Baron D. lOsec, Statesman Usee, Full Sail 12sec, Golden Rose losec. Manaia Handicap, one mile and a-half —Jack W. scr., Pail 4sec, The Flasher Osec, Macquarric 7sec, Waikino lOsec, Rothschild Lad 12sec, Gather-no-Moss ISsec., Rutland 13sec., Pihama losec, Tia losec, Statesman lGsec, Mersey 18 Maiden District Handicap, one mile— Nimrod ser., Santa Ola us lOsec, Conjurer lOsec, Mararoa lOsec., Helvetia lOsec, Messenger Girl 135w.., Miss Chevalier 13sec, Plain Bill 13sec, Uniform 13sec. Greeta 13sec, 'Princess Kate 13sec, Ruff' 13sec, GoLden Rose 15see. Burnbarik Handicap, two miles—Jack W. scr., The Flasher Ssec, Pearlie Maid Usee., Bazainite lSsec, Lillian 2-Osec, Paritutu 26sec, Huon Berlin 26sec. Ladies' Bracelet, one mile tmd a-half —Pierotte scr., Little Harold 3see., Theodore 7sec, Pihama 12sec, Mararoa Fsec, Mersey 15sec, Miss Chevalier 10 sec Princess Kate lOsec, Messenger Girl 16sec, Uniform 16sec, Ranee Clair 19sec, Gokhvood (not eligible). Maiden Handicap Trot, one mile and a-half—Waikino scr., Theodore scr., Bazainite 3sec, Baron D. 3sec, Cosmos 4 sec Helvetia 4sec, Pihama osec, Mararoa osec. Full Sail 7sec, Lady Moor 9 sec, Hauruia 9sec, Huon Berlin 9sec„ Greeta 9sec, Chicory 9sec, Ruff 9sec, Ranee Clair Usee, Golden Rose 12sec, Goldwood (not eligible). Acceptances close with the secretary I at Manaia tQ.mo.rrow (Friday).

j- xuKF TOPICS, ~..-"• J (By "Moturoa.") Punters will have plenty of opportunities to shed thei r accumulated wealth to-day. The Masterton, Napier Park, and Opuuake meetings vail be ?n Ml Wast, ~. ,„

Canterbury weights are due about to-ij morrow, and with Auckland, Canterbury, Feilding, and Patea Clubs all racing at the end of the month ffee "pickers" will have their brains working overtime. A good number o'i sports went down to Opunalce yesterday, dud no douot many more will mate the trip this morning in smellifluous lumps of animated ironmongery. Pip! Pip! Handicapper Henrys has piaced the two crack sprinters, North-East and Lord Souit, ''on the mark" in the Mangaone Stakes at Feilding with 9st 131b apiece. Neither horse is engaged elsewhere* ami a great race may be pected.The foriil exhibited by Nukuhau at Christmas meetings should ser"e to send that horse out very warm for the sprints at Opuuake. . The Porirua team were railed through to Masterton on Monday, and probably Taitoko (C. Jenkins) and Swirnming Belt (H. Telford) will both start in" the Waipipi Cup to-day. Mr, Pollock has rehandicapp'ed Glenspring (Bi(t 131b) and Curator (7*t'lolb) in the Dash Handicap at Opaki.

There is nothing wrong with the track form of Somali, and tins seasoned jumper is said to be a certain starter in the Hurdles at Opunake. Sunbonnet ran promisingly at Dannevirke last week, and is said to be coming bacK to her old form, r out the daughter of Seaton Delaval will have to be right at her best to foot it with the crack sprinter Xaumai in the early stages of the Marcn Handicap. The, others engaged do not appear to be a particularly swift lot.

Gold Bird has been winning lately, and his bold showing at Wanganui, where he ran a first and a second, may prompt backers to send him out iavonte for whatever races he contests at Opaki. The hurdlers engaged at that place are very moderate performers.

Clemora has been hard at it for three months now., and Dick Johnson will probably lake the horse on to Auckland after the Napier Park meeting. With 7st 51b against his name in Hie Easter Handicap the Taranaki horse does not read badly handicapped, but it is just possible that he may not be at his best after the' hard racing he has gone through iatelv.

Captain Bell cost punters a lot' of money at Dannevirke, where a 'oad start upset his chances. The horse is very well, and may make amends for his defeat very shortly. The chief handicap at Opumke looks a fairly open race. Bismarck, Tarn Glen, and Maggie Paul have most friends. Bismarck ran well at Wanganui, but had no luck. Mr. H. Eva runs his horsee rignt out, and a win for the bearer 'of the "scarlet and gold" jacket would be very popular. - Rangiwhetu has paid up for Opunake engagements, and will probably be amongst tlie runners there to-day. Mr. Crocker's horse is reported to have just recovered from an attack of strangles, and may not be forward enough to show his best form yet awhile.

Good reports come to hand from Waverley concerning Ambergris, who Murt. Gardiner is said to have in good fettle. Ambergris accepted for Opunake. but whether Gardiner will make the trip or not is another question. Latest files from India, that' pari of the Hempiah that breathes sedition oi the deepest dye, state that the exAucklander Master Delaval hopped out and won the Bombay Plate, a race worth goodness knows how many thousand rupees. But a rupee is only worth a "couple o' bob"—or less—and that consideration takes the magnificence off the apparently large stake. Soultline and the Australian-bred Tangaroa are out on their own amongst the sprinters in that tropical clime, and their form is so good that there is a likelihood of the pair "ceing sent to Hingland to give the "big guns" a bit of a rattle.

The cables told us last week that the V.E.C. Champion Stakes was a slowrun race. In plain black and white it is hard to realise how shockingly slow that misnamed race for alleged champions really was. The three-mile journey took Smin 47sec —a record "slow race." To show what this reaily means, an Auckland scribe, "Phaeton," points out that the Great Northern Steeplechase, which covers three and a-half miles ot up-and-down course fairly bristling with formidable obstacles, has been run in Smin 17 3-ssec, and that a second-rate trotter like Airana was cap-

able of trotting three miles in Tniin 41 2-ssec recently. Any respectable | butcher's horse, with the ciiit thrown in, could just about equal Prince Foote's | time recorded last week, and if such ; "races" are made a practice of at Flem- | insrton it is time that the clerk 01 the course was sent out to chase the "champions" round the track and waUop them witli his stockwhip every time they slowed down to take a leisurely view of the landscape. It is not often that we read of a dead-heat being run off in the colonics, but at Rose-hill (Australia) ou the sth instant Achillean and Zenda dead-heated in the Parramatta Mile, and the owners decided on a run-off. Achillean started | favorite in each event, but was badly outed in the second race. | Acceptances for the principal handicaps at the Auckland Racing Club's Easter meeting are well up to the totals recorded in former years, and must be put down as quite satisfactory. Entries for the minor events have crept up from 340 to 304. Taranaki is poorly represented in the lists, but Clemora and j Waiari have paid up for Ihe Easter Handicap, and old Pharos is in_ the Autumn Steeplechase. Mr. O'Driscoll has engaged WaTfapu in several flat races.