SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 93, 28 July 1910, Page 8

SPORTING.

A.J.C. SL'KATCIiIXCS. I3y Gable.—Press Association —Copyright Sydney, July 27. Armlet has been scratched lor the Epsom llamlkap, and Formedon has b..en scratched for the j.a:idica[>. i TURF TOPICS. > (By '-Moturoa.*') J In wretched weather the Wellington 1 R.iO. Whiter meeting was concluded on Saturday, and the curtain rung aown on the ' 1909-10 racing season. Heavy : rain rendered the course a quagmire, and the attendance was in consequence very poor, totalisator revenue suffering considerably thereby. Less than £9OOO passed through the machines, as against over £15,000 for the corresponding day last year. Multiple, California and Paisano continued their victorious career, and the prevalence of double winners at the meeting bears out the oft-repeated statement that the Wellington hanclicapper deals rather too leniently with winners. California's victory in the Winter { Oats was- brimful of merit. The chest-1 nut was asked 'to carry 11.13 in a seal of mud, but the public went nap on rim and their confidence was not misplaced.; When the field went off, the favorite was last, but Hector Gray brought nim through on the rails at the home bend, and (he was going very comfortably at the finish. Paisano won the Pinal Hurdles in good style, and the Strowan geiding, should have heaps of friends for the! Grand National meeting. His brace of victories at Trentham placed Mr. G. Oman at the head of winning owners with the nice total of £640. Bob Barlow's mounts, St. Lumsden and Valentine, were "hot stuff" away from the course, but each had to be content with second money, their backers just about holding their own. St. Lumsden looked like winning the Urofton Handicap until the Clanranald mare, Inchbonny, put in a claim at the "distance. St. Lumsden was only beaten by a bare length, and probably the heavy going impeded him somewhat. It must be some years since old Kremlin's number Jias been hoisted as the winner of a race, and Mr. J. McKenzie's win must have been long overdue. Master Paul carried inost money, and showed the way for a mile, then retir-| ing precipitately. Kremlin won very 1 easily, and returned his followers a fair price. Saturday's win 'has numerically! strengthened his band of backers for forthcoming .hurdle races. , As was generally expected, the Multiform colt, Multiple, simply "flew in" at the finish of the Onslow Handicap. Ad-I vantage was solidly supported, but ran much below her usual form. The erstwhile Taranaki horse Waiuku was represented by a winner 'cross country in Waione, whose task in the July Steeple was made easy by the unfortunate Corazon refusing at the tost fence. *Sfc Lethe ran himself out at the end of two miles, and Capitol' made a mistake at the sod wall the first time roumd. Principal winning owners at the meeting were:—Messrs. G. Oman £640, J. D. Ormond £515, J. Twohill £SOO, C..1 Lagor £4OO, J. R. McDonald £305, J. McLaughlin £lB5, and J. Westerman £165. I F. D. Jones piloted four winners at' the gathering. Visitors to Trentham state that Stayboy is sure to win a hurdle race easily next season; The ex-Taranaki praa *s jumping better now than earlier in the sea-son, and he was running on strongly at the finish of the Final Hurdles. The principal topics of the veek have been the totalisator and the bookie. The enemies of racing thave done their interfering work very well. Of course the licensed penciller is doomed, and, what is infinitely worse, the totalisator is in jeopardy, too. It is pleasing to see that Taranaki's M's.P. voted for the re* tent : on of the tote, and those members who had the temerity to vote a man's freedom away in this respect will find themselves up against 'the biggest hurdle they ever faced at the next general elections. The sporting man is not going to be trampled down by the narrowminded "wowser push"—not much. Men will gamble just as much as they please, and all the laws the House of Talk can devise won't change things. The idea that tihe abolition of the machine and the licensed Bar Von will prevent hptting is all moonshine. When the ' bookmake- —'.is being debated in England several years ago. that good sportsman, Lord Rosebery, remarked: '•You may ps V "HI tnlk about the abolition of rain by doing away with gutters, as of the abolition of gambling by doing away with races and bookmakers." As the Hon. J. A. Millar said in the House last week, we have betted all our lives, and we wi!l bet as long as we live. An the best wav to preserve our threatened rights is to bestir ourselves at once and vote for liberty | above all things at the polling booth.