SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 62, 31 July 1912, Page 7

SPORTING.

TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.") The New Plymouth horses Zante and Te Roti reached Riccarton safely on Friday. Ermengarde is as good a favorite as anything for the Epsom Handicap. Allure, who was operated upon for a respiratory trouble recently, is now in steady work. Jockey W. Young will ride Continuance and Coronetted in the Riccarton Grand Nationals. Mr. E. J. Watt's team for Australia will leave Wellington on August 12. The string will include Midnight Sun, Ventura, Jason, Kildonan and probably Theodore and Royal Scotch. The crack two-year-old Ventura has wintered well in Hawke's Bay, and is expected to play a big part in the settlement of next season's three-year-old events at Randwick and Flemington.

An effort was made to secure the services of A. OHiver for Royal Arms in the Winter Cup, but that horseman is already booked to ride Serenity. Provided the latter does not start the crack horseman will be available for the New Plymouth horse. Although Undecided has been withdrawn from the Winter Cup, Trainer F. Higgott's stables shelter another pair of Cup candidates in the form of Serenity and Ladrone. Both are reported to be getting through good work and are being well backed for the Riccarton race. Despite a reduction in the number of racing days it must be pleasing to owners to note thflt the Auckland Racing Club's programmes for next season show an increase in the amount of stakes offered. The Railway Handicap money has been hoisted to £IOOO, and now ranks with the C.J.C. Stewards' Handicap. Wimmera won his hurdle race in good style at Caulfield the other day, and is now a firm favorite for the Australian Hurdle Race to be run next Saturday. Wimmera has a nice handy weight. 10st 711)., in the latter event, and now that he has struck his New Zealand form the Century and Great Northern Hurdles winner will show the Australian fencers how to "go" with a caution. Loch Guard, owned by J. Davidson, of Tlawera. had to be destroyed recently owing to injuries received in the paddock.

In the world of sport one is generally prepared for surprises, but Barry's sensational defeat of Dick Anist came as a shock to New Zealanders yesterday. This scribe classes it with the few big sur J prises of his life. The last previous event was noted when a sad crowd outside the newspaper office gazed at a memorable notice, which read: Wales 3, New Zealand 0.