SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 243, 13 April 1912, Page 7

SPORTING.

L RACIXG FIXTURES. April 17 and 20 Wellington R.C. Autumn. April 24 and 25 Munawatu R.C. Autumn. May 1 and 2 Marlborough R.C. i Autumn. May 1 and 2 Hawke's Bay J.C. Autumn. TURF TOFT'S. ((By "Moturoa.") The Wellington Racing Club's autumn meeting will open on Wednesday. On Feilding form Khamsin should run well in the Thompson Handicap. Bawinia was in good fettle at Patea. but was not good enough. Two close seconds were her lot. Lady Volga duly-scored at Feilding, and paid a nice dividend. People who lost their coin on her the first day naturally said things! Jockeys Mcintosh and Graham, with two wins iacli, were most successful at the Patea meeting. Boanerges was given out as a 'can't lose" tip for the fluia Handicap at Ellerslie, but the Highelen horse got away badly and ran unkindly. He was never dangerous. The four-year-old Merriweo mare Wee Olga was produced twice at Ellerslie on Monday, and eacb time punters quickly made her favorite. She gathered in the Stewards' and Welter Handicaps without an effort, and justified the solid support accorded her. Auliimnus made a hack of Ermengarde on two occasions at the Canterbury meeting, and at present there can be no doubt that the Canterbury colt is superior. Ermengarde is a great beginner, ; and this means so much on an oval track. With everything equal at Riccarton no excuse could be offered for the Higlulen filly's defeats, and she appeared to stop badly after traversing five furlongs each > day. I .Mr. C. Mumby takes £l5O for Sandy Paul's winning effort in the Brighton i Hurdles. Considering the decent price . attached thereto the trip must have been a very profitable one. Praise is due to Mr. Percy Johnson for the way he turned the horse out, and it is about time, (Fortune .*miled on him. The Stratford horseman, L. Xoddcr, piloted a brace of long-priced winners, Lady Volga and Rector Girl, through the slush, at Feilding on the second day. Len's luck has been "right in" lately. Frank Lind's handling of the second favorite, Leolanter, in the Kawa Kawa Hurdles,-was very poor indeed, the horse being kept a long way back until the straight was reached. In (he last furlong the liorse ran into fifth place, linishing very strongly. Mr. J. Hathaway complained to the stewards, and after lengthy consideration they cautioned Lind, and the trouble ended. The stallion Multi-fid promises to do well at the stud, and a number of his two-year-olds are highly spoken of in GUborne and 'Napier. Our King, who raced with such success at Ellerslie, is by Multifid out of Indian Queen, and is, therefore, a half-brother to Boomerang ' and King Billy. Our King is described as a splendid big brown colt, and his ap- j pearance gained him many supporters for the Great Xorthmi Champagne Stakes. He led all the way, and won very easily by a couple of lengths from Prince Soult, in lmin. losec. On the second day Our King was loaded with I flst 71b to* Prince Soult's Ost, lib. The pair played a waiting game, and the northern horse, who got a luckj- run on the rails, "jumped" first. Our King, in the centre, put in a magnificent run, but too late, and suffered defeat by less than a length. Our King carries Mr. C. J. Parker's colors, and promises to turn out a slashing throc-vear-ohl. They tell us that the i.in-.port fever is increasing, but judging by the huge sums li-nulled at the Easter meetings the sporting public is simply leaping ahead. Last year the Auckland meeting covered three days, this year two only. Yet more money was handled this time! This year's total for two days was ; '.t;08.()47 10s, an increase of £ISSI over the total for three days in 1011. Canterbury, Wairarapa, Feilding and Wanganui (trots) showed enormous increases in totalisator figures, all going to prove that horse-racing is not losing but is rapidly gaining public favor in Xew Zealand. These are the things which you want to talk into your M.P. The quietness of the sportsman is mistaken for apathy, and in the past a minority of loud-voiced kill-sports have had too good a hearing. Stakes were well spread out at Ellerslie. Mr. D. McLeod lakes £775 for Kakama's Easter Handicap and Miss Winsome's second in tin Oaks. Antoinette and Tact won £.585 for Mr. F. W. Arnold, and Our King drew £585. Thirteen owners won £l5O. or more, and amongst the lies fortunate ones were Mr. P. Johnson, £25 won by Pleiade*, and Mr. J. George, £25 for Crown Pearl'u third in the Huia Handicap. The grey horse Mini, by Soult—Tauhei, won a double at Riccarton in fine style, beating Byron, Bellali, Rose Xoble, Blakeney, Coroniform and a number of good '"milers." Galtee ran the usual second at Feilding. The son of Cornet looked all over a winner at the distance, but Xgakau left him standing at the finish. Mr. J. Melville produced a smart mare in the Rector Girl on the second day, and the daughter of Obligado was in*front all the way. Patronale i-n well for a while, but the mud stopped him in the straight. Jockey T. Pritchard was put on Leolanter the second day, and the horse went out a hot favorite. He was leading from, Cornelian at the last fence, when he fell. Tim Jones, on Cornelian, stopped a splinter of the hurdle with his face, and came off. It was bad luck for Tim, as his mount was going freely I and might have beaten Leolanter had they both gone on with the game. Stevens looked to have the race in hand, but Silva came with a great burst of 6peed at the finish and won easily. Silva is a fine fencer, and should pick up one of the best stick events before the season closes. A lot of Waverley money went on Moahau at Feilding, and a good price for second in the Awahuri Hack Welter put punters well on the right side of things. The Sylvia Park gelding baa been doing good work at Waverley and Miirt. Gardener has him lookin"' very well. ° Sea Queen made amends for recent defeats by gathering in the big race each day at Tauherinikau. She paid a surprisingly good dividend the second day. |-;-\vli('ii the public made Golden Loop 'a warm favorite. The latter could only run fifth. J Khamsin is a rare mud-lark, and revelled in -the heavy going at Feilding. The horse should he worth following this winter. "You can make some guess what is going to happen in politics, but in horseraemg you can make no safe guess at all," said Archbishop O'Reilly, "of Adelaide, in an address last week. "The horse that everybody says is goin..- to win is usually last in the' race, anil the horses that everybody says is goirm- to lose, is first past the judge's I never did bet on a horse-, once in' my life. Where horses are concerned I am a perfect stupid, and if I did bet my

money would be as good as gone. Still, \ 1 will admit this, if I only had the ) gifty of prophecy, which I assuredly have I not, and kn.w with absolute certaintv. tlie horse that was going to carry off • the next Onkaparingu or Randwiek or [ Melbourne Cup, I should not have a \ moment's hesitation, nor the shadow of [ 1 scruple of conscience, is backing that 1 horse for a handsome amount." I