SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 348, 26 March 1910, Page 2

SPORTING.

RACING FIXTURES. March 20 and 28—Wairarapa R. C. March 26, 28, and 29—Auckland R.C. March 28—Patea'R.C. March 28 and 29—Canterbury J.C. March 28 and 29—Fielding 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 26—A.K.C. Easter Handicap. March 28 —Northern Champagne Stakes. March 29—Great Northern Oaks. AUSTRALIA. March 26—A.J.C. St. Leger. March 28—Sydney Cup.

TURF TOPICS.

(By "Moturoa.")

The Auckland Racing Club's autumn meeting opens to-day. Easter Monday's attraction for Taranaki sports will be the Patea annul meeting. Special trains are advertised and excursion fares will b« in force.

Great interest is being taken in tha Australian Jockey Club's autumn gathering which opens at Randwick this afternoon. The presence of Boorikoff, Downfall Gold Thread, Cachuea, Waihuku and a auraber of other New Zealanders promises to make the meeting a most interesting one for sportsmen on thie Bide of the Tasman.

On Easter Monday there will be racing at Ellerslie, Riccarton, Patea, Fielding and a host of minor places. Th« Sydney Cup comes up for decision on that afternoon.

News that Penates changed hands at a moderate Sum of £SOO comes" as a surprise. Heaps of worse horses touch higher figures than that and it seems very little for such a brilliant sprinter. It is stated that R. Hatch will pilot Penates in the Great Easter Handicap at Christchurch, and the son of Ruenalf promises to give a good account of himself in that rac«.

Contralto and Nukuhau were produced in good fettle at Opunake last week and it is safe to conclude that they will be solidly backed at Patea on Mtnday.

Equitas and Ambrosian went to Auckland to fulfil their engagements and A. Olliver will do the riding. Aucklanders will not near of Salute's defeat, but if Equitas gets .round the left-handed corners reasonably well, he may trouble the Northern flier.

Kilaroo is said to be able to travel like the wind and may be given a run at the Wairarapa meeting which opens to-day. , Old Gunstock won the Cup and Hurdles at Ohura the other day. They must be troubled with the slows up that way.

, The Penates—Kilindini double nas come in for solid support for the big handicaps at Riccarton. C. Jenkins will ride Kilindini.

Flying Cloud, who changed hands after the Taranaki Cup meeting, won a race for his new owner at the Ohinemuri gathering last week. It'was bad luck for Tommy Wilson to lose King's Prize during the week. It is only a few months since he paid a substant'al price for tne horse, and at Wanganui Be won very easily. King's Prize was going well on the Awapuni tracks and was to have been shipped to Riccarton the next day.

Lady Moutoa, who scored her first win at Napier last week, was bred by the Manawatu Stud Company, and sold to her present owner, Mr. F. Easton, for 230 guineas. She is well bred, being by Soult from Ceeile. Another Soult sold at the same time and to the same owner, was Moutoa Girl, from Santa Katarina. The latter filly realised 100 guineas. Lord Soult is said to be galloping «* well as ever and is a sure starter in the Mangaone Stakes at Feilding on Monday. Good reports also come to hand of the work done by True Shot and with so many fast horses in tae race a fine contest should ensue.

Gold Battery, Rangipapa and Abfcrbrothock are now daily attendants at Awapuni and will soon be called upon to win their winter oats.

Nothing but Waione will go down with ante-post bettors for the Brighton Hurdles and no doubt the Porirua-train-ed horse will make a bold showing this afternoon.

Conquestina stops so badly after going four furlongs that it is hard «o place the horse, and Clarence O'Neill contemplates) a trip to Avondale alter one of those half mile flutters. He -will find the opposition fairly warm up ther«. Sir Prize is now enjoying a long spell and will not be asked to do any work until the spring. This scribe wishes the same could happen to him! Voting competitions are just about as uncertain as horse races. Just wuen Webbtown had gone completely mad over their Willie and had figured out that "with three-quarters of a million votes up their sleeves the world's l trip was a safe thing for their candidate, lip came Miss Bodmin with a terrific burst of votes and swamped Willie's canoe and everything. Now "Miss Bodmin will go round the world and William Webb will stop at home and play the piano, which w r asJ his share of the prizes.

Waikaraka. who has been-off the scene since the New Year, has been put into work again and is said to be looking very much improved by the spell. George Price is reported to 'ftave Aorangi looking well and the hurdler may be seen out at Fielding.

Paul reads well in at Patea and on Opunake running should make a good showing. Birkdale, who won a double s'o easily at the Napier Park meeting, is a likely starter in the Ellerslie Handicap to-day. The daughter of Birkenhead carries no penalty for 'her recent successes and is not badlv treated with 7.3. !

j Sunbonnet has been running well forward recently and will probably sport silk in the Wardell Handicap at the Wairarapa meeting to-day. Windage has) recently been through the dent : st's hands and will be amongst the runners in open hurdle races at Feilding.

Marathon has been doinsr so badly on the tracks lately that kidney ailments are feared.

Bobrikoff has been scratched for the Doncas'ter Handicap but still remains in the Autumn Stakes, a weight-for-age event run over a mile and a half. Maltine. Malt Tting, Orline, Lord Nolan. Parsee and Dow.nfall figure in the race and the crack New Zealand horse will be right up against "big cattle" to-day. On Monday the Sydney Cup will be run. in which Downfall is weighted at 8.3. A trio of Maorilanders, Kiatere, n«cJiuc« and Bullworth appear in ih« First Steepleciaee.