SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 249, 20 April 1912, Page 2

SPORTING.

RACING FIXTURES. April 24, 27—Avondale Jockey Club. April 21 and 25—Manawatu Racing Club. April 24 and 25—South Canterbury Jockey Club. May 1 and 2—'Marlborough Racing Club. May 1 and 2 —Hawke's Bay Jockey Club. May 22 and 24—Wanganui Winter Meet- ' ing. DATES OF COMING EVENTS. NTJYV ZEALAND. April 20— N.Z. St. !Leger. April 24—Manawatu Stakes. May I—Hawke's Bay Cup. May 2 —Hawke's Bay Stakes. TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.") Concluding day at Trentham. Manawatu and Avondale races on Wednesday. On Wednesday's running Dorando will be favorite to-day. Gipsy Belle stands out on her own for paying big dividends. If Sandv Paul does not win next week several prominent punters have expressed their intention of "going back to work." First day's winners at Trentham appear to be let off lightly to-day, and Gipsy Belle, Haskayne and Bronze will have big followings. ■Prince Soult arrived at Awapuni on Thursday, and despite a 101b penalty will be amongst the runners in the Manawatu Stakes next week. As anticipated. Beeline had the Hack Steeple in safe keeping on Wednesday, but had Dorando been better placed in the middle stages of the race lie might have troubled the winner. Con the Shaughraun. was the most neglected one of the sextette which contested the Waiwetu Handicap. C. Jenkins rode the Taranaki horse confidently iin front, and nothing else had a chance. The New Zealand St. Leger, run over a mile and three-quarters at Trentham to-day, looks a fair proposition for Clif- _ ford's pair, Counterfeit and Masterpiece, j Byron and Peirene, the best of the opposition, have never got the distance yet, and the rest would, bo more at home in hack company. Recent arrivals at Riccarton were Clifford's yearlings, Flagfall (Benzoin— Fleetfoot), iDownstroke (Gravitation Discipline), Nightwatch (Treadmill —J Glenowlet). Toney was sent out a warm favorite for the Silverstream Handicap on Wednesday, but could only struggle into third place. He will be meeting Lady Kilcheran on 71b better terms to-day, and if ridden with bettor judgment should be -well up at the finish. Sea Queen shaped disappointingly in the Thompson Handicap. She was "badly placed in the big .field, and will probably show to more advantage if started in the TTutt Handicap, in which her principal opponents will be Sir Solo (who j finished close up, fourth, in the Thomp--1 son Handicap), and Mira. The veteran IParitutu generally races well at Avondale, and he will be given a run there on Wednesday next. At the weights Sandy Paul should easily hold him safe. ' Dirge was one of the unfortunate ones when the barrier Hew up for the Tina- j kori Handicap at Trentham, and the Porirua horse did well .to get third berth. (Mt. Victoria and Distinction appear to have all the worst of the weights in the Belmont Handicap to-dav. and Dirge should run well. No doubt '"the guns" will go for Te Waharoa, and Gay Law- , less will not lie without supporters either. Haskayne was one too many for the two-year-olds opposing him in the Plunket Nursery Handicap, and won very easily from his late stable-mate, Eocene, now owned by Mr. J. McLaughlin. Styx and Eocene will he meeting Haskayne on better terms in the Pacific Handicap, run over a furlong longer course, and on paper Styx and the Karamu colt should make a close race of it. Of course a poor long-suffering public shed it's wealth on Autumnus and Brown Owl in the Challenge Stakes, and it certainly looked a soft snap. Autumnus was well clear half a mile from home, and people were just rushing round to collect, when Oliiver brought Bronze along with a wet sail, and it was simply a shame what the Highden mare did to the favorites. > Winners were as hard to find as the ' elusive hidden treasure, at Trentham, on ' Wednesday. The two favorites which triumphed, [Beeline and Haskayne, paid little to make up for the defeats of • Toney, Bandeira, Los Angelos and Au- , tumnus. Followers of Deeley had a bad i time, too. the Auckland horseman fail--1 ing to ride a first or second. The dividends paid by Merry Frank and' Mt. - Cook brought joy to few sports, and • ended what must have been a disastrous I day to punters generally. ' In Australia they go in for queer names. A bottle-fed horse races under - the name of Noo-soo-ga-lay, which stands for "A sucker." But the bun goes to i a horse named Drvasell! Pearlie 'Maid was engaged at the Auckland Trots on Wednesday, but her - name did not come through* •with the , list of placed horses. The Autumn Handicap, run at the ; 'Wellington meeting to-day, extends to a mile and_ three furlongs, and should - provide an interesting race between Unt decided, Bronze and Dearest. Bronze and (Boanerges, the Ilighden horses, will i probably start favorites, but Undecided will be well suited by the distance, and will have a big army of supporters. Of • those weighted below «st., Midnight Sun showed best form at the Easter meetings. Boanerges is a horse of moods, but A, , Oliiver got him to do his best in the , Thompson Handicap. He made up a heap of ground over the last three furlongs, and was rather unlucky to suffer defeat : at the. hands of Emmerson on Gipsy Belle. The latter, as usual, hopped away smartest, and set a warm pace at once. 'She bowled along in good style to the straight, and those who were j waiting for her to "come back" at the ! end of six furlongs realised too late I that the mare was staying it out as well as any of them. Her wins this season have been remarkable, and after winning the Railway Handicap at Ellerslie, the iFlying Handicap at Wanganui, and the Thompson Handicap on Wednesday last, punters and handicappcrs will wake up to the fact that she is ■ a sturdy little mare, and very dangerous in any race where a quick beginning is -more than one half of the battle.