SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 353, 2 April 1910, Page 3

SPORTING.

RACING FIXTURES. A.a.C. (Sydney)— April 2. Wellington iJ.C—April 6 ana i>. Avondale J.C—April 9 and 13. Manawatu E.C.—April 13 and 14. Nelson J.C.—April 20 and 21. South Canterbury J.C. April 20 and 21. Hawke's Bay J.C—April 27 and 28. Marlborough R.C.—May 4 and 5. Ashburton County R.C.—May 12 and 13.

TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.") Races at Trentham on Thursday. Waitapu did no good at Ellerslie. The most consistent winner running at present is Armlet. Bismarck was a bad horse for itie bookies' at Patea.

The Cuirassier gelding John 'has improved out of all knowledge, and with three firsts at Feilding ran up his fifth consecutive win.

Bav Paul was badly galloped on and finished last in the Maiden at Waipukurau.

Kauroa was' the absolute moral, according to Wanganui sports, which, went out at Patea. Clemency never gave the blacic a possible chance. A word of praise is due to trainer R. Johnston for the way he turned Clemency out at Patea. A month ago the horse was a half-starved looking criprple. Punters' for the most part "parted" on Easter Monday. As one unlucky punter put it at Patea: "We part here"

On his bold showing in open eompany at Wanganui, Golden Glow should have shone at Patea, but. he was .poorly backed and shaped indifferently. Probably a two-mile course would suit the Saracen gelding better. After winning the Patea Easter Handicap Bismarck was hurried off to Feilding, and ran'last in the Welter Handicap. That ; failure would just about take the gilt off the Patea victory. Bobrikoff's brilliant victories across the Tasman would prove an eye-opener to the Cornstalks'. The New Zealander is good enough for any quantity of Maltines, Malt Kings and other prads I with the "beer-chewer's" names.

Bridge, who only went under by a neck in' the Great Autumn, .probably owed his defeat to the fact that he was carrying 101b overweight, which seems' rank foolishness, to' say the least of it. For weeks the dogs have been bark-j ing Jack Pin for the Maiden at Feilding, but the boomed neddy let punters in very badly. He is a four-year-old gelding by Lupin—Jett, trained by Murt. Gardner at Waverley, and report s'ays he can travel as fast as a defaulting Ikey Mo. Feu-de-joie was given a terrible flogging in the big handicaps at Patea. A good deal of Wanganui money went on the Torpedo mare, and it was gone from the word "go." The Leader was looking magnificent at Patea, and his connections made no secret of their hopes of success', but the Westmere gelding had his work cut uut to beat Feu-de-joie for a place in the Easter Handicap, and did even worse in the High-Weight Handicap. Mr Ban Hug .e's Maniapoto colt ISTgatiruanui ran over a lot of ground in the Kakaramea Stakes', and at the home turn looked like running off the course, but Holmes straightened him up in good style, and he fairly flew in. His victory would be very pleasing to Mr Harry Goode, of Wanganui, who owns his sire Maniapoto. Mr Budge released the barriers' when all the runners in the Farmers' Plate were moving up in a perfect line, but three-quarters of the gentlemen riders Appeared to be half asleep, and Alec Hall had his mount well clear ot even-thing before they had gone a dozen strides.

The Conqueror gelding Asealon, which has,' been threatening to win a race for some time,, ran off with a double /,t Fe'lding in taking style, and is sure to b ■ heard of again. One of Mr McDonald's sons was in the saddle, and he had a couple of very comfortable rides. Golden Loop failed when up against the big guns on Monday, and Billv Price could not get a gallop out of him amongst the hacks the following day. Probably the chestnut is not quite wound up yet. A number of Taranaki punters have been following Aboriginal religiously—if it is possible to follow a racehorse religiously—for some time, but most of them were too busy at Patea on Monday to think of putting just another note on th-> Verriwee gelding at the Wairarapn. meeting. Of course he won the big race and .paid the usual hatfull! True Shot was credited with running I six furlongs in 1.14 before going »

Fending, but Mr (.!. F. Moore's ttl'y showed no brilliancy at all at the place which is always "calm.' ("Feikling is calm!!" is a Live-word, you know.;

Golden Eagle performed shockingly at' IV!.ding, and uppoars lo have IoA all intimation to rush out ana win U-ui.'d .-Uvl.i's. >-lio has been entered ior the big races at Avondale this month. Other locally trained ones engaged at Avonda'e on the flth inst. are Paul and Cyrene in Hat events and the veteran l-'aritutu in hurdle races. Taking a line tl rough Prophet's winning performances at KUrs'lie during the Meek me of rurdle horses running in the rorthtrn city must be very poor. Another o'< the old-timers, strath - avon, is in work again, and figures amongst the entries' for the Papakura annual race meeting.

Queen's Prize may not be much of a watch-smasher, but she was equal to the task of heating the miserable crowd of horses which contested the Farmers' l'lntfc at Patea. When Higginson gave her her heaa a couple of furlongs from home she rushed through from fifth to first and reached right out for the 40 sovs in approved fashion. Mr. A. Laurent made a good bargain when he picked up Clemency at Haweia a couple or months' ago for 10 guineas. Dick Jj.mson has the chestnut very well now, and providing his legs hold out he should pay his way in short races over the fences this' winter. The crowd behind the St. Clements' gelding threw in for a hcalthv win at Patea.

While Sandy Paul was leading the field in me earlier stages of the Borough Stakes, a short excited fellow on the lawn let himself go so badly that his friends' felt ashamed to be seen near him. He did the haka sure enough and shouted, "The beauty! Sandy Paul in canter. They'll never catch him, the beauty!" But the chestnut was putting in short ones long before the home turn was sightui anl when Starboard replied hie- he quickly threw in his mi-He. Sandy Pan' hasn't a heart as' large as the sportsman he was named after.

That, flash - looking neddy, Maori Rifle, is just as bad as ever at tr>e barrier, and his chance was missing front the rising of the tapes' in the Borowrh Stakess.

Lady Lupin is another 'beauty at the starting-post. She persistently faces the wrong way, and all the punching in the world won't 1 shift her. However, young Rus'soll got her out fairly well at Patea, and she ran fairly kindly. Bow Bells was strongly supported for the Waiohine Hack Handicap at the Wairarapa meeting, as was Palestine, but both had to lower their colors to that slippery mart Conques'tina, who was well handled by R. Lambess and scored comfortably in oOsec.

Newport was solidly backed in the Alton High Weight Handicap at Patea, and Cochrane piloted the Daystar gelding in his usual vigorous manner. At the turn he looked all over a winner, but Patrobus, who?- 1 track work did not suggest him as a likely winner, came strongly and won very comfortably.

Winning jockeys at the meeting Were —O. •Cochrane ''2). Len Nodder (2).j Holmes (1), Roach (1), Tate (1), and | Mr Higginson (1). [ Old Pharos shows signs of unbound- i ness at Ellerslie last week, and Mr O'Driseoll did not risk starting him in the Autumn Steeplechase. The runaway victory of Waiari in the (Easter Handicap came as a surprise to most Taranaki sports. That the horse was fairly s'iu-tI lor a hack was acknowledged, but he must hare improved a lot since being taken to Auckland. The comparatively short price paid by the ex-Taranaki prad shows that somebody knew he had more than an outside chance in the Easter Handicap. "Whether the hurdle horse Nero, viutning at Patea on Monday, is identical with the hurdler of that name running in the Hawke's Bay district last I am not prepared to-'positively say. \r- ! the Turf Register describes' the Hawwv's Bay horse as an aged chestnut gelding bv Nestor —Australian mare, and the Patea "correct card" gives the same sex. age and pedigree to the Nero racing at Patea. Can anyone supply iiie required information? I After winning the Toanui Hurdles it i Feilding, Windage 'broke down badly, and may not race again for some time. The Autumn Plate winner at Ricearton, the 'Stralian-bred Genius, has tue habit of waving his tail in the air while galloping. We know heaps of hoists about here who wave their hairy appendages when they have Md "noufrh of the race and have a mind to turn it up. With Kaitere and Bullworth nla-ed first and s'econd. the First Steeple at Randwick Ixire quite a Maoriland toxir.i. Very few of our jumpers fail to pav their way acros* the water, though they often run byes for a month or two u;ttil the weights suit and certain victory stands' out. Then they nut in and the Ikeys pay out. Onlv the poor punter who follows form "does Ins coin" and helps to keep the bookmaker supplies in the good things of this life. According to jockev Ollivcr. Eouitas' should have gathered in the Auckland Easter Handicap last week. Mr Preston's horse, as was feared, fared badlv on the right-handed bends. Riifl wiMi tliat given in he carr>d ''"'i Pat olli0 ll i into second place in a good field of sixteen runners. It is about time th p Patea Racing Club tumbled to the fact that the prev* ent stands provided for its • ,iin+Tois I are totally inadeonafe for present re-

Oiiiremonts. Hirrhlv sneppssfnl niP"tings have been held durinor Hie last few years, and in spite, of strort"' counter attractions the Pa tea Club 1,-i-' bomi supported splendidly liv rii" own-

ers and by the snorting nubile of Tnranski and the Wanp-anui dMrH'. The present grandstand is a poor affair, offerincr absolutely no shelter should rain fnll dnrinr; the progress of a meeting, and the press stanJ and totalisator

houses are so plaee<l as .to ent off a view of the home bend from people f-'iandinrr in front of the ?va"dstand. The eonrse has been improved between the three fnrloncts pec; and the straight entranep. but the run info the strniorht is ton sharp for safe raping when largp fields are crt', i(d.