SPORTING

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 186, 16 November 1910, Page 8

SPORTING

METROPOLITAN COMMITTEE. A meeting of the Taranaki Metropolitan Commiitoe was held in the secretary's office last night; present: Messrs. C. M. Lepper, O. W. Sole, W. C. Weston., L. B. Webster, A. Alexander, A. R. Standish. J. H. Ilempton. E. F. Blundell, X. King and J. Ellis. The following licenses were duly granted: —Trainers': John Melville, Arthur Gilbert and William Elliott. Jockeys': Bernard Kemp. Gentlemen riders': Mr. F. C. Iligginson and Mr. C. 0. Brough. TARAXAKI JOCKEY CLUB. The committee met at the close of the above meeting, the same members being present. I Mr. Whittle's tender for the publii can's booths at the Christmas and Autumn meetings was accepted. Mr. j Woollen's tender for catering was acI eepted for the same meetings. | The Taranaki Garrison Band is to be asked to play on the same terms as , last year for both meetings, j The bookmakers' fees wore fixed at \ the same as ■ last season, viz., £2O per | day, and 10s per day for clerk. It was decided to extend the date of ■■ publication of weights for the Christmas meeting from December 2 until Friday, December 9, and the date of the acceptances was extended until December 16. I Messrs. Neylon and Spriggens were j engaged to work the totalisator for the I season. | Several alterations and improvements on the course were decided upon, among which are a new number-board, a new bandstand, and also two gates (ingress and egress), to prevent congestion of j the public. It was also agreed to shift ; the position of the hurdles, bringing the one now half way up the straight to a position opposite the standj and others jto meet the requirements of the bends ,in the course. Other alterations are un- | der consideration, and will be dealt with at next meeting. i Accounts amounting to £4B 14s 2d were passed for payment. | The club has dismantled the old Grey starting machines, which have been in use for some years, and will have the ; Saywell machines working at the forthcoming Christmas meeting. / | TURF ■ TOPICS. ! . (By "Moturoa.") | The Dannevirke Spring meeting opens i to-day. Mon Ami is galloping well at present. The hurdler Waterworks should quickly run out of hacks. Influenza accounted for Oiyoi's absence from the Canterbury meeting. | Mr. H. Eva has no reason to growl at Highden's impost in the Dannevirke Handicap. j The consistent Bow Bells is well forward for Dannevirke engagements. ! For what was probably their farewell gathering at Riccarton, the War Vons paid £2479 for the right to bet last j week. I Brilliancy has been going on the right j way at Palmerston lately, and will probI ably be amongst the runners at Dannevirke. Some fair horsds will be brought to- ! gether in the Raumati Hurdles this afj ternoon, and if Waterworks, Whakaweira, Sleacombe and the top weights weigh out, punters will find it hard to pick the favorite. | The veteran Cyrene is on the job again, and will probably sport silk at Dannevirke. Clem has fallen on evil days. Recently, he changed hands at 12 guineas, and shortly afterwards 13% guineas induced another sale. Jockey Hatch is riding well again, and at Carterton piloted three winners. F. Flynn and T. O'Brien each accounted for a brace—a pair of braces, in fact! Mortite, who scored so easily at Waverley recently, claims engagements in the Maiden Race and Otariga Hack Welter at Dannevirke. A lot of outside money will go on him first start. At the Canterbury Trots, a mare named Marie Corelli was put out of a race for anticipating the starter. li the gallopers were treated likewise we would see a better behaved crowd of boys at the starting machine. The hurdler Whakaweira originally cost 20 guineas. Won at Carterton, and then went over to Mr. C. F. Vallance at 500 guineas. He is a promising sort of I a horse, and fences boldly, j Wirral appears to have relapsed into his old-time dirty tricks at the barrier, ( and at Waipawa the other day he unseated his rider before his ardour cooled off. Mr. Alec Hall appeared to manage him well while he trained him. Saturday was the unlucky horses' day at Riccarton. Los Angelos, Gold Bird, Ascalon and Sharpshooter were seen to advantage, and the crowning feat was Kopu's splendid victory in the concluding event. Needless to add, the punters had a bad time of it. Just to show him that thev have their eyes ripen for doubtful tactics in race riding, the stewards of the Auckland Racing Club fined Jockey B. Deeley £26 for crossing Appellon during the runi ning of the Epsom Handicap, which he won on Kakama. The interference made ] no difference to the result of the race, and it seems as if Deeley hasn't many friends up that way. The Stead Memorial Cup was robbecv of considerable interest by the enforced scratching of Danube, and it is to be hoped that the brilliant little son of Martian will quickly get over the effects !of his unfortunate mishap. In his ab- | sence Los Angelos made no race of the others, and paid a surprisingly good I dividend. I The defeats of Golden Loop at Ellerslie must have cost his party a goodly | sum. On Saturday the chestnut was [ confidently supported, and he ran a good , race, but the opposition were too strong lon the day. Probably C.L. is not a's well now as he was at Wanganui. He is stated to be an unlikely starter at Takapuna. I Winners of £IOOO and upwards at the jC.J.C. Metropolitan meeting were: E. jj. Watt £2140, Stead Bros. £1545, Sir G. Clifford £1530, G. D. Greenwood £1515, Hon. J. D. Ormond £I3OO, J. Monk £1065, and F. Preston £IOOO. The '-poor man" of the Turf—the crowd who race because they need the money —were further down the list.

For riding Comedy King to victory in tlie Melbourne Cup the successful 'Strnlian lior.?em«"i. McLiuhlan, wa< entitled to £302 as his percentage of the stakes.

The horse's owner, Mr. Sol Green, promptly made the amount up to £IOOO, so that McLaohlau will have good reason to remember with delimit the Cup of 1!)10. As cabled recently, the Aseot Thousand was won by the New Zealand-bred Flying Spark, by Clanranald. The horse won a few small races in Otago and was then taken to Melbourne. Later on he raced successfully in Westralia and then returned to Victoria. He carried !).ll in the Ascot Thousand, and won easily in lmin 7 l-osec, which is good time for oVi furlongs.

Tribulation broke down badly at Ric-! carton, and may not sport sHk'-for some time. The hard going played up with a number of the ''tenderfoots," and more than one horse will require a good spell to get over the effects of his gruelling. Fast times were recorded righi through the meeting and, apart from Bridge's record for the Cup, Los An gelos ran ten furjongs in 2min 7sec; Sharpshooter, seven in hnin 20 2-ssec; and Gipsy Belle, with 0.13 up, ran six furlongs in lmin 14sec dead. The latter performance was particularly brilliant. The plate which went to the winner of this year's Melbourne Cup \vas a beautiful piece of work, and would probably be more valued bv Mr. S. Green than the stakes won. The cup was on view at Flemington, and a couple of back-blockers were gazing at it intently. "What d'ye think of it Bill? Ain't it decent?" inquired one. "Wal, it's not too bad," drawled the other, "but. by Jove, it would be orlright if it was filled with beer!"