SPORTING

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 6, 1 July 1911, Page 7

SPORTING

i i—+- ! rac:NG JIXTUIL.... July 6 ' 7—Gigporne K.C. Winter. Jul y i,5, 19', 22—Wellington R. C. Winter, j; Au feu»t'B, 10, I 2 —Canterbury J.C. Grand National. ' OOMfNG EVENTO. >i w Zealand, July o—Oisborne Park Steeplechase. July IS—Wellington Winter Hurdles. July 19—Wellington Steeplechase. Aug. B—Grand National Steeplechase. Aug. 10—Grand National Hurdle Race. Australia. July I—V.R.C. Grand National HurdU Race. July 8-V.R.C. Grand Natiunal Steeplechase. TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.") Races at Gisborne next week. lirvon lias resumed work at Riccarton. North-Fast has a nice handy weight in the Winter Hurdles. Full Cry recently changed hands in Napier, and the price was six guineas! The Porirua-trained Kopek is coming into favor for the Now Zealand Cup. | Yasmak, winner «f. the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase, carries no penalty in the Trial Steeple at Gisborne. The Canterbury horses, Chief Lochici and Sharpshooter, have been sold to rac« in Melbourne.

Trainer J. Williamson will be represented at Gishorne by First Barrel, Okaihau and Scotch—a fair team for Gisborne.

There are some ancients amongst our successful 'chasers this season. Yasmak is i. 14-year-old mare.

The Reckoning, runner-up in last year's V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles, is engaged in the Canterbury National Hurdle Race.

Captain Bell was not long in winning oyer hurdles. The "good thing" was wired all over the colony.

Wirral is generally accounted a rogue, but he shaped well at Hastings, and, after keeping with lloanga for two miles in the Petane Steeple, went on and won nicely, paying a good price. ' Two names that Khould be disiilloweo are Mafuta, which is liable to be confused with Mahuta, and Powelka, The latter passed at Hawera, but would not be allowed on any of the larger trotting courses.

Aorangi, who wag destroyed after falling in the Hawke's Bay Steeple, had not won a race since the summer of 1908, when, with the Highden colors up, he ran off with two hurdle races. He was a rare disappointment afterwards.

The way the wires were shouting Projectile on Wednesday one would have imagined that the race was as good as won. However, the unaxpected happened, and the favorite did not gain a place. Those usually proficient jumpers, Mount Cook and Rosegrove, were most erratic in their fencing at Hastings and Napier Park, and it goes to prove that inexperienced 'chasers, while jumping birr country proficiently at home or over courses well-known to them, get badly bustled over strange courses. On the other side of the island the fences are reputedly "tricky," and as a rule what local horses do not win only old stagers pick up.

\From all accounts Lull should have been returned winner of the Napier P;'ik Steeplechase. Half a mile from van. but was a!!i-'tfX\.BWnti right out at Ihe home bend. Bclre the amateur horseman, Gordon, reaflsed that he. had made trouble for himsdf, Winiatn sneaked up on the rails and snatched the race.

Tlk> last lias boon sen' of Mullet. With half a mile to go in the Hack Hurdles on Wednesday (he Tarnnaki horse was in front and had the field wiill blown. Then the smash came. Mallet threw out heavily, putting his shoulder out, and that was the end of what looked like a promising career. His owner's luck appears to be right out.

Falling off to get up in the world, Jockey J. X. McGregor's record of spills runs to about 108" to date. He has had one or l)nlh collar-bones broken six times, his thigh, arm, skull and nose fractured, and after his smash .up with Lull at Fcilding put in nine months in the Palinerston Hospital. Discharged as incurable, he threw off paralysis of the back, and was soon in the saddle again. McGregor is going as strongly as ever in 'StraJia now, and though you may break him you can't kill him with anything short of a shooting-iron! The much-boomed Peary ran two seconds at the Napier meeting, but with a professional horseman up would probably shape better. So far Ormond's horse has done nothing to suggest that his New Zealand Cup nomination is anything short of idle flattery.

We are told that the report of the Racing Commission is "practically mandatory." Well, if that is so. the officers of the Rangitikei Olnb are in an unenviable position. \i the Club was forced to realise, theylwoiild have to put their hands in their pockets and find about £SOO each to cover i'ie £IO.OOO the club owes for course, stands, etc. The Racing Commission appears to have made a bad blunder in this ease. A club that is up to its neck in debt should be given a chance to free itself, especially when new stands and other costly improvement* ■have just recently been finished. This bungle is easily the Commission's worst in the Dominion, and it is certain that if the club sit tight and lose a year's racing (as far as their own course is concerned), their lieense will be renewed the season after.

Thefi Racing Commission's "few remarks" concerning our Tarannki clubs make interesting reading. Schedule No. la roads: Opunake R.C.—"We recommend the erection of proper appointments, including alteration of seven furlong start, and fittinsr proper sanitary accommodation." Stratford R.C. — ''Promise given to carry out plans as submitted to the Gaming Act Commission, including proper sanitary accommodation and avoidance of dangerous turns in close proximity to starting posts." Waverty-Waitota'ra R.C. (Patea Pi.''.). —"We allot one license and one day's racing to Wavcrley-Waitotara, wi(h which Pafcii should coalesce, to race at Waverlev. We recommend the stand at Waverley being moved back, according to proposals submitted." In Schedule No 2, Patea- is reported to be "ill-appointed, and only ten from Waverlev. with which it should coalesce." Waitara is and well served by Taranaki."