SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 278, 15 April 1911, Page 7

SPORTING.

C.J.C. ACCEPTANCES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Thursday. In the Canterbury Jockey Club acceptances All Guns should be struck out of the Courtenay Welter, and' the St. Ambrose—Shepherdess filly from the Challenge Stakes. Fasnakyle accepted for the Kockhurn Handicap. GREYMOUTH RACES. Greymoutli, Thursday. At the Greymoutli races yesterday there was only a moderate attendance, despite the excellent weather. Results; Trial Handicap.—Rurik 1, Miss Sylvia 2, Montague 3. Also started Ito. Won by a nose. Paroa Handicap.—Divorce 1, Uproar 2, Monia 3. Scratched: Miss Sylvia. Won by a length. Greymouth Metropolitan Handicap.— Cornet 1, Aberration 2, Redwing 3. Scratched: Negative. Won by a length. Election Handicap.—Miss Sylvia 1, Laiglon 2, Surmount 3. Scratched: Expansion, Hereward and Redwing. Won by a head; Greymoutli Welter Handicap.—North Pole 1, Pure Rose 2, Blessbok 3. Also started: Waiwareware, First View, and Hill Spring. Easter Handicap.—Wild Bird 1, Rurik 2, Supplement 3. Also started: Montague, Negative, and Mangrove. Cobden Handicap.—Yeodil 1, Divorce 2, Conqucstina 3. , Scratched: Expansion, Moata, The Norman and Millionaire. RACING FIXTURES. NEW ZEALAND. April 15, 17—Wairarapa Racing Club. April 15, 17, 18—Auckland R.C. April 17. IS—Canterbury Jockey Club. April 17, 18—Feilding Jockey Club. AUSTRALIA. April 15, 17, 10, 22—Australian Jockey Club. COMING EVENTS. April 15—A.R.C. Easter Handicap. April 17—Northern Champagne Stakes, j April 17 —Great Easter Handicap. April 18 —Great Northern Oaks. 1 April 18—A.R.C. Autumn Handicap. i April—Great Autumn Handicap. TURI* TOPICS. '] (By "Moturoa.") Auckland races to-day. The Easter Handicap will take some picking. Patea races will provide good spori on Monday. ■'-OrtcSn is in most demand for the Great Northern Champagne Stakes. ;; -on' J Manawatu showing, Woodhey has nothing to complain of in the Tradesmen's Handicap. Lady Medallist will be called upon to meet Comedy King and Trafalgar in the Autumn Stakes, one and a half miles, at Randwick to-day. Mr. R. Brough is game- to tackle the Feilding Cup with Te Puia. With 9st. the Taraiuiki horse does not read favorably against Goodwin Park, John, Saining Star, and others. St. Bill has pleased the Wanganui -touts more than North-East of late, but it is quite likely that Mr, A. Hall's pair will run well forward at Ellcrslie. j Piriwai, who showed a lot of pace at the Wanganui meeting, will be given a ■run in the Maiden at Feilding. ■ - A good judge tells me that Contour is-improving with every gallop, and should not be long in picking up a stake.

Mr. Dan O'Brien has Respect (Multiengaged in the A.J.C. Sires' Produce Stakes at Randwick today, . -Los Angelos, Merrivonia, Chief Lochiel, Chedflar and Flambeau have paid up for both the Great Easter and Great Autumn Handicaps at Riccarton. Ai'tillerie was recently purchased by ;Mj.- Sol .Green for 500 guineas, and will ■be retired to the stud. ■ Antoinette is reported to be quite well again, and is a firm favorite with Aueklanders for the Easter Handicap. Clemora and Valentine have been doing good work recently, and are in good fettle to tackle their Easter engagements. ' . The'-''chaser Pilot, who has not won a race for two years, has been put into work again in 'Stralia. Mahutonga has gone lame again, ana it is hardly likely that the old horse will stand another preparation. All things considered, a final payment of nine for the Great Northern Oaks /tnufet be considered satisfactory. Antoinette is sure to be a warm order up-'north, but witlr'Bearesi and Directoire in the field it will be no cakewalk. A Sydney paper states that a backer, signing himself "Conscience," recentlj forwarded to a member of the ring in Melbourne a £3 note, which he said had been overpaid. Some people would keep the fiver, and say that it served the Bar Von right for his carelessness. The Australian Jockey Club's autumn' 1 which opens to-day, is of -special interest to New Zealanders by reason of the number of New Zealandbred horses engaged. In the Doncaster 'Handicap, one mile, Broadsword has 8.8, ICerlie 7.13, Gold Thread 7.12, Motoa 7.6, Full Sail 7.4, and Snowfoot 7.3. Black Reynard has 10.8 in the First Hurdles, and Lady Medallist, 8.12, will be footing it with the ''big guns" in .the Autumn Stakes. On Monday the Sydney Cup, two miles, will come up for decision, and New Zealand claims a worthy representative in Bridge. The New' Zealand Cup winner has done great work at Randwick, and with 8.7 in the saddle' may be depended upon to make a bold showing. On Wednesday the Cumberland Stakes, two miles, will probably see Lady Medallist and Bridge measuring strides with Comedy King, Trafalgar, Flavinius and the crcme-de-la-ereme, and on Saturday Bridge will contest the Place Handicap, one and a half miles, while Lady Medallist figures in the A..T.C. Plate, three miles. Sydney papers state that Trainer McGrath advised Mr. J. B. Reid to let Lady Medallist have , a iling in the handicaps, but the Call', terbury owner preferred to start his mare in the weiglit-for-age events, and should she triumph his satisfaction would he complete. Lady Medallist was bred in New South Wales, and may yet confound the critics. They have unearthed a flying ponv in Sydney named Bruce, who, though but a tiny piece of goods, has won all before him, his latest feat speaking for itself. In the Ascot Handicap, 14 hands and under, last week, he carried 13st 41b to victory, conceding from 581b. to 811b. to nine others, and the four furlongs were flung behind in 51sec. The pony carried SOlb. dead-weight, which makes the performance all the more astonishing. How would Red Lupin shape alongside Bruce ? The curse of the interfering kill-snort is on California, and recent gaming legislation has killed the sport outright, for the time being at any rate. Meanwhile the public will cheerfully gamble their money away on prize-fights, cards, mining shares and other things which arc called respectable in those parts.' A good sport is killed, and just to satisfv the unreasoning fanaticism of ths fellow who doesn't care for racing and is selfish enough to block his brothers

from enjoying their bit of sport. Things J are going just the same way in this ■ Dominion, and sportsmen might read with interest what the 'Frisco Chronicle said of' the closing of the Emeryville (California) race track, one of the; largest in the States:—"As tile band struck up the strains of 'Auld Lan," Syne' after the seventh and last race had been run, the crowded grandstand of racegoers took up the tune, and joined in it with the band; but beneath it all there were many heavy hearts. Other seasons Tinve" come to a close-at the race track, and the followers of the thoroughbred have parted before with a good word and a cheer here and there, but on this occasion it was different. Men who have grown grey in their associations with the sport were present by the score, and it must liavq been an ordeal for them to watch the game pass but of existence. These men gathered in. groups, and here and there a husky voice and dim eye spoke volumes for their feelings. Eddie Jones, the one-time great- little jockey, presented a pitiable sight as he stood supporting himself against the 'grandstand 1 stairs just after the seventh race. The crippled little fellow was wiping a tear from his eye. Here was a man paralysed from receiving a fall in a race, and, his entire life has been given to the game which yesterday came to an end in California. Jones was the jockey who rode four winners the day the Emeryville track was opened, and it is little wonder that he grieved to see the familiar course closed. W. P. Maxwell, one of the oldest Turf men in America, was another who was deeply affected. 'Well, I guess I will go to the mountains for three or four mollis,' spoke the veteran; and he explained that he wanted to try and forget that the sport which he had followed for half a century had passed out of existence ill California. Old faces which were well-known on the Turf years back showed up to watch the last day's races. F. Murphy, a rider celebrated for having scored with the 300-to-l shot, Bright Skies, took a day off from his labors as a bell-boy at the Fairmont Hotel and mingled with the crowd. It seemed as if everybody was there for the end, and, judging from the reception which was tendered Ray Seldom as he piloted the last winner past the wire, the sport of kings died in a blaze of glory long to be remembered."