SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 343, 19 March 1910, Page 3

SPORTING.

RACING FIXTURES. , i March 20 and 28—Wairarapa R. C. March 2(i, 28 and 29—Auckland K.C. March 28—Putea R.G. March 28 and 20—Canterbury J.C. March 28 and 29—Feilding J.C. April 0 and 9—Wellington R.C. April 9 and 13—Avondale J.C May 21 and 24—Takapuna J.C. June 3, 4 and B—Auckland R.C. DATES OF COMING EVENTS. NEW ZEALAND. March 20—A.R.0. Easter Handicap. Xarch 28—Northern Champagne Stakes. March 29—Great Northern Oaks. AUSTRALIA. March 26—A.J.C. St. Leger. March 28—Sydney Cup. TURF TOPICS. j (By "Moturoa.") An error was made in our report of the Opunake races yesterday morning, i The winner of the Opunake R.C. Ilandicap was Paul, not Maggie Paul, the lat- j ter having finished third. I The Easter Racing Carnival opens on; , Saturday next. j Forest was too big at Napier Park'to; do> himself justice. | Another double hurdle winner, Polyanthus, way recorded this week. Clemora paid a fair price on Thursday, but I did not hear of many local sports participating in the win. Walter Rnynor has Research quite sound again, and the son of Renown will be given a run at Feilding. That "light of other days, old P»ritntu. is in commission again, and figures in several hurdle Taces at Ellerslie. Reported that (Windage has developed a big leg and may not be seen to advantage yet awhile. The veteran tardier Hydrant figure, amongst the acceptors for the Open Hurdles' and Welter Handicap at Feilding. Mr R. Barlow has paid up for Golden Loop in the Mangaone Stakes. The acceptances include the crack sprinters Loard Soult, North-East, True Shot

and Cmeinella, and the local colt will l>e inp against it very HoMi on the 28tih • inst. Wanganui-ites are still wondering how Brilliancy ca.nft to be beaton on the second day of the Wanganui meeting, and the horse will be right on it again at Feildin'g. The HotChkiss gelding can fly tor a few furlongs, but unfortunately leaves.' his best gallops on the training tracks. Mr. H. Eva has Uhkndo and Bismarck in at Feilding. The former looks well in .the Ouip with 7st., and with a good boy up might have to be reckoned with Bismarck appears to have his full share of weight in the Hack Welter, and the liandicapper might have let him off with a few pounds less. Other locally owned ones engaged there are Somali, who has the handy impost of 9.10 in the Hurdles, and St. Kildare, with 6.11, in the Onga Hack fßaee ran over five and a half furlongs. Mr J. O'Driscoll cannot complain at the weight apportioned to Waitapu i* the Tradesmen's Handicap at Auckland. The big horse is partial to a ten furlong course, and will probably accompany Pharos on the northern trip. The latter mentioned chaser is getting into form, but will surprise most people if lie scores at Ellcrslie at the end of the month.

i Hector Gray was up on a brace of winners at Green-meadows on Wednes- j day, Wimmera and Mundic -scoring in; ' his hands. Gray still heads the win-! ning riders' with 46 firsts this season, • but A. Olliver is having a great run lately, and threatens to -beat 'him for „ premier position. t The Ivaramu stable shelters a smart ► (colt in Birkdale, by Birkenhead | Thame. The youngster easily aecount- » ed for Sea Eagle and War Seng on ' Wednesday, and held too many guns ! for the brilliant Kohinoor in the Kuoa * Handicap the following day. If Birk- ■ dale runs up to Napier Park form his : < opponents will have to look slippy in * the Ellerslie Handicap next week, in . which Ormond's youngster reads well in I at 7st 31b. I The well-bred Reformist (BjMuown- * Formulist), who went right througn * t last season without winning a race, was i> sent out first favourite for the Trial '* at the Park on Wednesday, and wiien ( I he tackled Useful at the distance the f race looked a safe thing for him, mit *, Bunkum just got up in time to 'Head i him on the post, and in consequence ' much good capital was spilt. It 13 the t luck, or rather the bad luck, of racing. > Parable's victory in the Napier Cup I put the cap on a list of coincidences » which may be worth recording. Last f* year Woodhey won the Woodville Cup; then went on to Dannevirke for the Cup and was beaten back into third ■ place. Following this he gathered in I the Napier Cup. This year Parable put up an exactly similar brio of performances. Wagering in connection with the Easter doubles is being proceeded with, very cautiously. Salute and Waione are reported to be favourite combinations for Auckland, Penates and Diabolo for Canterbury, and Parable and True Shot for Feilding. Concerning Maorilanders in 'Stralia, late files report that Downfall is in great form and is almost certain to start in the Sydney Cup. Coachuca is sound again and jumping splendidly. The Raft, by The Possible, -recently changed hands at 52 guineas in Victoria. Maranui is to be s'old by auction next month. His racing days are over, but he should do well at the stud. Woodhey was exhibiting signs of soreness prior to the Napier Park meeting, but that did not prevent the pub'ic sending him out a warm order for the Napier Cup. He finished with a great run, and just failed to catch Parable. On the second day he was given a "un in the St. Patrick's Handicap, but could not foot it with Maori King and Mundic, who had the finish to themselves. It is just possible that there would have been a riot had Boyne Water woo a race at Napier on St. Patrick's Day Bobrikoff's victory in the Rawson Stakes came as very gratifying news to New Zealand Turf followers'. The Hawke's Bay horse is a champion in 1 this country up to. perhaps, a mile and: a-half, -and if he can show his best form next week tlhe Australian will ■probably 'be called upon to do their best. Rather discouraging news of Bobrikoff's track form has' come across lately, and his recent victory will do much to confound his critics. He's a' (poor track horse and rather inclined

! to be sluggish at any time, but he has | the tappy knack of being first at the finish of his races, and that is all tLe I barm his 1 followers wish him next week. RACING CLUBS KNOCKED OUT. AN ALARMING STATEMENT. (By "Moturoa.") An anti-sporting friend dropped in the other morning with an Irving Sayles smirk on his doleful phiz and pushed a newspaper into this scribe's face, shouting something about horse racing being knocked on the thinking-box or some such place, 'inhere was apparently no need to give him a barrier start, as lie blew off and spouted out all that was ailing him, and "Moturoa" had perforce to give him his best attention. Racing was to be a thing of the past—a bad thing of the past —he said, and when I politely hinted that he was a cliump and a prevaricator lie spread the newssheet and sought to confound me. The paper was the Budget, and the article referred to a leader on "Control of Racing." It was an interesting document in many "ways, and gave this' scribe a feeling as if his digester had given up work. It stated that racing j was now limited to two days a year for each club. . "Read what it says," he shouted, and he could not have, been more excited if Southall had bowled j air the Australians for duck's fruit. 1 i took the ipaiper with trembling | hands, and felt my hands rus& i rip into bundles of knuckles at j the terrible news contained therein. j Sure enough horse racing had been dealt the knock-out slog. Racing was to be limited to tw.o days a year for each club, and what • was more marvellous still, "the Canterbury J.C. and the Auckland R.C," to quote the leader, "will have to curtail their programmes in future very considerably." Now mis wail news to me, and between his frenzied shouts —which may have been heard at Bell Block for all I know— I managed to inquire the reason of it ! all. "Hadn't I heard >of the Gaming

; Act of 1909?" he yelled. I had, of course I had. But what of it? It was

on a par with all the seemingly terriDle but actually harmless gaming legislation manufactured in the Empire City during recent years. It was a poor, harmless thing at best. "But it wipes* out all the big clubs," he argued, shakI ing the paper vehemently; "the racing £is cut down four-fifths. Can't you see \ lit?" Well, I'd read that Act sev- '' I eral times, and I began to wonder if i I had overlooked any iof its salient points), so we got the miserable thing I down and perused carefully. We had. , only travelled as far as section 2 when Jwe read: "Nothing in this Act shall I apply to 'horse-racing conducted under i tie authority and control of a racing I club authorised to use the totalisator?' I Exactly! Then how does that Act I lisinn the C.J.C., or the A.R.C., or any ! other respectable club? I tell you that '• kill-sport's face fell to zero right there, I but before 'he gave me the low-nanued j wig-wag, I impressed upon him the necessity of knowing, first of all, what he i was screaming about. The Gaming Act, i latest edition, tonly makes Law what all i true sportsmen have been advocating j for years-—firstly, the suppression of i swindling clubs which parody a noWe i sport, and secondly the proper control I of all racing, registered or unregistered. j Honest racing clubs have nothing to ' fear from this latest Act, -but the ponies and other "pests'" are swept mto | oblivion. Racing will now have a ehance of becoming as straight and as j respectable as its best patrons 'have al- | ways wished. If our contemporary iri- ; advertently misled anyone, kill-joy or sportsman, the error is now corrected, , that is all. j _