SPORTING

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 336, 24 June 1911, Page 7

SPORTING

RACING FIXTUKx.... June 28, 29—Napier Park R.C. Winter. July 6, 7—Gisborne E.G. Winter. July 15, 19, 22—Wellington R. C. Winter. August 8, 10, 12—Canterbury J.C. Grand National. COMING EVENTS. New Zealand. June 28 —Napier Steeplechase. Australia. July I—V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race. July JB—V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase. TURF TOPICS. \ (By "Moturoa.") Tlie Napier Park meeting opens on Wednesday next. Martpn pulled up lame last week, and was not taken- to Hastings. The disappointing Lionheart was destroyed after breaking hiß leg in the Woodland Steeple. The 'Stralian jockey, L. McLachlan, rade a winner -"first pop" in the Old Country. Good picking! Twenty-three started in a Scurry at Hastings, and the favorites paid the dividends. Bad luck for B. .Nicholls! Starboard should have won the Heretaunga Handicap hut for Jockey Trask making a fine finish of it—phew! Engaged at the Roseliill (Australia) meeting to-day are the ex-New Xealanders Gold Thread, Chamade, Home Rule, Brave Heart, Hautapu and Wild West..,Trajner Attwood supplied the runnerup in both hurdle races the first day at Hastings. Te Whetu just failed in the last bit, and Captain Bell, who is a rare good hurdler, struck something hot in Napper. Shellfire, by Siege Gun, is one of the smartest ponies across the Tasman, and carrying lOst. 91b. romped home from a good field at Roseberry recenUy, Well-known in these " parts, Speedy Meg, the little daughter of St. Paul and Maggie Murphy, finished third to Shellfire, and three days later ran on with a five furlong race.at Ascot. Napper's easy victory in the Whakatu Hurdles at Hastings does not improve the chances of Julian's re-instatc-

ment. We are told that the moment Cress gave Nepper his head the finelooking son of Birkenhead left everything standing and won very easily. The time was I'/gsee. faster than that recorded in the open hurdle race. I Hojv races are lost. In a trotting Tace in Victoria the other day a horse was coming in on his own, and the rider was sorting out his best girl on the grandstand, or something of the sort. Anyway, the prad took advantage of an open gate and left the course just a couple of hundred yards from the winning post. The ex-Gisborne pony. Masonic, who has been racing with some success in 'Stralia, has been sold to go to India. Another New Zealander in Pilot, who has lost his dash, has been sold to a Sydney follower of the hunt. The Central Queensland Derby, contested this month, was remarkable for the fact that the three placed horses were the progeny of the erstwhile Auckland champion Nonette. According to a Sydney paper the fun at some of the country meetings just about flows over when the Chinamen's Race comes on. Wa Shing, Wun Lung and Co. ride as if for their lives, and their antics are ten times more amusing than those of Jack Maori on his native beach.

Penates is reported to nave broken down badly, and the Ruenalf horse will hardly sport silk again. lie will do • stud duty next season. ' Tliere was any amount of money for ' ' Mount Cook on Wednesday, but the J little-fancied Yasmak beat the favorite 1 for pace in the last two furlongs. Mount Cook was running on at the finish for the Wanganui Steeplechase, ,lmt he has apparently gone off in the interval.! ' Aorangi was up with the leaders for j' two _ rounds and then turned turtle.]: was going well in front when he blundered at the double, and had he stood up must have just about won. ' For the first time in its history, says j an Australian writer, the South Aus- I tralian Jockey Club is free of debt, j When racing was all out at the elbows , the advent of the totalisator gave the ! clubs a fresh start, and things have j boomed since. In days gone by ' South Australian clubs couid not raise J a decent meeting, and the Adelaide Cup I was run in Melbourne. Wanganui form was a good guide as far as Projectile's running is concerned. | 'flic Marton-trained horse scored at ! i Otaki and again at Hastings. Whether | Projectile is up to New Zealand Cup , form is doubtful, (but he is a decern | hack at any rate. ' Gold Circle has struck form, and > after running Projectile closely in the Scurry, scored on the second day. The j horse was not nearly ready when raceo ' at Wanganui and Ellesmere, and no j doubt is still capable of improvement. The wires were clicking for Euroco ! on Thursday, but the Wanganui horse j did not pay a dividend. Hack hurdle : races in HawUe's Bay are generally hard to win, and in recent years Wim- ! mera, Appin, Continuance and a host ' of other good fencers have graduated j there. Bliss was one of the unlucky ones on the first day at Hastings. She got away slowly, but made up a lot of ground in the straight. She has been rasing beyond her distance for sonrc months, and in the settlement of the Filial Handicap showed that she was more partial to a six furlong course than any other. The great big New Zealand-bred maro Pakau opened her winning account in Victoria by making no race of thirteen others in the Maiden Hurdles at Williamstown. She slipped the field after going a few furlongs, and gave nothing else a chance afterwards. Pakau runs

in the colors of Mr. R. Clancy, who I raoos that good horse The Reckoning. Two-year-old form in 'Stralia this | season lias been very bard to follow, anil no youngster stands out ahead of seven or eight winners of big events. Under the circumstances long-shot punters will have some nice puzzles to unravel when the A.J.C. and V.R.C. Derbies come along. In Victoria Orvicto, Philio, Wilari, and Sconser have shown good form, while in the Ma State Cisco. Oillamatong. Milfoil. Posandas. and Respect, the'latter ibcing bv Multiform from TTcriot, are at the top of the winners. Rome writers consider that Mr. T)an. O'Brien has a topnotcher in Respect, and the youngster's | future will be followed with interest by iKew Zealanders. The long-promised bomb-shell dropped on Thursday, when the report of the Racing Commission was made public. Of the clubs racing under the Taranaki Metropolitan Club, two have gone out. The withdrawal of the Wnitara Racing Club's totalisator permit occasioned little surprise, but our Patea friends thought they were quite safe. It is "ratifying to see that the Taranaki, Egmont, Stratford, and Opunake clubs have suffered no curtailment of their present racing days. The very moderate amount of racing, indulged in by these

I oiubs gave the CommWvu no chance Ito cut them down. They serve a big /crowd of sporting folk spread over a I large district.