SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 274, 16 May 1912, Page 7

SPORTING.

TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa"). The prinicpal item of interest in the sporting world just now is the forthcoming steeplechase meeting which opens at Wanganui next week. Matters in connection with this popular gathering continue to proceed apace, and everything points to next week's meeting being a record one. Alivady, horses from Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Canterbury and Wellington are journeying to the scene of operations, and training work during the next week iVill be full of interest. The chief events are regarded as being extremely open, each province supplying its favorites, and the posting of acceptances on Friday night will be awaited with interest.

The feature of the Egmont meeting was the almost total absence of what is generally termed the undesirable class. It is true that several ex-bookmakers were on the lawn on Thur.s lay. and at times there appeared to be a little betting going on after the totalizator had' closed down, but this is inevitable, and the general conduct and management of the meeting reflected credit upon the club ollicials and the police. So far as this scribe could ascertain there were no cases of pocket-picking, and considering the dense crowds surrounding the totalizators this is all the more remarkable.

A good word must be 'said for Lord Lupin, a small-sized three-year-old colt by the imported Government sire Lupin, out of Sir Tulloch's dam, Torida. The colt made his bow to the racing public in the Telegraph "Handicap at Hawera, and in running second to Piriwai lie shaped promisingly and should not be long in earning a winning bracket.

Miss Roberts was backed again at the F.gmont meeting, and once again ''missed." She must owe her connections a lot of money, and last week's form does not indicate a quick return.

Another mare that failed utterly to reproduce her Wanganui track form was Silver Rose (Sylvia Park—Pretty Polly). The half-sister to Seaman finished a long way back in iiie Xgamutu Handicap. A few alleged wide sports stood to win a tidy sum had Sweet Breeze landed the Shorts Handicap. The daughter of Sweet Simon was only caught at the distance and missed second place and a healthy dividend by the narrowest of margins. By Sweet Simon, out of Hurricane, the mare is not badly named, but the crowd who "blew" their money may not see it that way. . .

The splendid'contest between Mnlga Bill and Coromandel in the Meßae Memorial Handicap affords food for speculation as regards their chances in the Connolly Handicap next week. Mtilga Bill's victory last week was in no small measure attained by Deeley's splendid horse-, manship, and the black gelding will not have that rider's services, next week. Deeley will have J.o ride Dearest, and it is reported t'hat CEmmorsou will ride Mulga Bill. Coromandel ran a great race at Tlnwera,- and with an advantage of 14Ibs will probably hold his rival safe in the Connolly Handicap. Luke Wilson will probably ride the son of Menschikoff.

Glowing reports come to hand of the brilliant work done by Continuance at Hastings. The big horse takes the steeplechase fences in great style, and is galloping better than ever. On paper he looks to be worth.following this winter—but races are not run- on paper, are they?

Wanganui' will not see Ben Jonson next week. The Auckland horse over-, reached and strained, .himself, whilst jumping at Ellerslie last week. The recent TTawke's Bay meeting was a record one f'nranciaHy; the profit running to over .£2OOO. Lady Patricia's owner Vs '.::\,l of losing money over, her and she will visit Multifid next season'. Weights for the minor events at the ; Auckland Racing Club's winter meeting are due on Friday. ,

fiolden Loop continues to fence carefully, and may be seen! (So advantage over the small sticks shortly. An Auckland scribe states that V. Cotton intends taking, Kohinoor and FljpFlap to Sydney r nVrt .week. Kohinrjnr is a great truck # performer, but whkn it comes to business thai "pays lie lis generally, troubled .with, 'ithe .slows." \ Trainer Fred. Tjllev intends trying. Goodwin Park over fences. The chestnut stays well, and if he looks instead of stopping to look before he leaps he may be a success at the illegitimate game.

Probable is the name of a racehorse, as you all know, and Probable is a name that may mean any thing. For three years it spelled defeat, failure; and in sheer disgust a disgusted owner quitted the tired prad for something in the Tegion of £5. Five poinds for a racehorse! Just think of it! But the horse was not destined to enrich the .boilingdown works; not a bit of it. A person bearing the Hibernian name of Ireland entered the horse nt Asliburton. and. starting a rank outsider, the prince of disappointments made no race of the Fairfield Welter, and, as if to pile on the agony (as far as the former owner was concerned), "lobbed it out" again the second day. What the horse's late owner said could only be expressed in red ink!

A breathless individual with a hefty roll of notes was scrimmaging towards the tote on Thursday ju-t before the hurdle race, when he caugh' ,my eye and stopped to whisper the "go< 1 thing." Jt was an absolute moral, b> said, and could jump like a bird. Looking at the book I informed him that the horse was scratched. "Well, don't you miss it when it starts," he cautioned me. The "good thing" was St. Toney. and if all the Hawera people are not full-brothers to Ananias Mr. J. Fryer has something particularly hot for a good hurdle race this winter.

At the end of April the leading sires ] in Australia and the amounts won by their stock were:—Maister £30,193, Wallace £25,740, Flavus £14,081, Ayr Laddie £12,983, Bobadil £12,264, Positano £9178, St. Alwyne £9160, and San Francisco £8153. Malster's won 120 races and Ayr Laddie's 118. When ho was put up for sale at wick last month, Ireland was passed in at 700 guineas, and it was given out that the reserve on him was 1000 guineas. Since then cable communication has been entered into with the owner of the Kilcheran colt, and it is quite on the cards that a sale may be reported, any day now.

It was after a recent meetiug, when the pencillers had had a severe gruelling from the punters, that a well-known bookmaker, when making out his settling sheet, was crying loudly over his losses, and complaining bitterly of the wiles of the punter, .who hud succeeded in giving him such a Taking. His parTot, a valuable bird, was in the room, and took up the cry of his master, taking the matter so much to heart that next day he was found dead in his cage. The facts as above are true, and the only surmise as to the cause of the death of the bird has been advanced by a punter, who Vowed that he cried himself to death. The bookmaker, however, does not appear any the Avorse for his experience, and is still as hearty as ever. A correspondent has written to the Australasian asking for an opinion as

to the best 12 marcs which have raced in Australia. He adds that he excludes brilliant two-year-olds of the Hortense kind, which did no good after their first season. It is rather a large order, says that paper in reply, and there is likely to be a good deal of difference of views on the subject. One can thinTc of a great many good mares which have at least raced well in their second season. On the whole, perhaps, a lot of twelve calculated to take some beating are;— Wakeful, La Carabine, Lurline, Gladsome, Cruciform, Quiver, Briseis, Auraria, Lady Wallace, Maltine, Petrea and Sweet Nell. One would have thought that Solution would have found a plac» in the list.

Latest English files to hand state that the sensational Sceptre has produced a hay filly foal by Cicero. Not a few wise men expressed doubts as to whether the famous mare was in foal when Messrs Tattersall bought her for 7000 guineas last July. The event has proved that she was a rare bargain at (the price, and she has now produced five foals, and missed only once. It is rather curious that all her* foals hitherto have been fillies, and as they are all bays it would almost seem, that Sceptre is a pure dominant for color (says the London Sportsman), though it is too early to pronounce with any certainty on that point. If she is, the Vase is a somewhat curious one. for her sire, Persimmon, sired numbers of chestnuts, while her dam, Ornament, was by Bend Or, and Collar, who is by the pure dominant St. Simon out of Ornament, sires almost as many chestnuts as bays and browns. In some quarters there is a tendency to underrate Sceptre's stock, but the first three are all winners, and the fourth, Queen Carbine, has yet to start. Maid of Corinth was undoubtedly the best two-year-old filly last year, and Coronation. Sceptre's third daughter, has done great things in Italy. Sceptre goes to Cicero again this year, and to Swnyford next year.