SPORTING

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 183, 1 February 1912, Page 7

SPORTING

TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.") The Gisborne and Canterbury summer meetings open to-day. The Gisborne gathering will be concluded on Friday, and the Canterbury on Saturday. Royal Scotch and Bon Bon have been scratched for all engagements at Riccarton. The nine-year-old Merriwai, hero of ' the Great Northern Hurdles of 1907, is to be tried again this winter. Although loaded with lust 31b, Culprit I will only have to run up to Trentham form to have a chance in the Filly Stakes. The erstwhile Taranaki horse, Durability, is engaged in several events at the Gisborne meeting. Millard, who got amongst the winners at Trentham, is a half-brother (by St. Ambrose) to those good performers, Nyland and Boanerges. Of the eight engaged in the Midsummer Handicap, Martine and Rose Noble galloped best on Saturday, morning. The champion hurdler Continuance has a big load to shoulder at Gisborne, but the old favorite is sure to have a big army of followers. The horse has been a big winner in the past, and doesn't owe his followers anything. Easily the best galloped clock at Riccarton on Saturday morning was' that of Kilts, who made no race of The Cornet over six furlongs in lmin. 15 4-ssec. Colleen Mary looked well, and covered the same distance in lmin. 17 l-ssec. Bonny Glen took lmin. 30 2-ssec. to cover seven furlongs, and Rose Noble rattled ofl'ten furlongs in 2min. 15sec. Martine held Rosaleer safe over a mile and a half, run in 2min. 43sec. luey and Birkline will fight their Manawatu battles over again at Gisborne. Both horses are said to be in good nick, and Palmerston sports are very sanguine of their horse's success. Tripoli has been showing consistent form the last few weeks, and was galloping -well before being shipped to Gisborne, , . Easy ran well but with ill-luck at Foxton, and is apparently a speedy customer up to five furlongs. , Bully, who'has just been put into work again at Ellerslie, is said to be looking j and going well. J