SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 65, 3 August 1912, Page 7

SPORTING.

TUKF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.") Once again this scribe wishes brother •porta the compliments of the season — compliments of the racing season 19121913. Despite the workings of the kill•ports, the grandest sport in the world is Ktill going strongly. On August 1 all horses add a yea-r to their official ages. The r«eords leave the "aged" division ' as they were, probably recognising thai eveu horses have tender feelings. For sportsmen the sl-ate is wiped clean. We all start off the mairk again. All charged full with bright hope.s of good fortune in the new season. All replete with "morals'" for the Nationals, with a "can't lose" dark horse for the N.Z. Cup, and the rest of it. The past season has hod its up and downs (mostly "dowhs" some will say), but hope springs eternal in tlie sportsman's breast—they •ay—and who is down-hearted? Please don't all speak at once! Promptly to time the Weekly Press statistician offers his -figures for the jiu-t completed racing season 1911-1912. What weary hours of toil those records entailed none but those who have undertaken the task can realise. Try it for one single day's racing and you will never be troubled with insomnia a" long as vou live. Grouped under three heads the' figures show the winning sires, winning owners, and winning horses. The first-named ranks foremost in importance. Sires—those of the successful gort—make for improved horse-flesh, and even those who decline to recognise racing as an amusement must acknowledge its breeding possibilities. Winning bones are dear to us all, and winning owners are mostly dea.r to themselves. At first sight the list of winning owners looks like the best argument in the world that "nothing succeeds like success." but on second thoughts one might modify the proverb into ''money makes money." The weathv men of the Turf are not far from the top of the list—ever, but their money buys the best torses, secures the "fancy" trainers, the "flash" jocksters, and the best of everything. They lay themselves out to make their sport a paying proposition, and nobody blames them. Turning to the winning sires, we find the defunct Soult at the head of affairs for the fourth consecutive season. Fiftysix winners of "place-money" have won £16.678, a trifle less than the previous year. Birkenhead has improved his position, now ranking second with £12,089, as against third last year. Treadmill, thanks mainly to Counterfeit and Autumnus, has stepped up from eighteenth to third, and his total reads C 5433. Old Stepniak. now dead, is in fourth place again, his progeny winning £fi<»7(>. Another deceased one. Merriwec, has fallen from second to fifth place with £llO4O. MenschikofFs get won £4763. Then come St. Ambrose ,€4245. Multiform £4037, Finland <-3922, San Fran £3692, Svlvia Park £3420. Charlemagne 11. £3425. Clanranald £3390, and Field Battery £3327. St. Clements had a dozen winners of €2454: St. Pan!, fifteen winners of £2320. Lower down the list we ■strike Waiuku £ll7l. Day-star £llOl, Waniapoto £795. Multifid £045, Uhlan £lO5. Campfire £IOO and Stepson £OO. Sir Geo. Clifford's (Tack three-year-old 'Counterfeit easily tops the winning Worses with the fine total of £3547 10s—a sum that was only beaten in the Doxiinion in 1901-2, when Nonette (£3900) and Cruciform (£3765) cleared' the board. Second on the list is the mare's stable-mate Autumna*. who mopped up ffie tidy sum of £3070. a new two-year-old record in place of Multiform's best. The N.Z. Cup winner. ViceAdmiraJ, comes next with £2775, all won at a single meeting. Bronze £2322 10s and Ermengarde £2225 did giant service for "Mr. High den." Undecided won £2060, and then come Winning Way £IB9O, Masterpiece £1745, Nyland £1705, Santa Rosa £I4OO, Miscount £1370, Prince Soult £13.50, and lx>s Angeles a like amount. Captain Jingle heads the leppers with £llBO, and Haatere also won over a thousand. The reader is likely to get cross-eyed looking for Taranaki horses on the list. One has to pass 38 names until the famiTiar one of CVown Pearl (£730) is found. Parltutu is handy with £7OO, Darby Paul £6OO. Plantation £585, Mendip £550, Patriotic £545, Red Lupin £530. Siva £520, Jargon £490, Manawakaha £455, Pleiades £435, Coronetted £385, St. Toney £360. Sandy Paul £350, Mulga Bill £340. Cornelian £335, and Royal Arms £325. At a low estimate it takes £3OO to run a racehorse, and it goes without .saying that very few of the Taranaki-owned raceTS paid their war last season. With four of the leading eight winning horses in his stable, it is only natural that Sir Geo. Clifford should l>e found an easy first in the "list of winning owners. His winnings total £12,030 10s. and get very close to the late Mr. CI. Ci. Stead's record (£l2-325) of the season 1901-2. But for bad luck in the Litter part of the .season bearers of the blue and gold chequers would have hoisted new figures. ■"Mr. Highden" had a good season, sweeping in £7495. The Hon. ,T. I). Ormond, despite shocking luck, is up in third place, with £6lss—much the same total as last year. Stead Bros., including one half of Los Angelos' winnings, gathered up £4499 10s. Mr. G. 1). Greenwood has dropped to £3797 10s. and Mr. E. J. Watt to £3705. In -the first dozen is Mr. J. George with 11855, a big advance on £530 the previous year. The list is a long one. but Mr. .T. Foreman £1065 has done well, as have Mr. Rid Pitt £69.-,. .1. Fryer £590. H. Kpmtt £550. M. J. Crood-on £490. J. Smith £475. P. Johnson C 435, .T. O'Neill ,£4<1.3, and others toe.- numerous to mention. The full figures make interesting reading, and the thanks of the sporting public are due to the compilers. Antarctic was railed to Palmerston on Thuisday evening, and will make the journey to Riccarton in easv stages. This scribe had a good look at the big fellow when he was being boxed at Wanganui. and the horse looked anything hut right. He moved his henvilyhandaaed legs very gingcrlw and his owners will be very lucky if tliev get liim fit to contest the Grand National Steeplechase. Continuance was sent «nee round the big fences at Riccarton on Monday morning and crave a bold, r'nshincr and accoinnlWied display. H : ~ party's boast tint lie i- a better lior«e than Moifaa reads tall, but t!i"rc i- no doubt about hi< pare and ability to jump tlisfiffe.st ok-'aelrs Mi'.irllv. Derive lis in tli" Grand National Sti-ejiiielnuse. Ir is ;> film favovi?" at Rietnrfon. The Taranaki horse Shu in was sloop'; to Sydney last week" eharce of TVr"i .Tolwis»r. Til" iic-.f i- , fr-i'.'.-d in I A..1.e. Epw.m :>::■] Mi-! an H;ir !l v? r- : . _ i>i.i,rik(.rr ■ •>., ...... ..... time champion v H' sj ;)1 v pre p.irsti"n. IT DAZZLE 4 ; THE WORLD. No discovery in nwdi.-'ne has evei created one quarter of t| : r- interest tlia has hopTi caused bv Dr. Sheldon's Nov Disc iverv for eoiiThs and colds. It ha brought relief in the mo?t hopeless cases when all else has failed. Price Is Cd am 3s. Obtainable everywhere.