SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 203, 16 January 1913, Page 7

SPORTING.

TIKI' Till < (IVv "Moturoa.") Taranaki entries close to-morrow. The Foxton annual meeting opens on Tuesdav. Poor acceptances ji r<- carded lor ti'enthani on Wcdnesdav. Peroneal lias frightened of them cut of the Electric Handicap. Despite rumors to (lie contrary. llobrikofT i« likely to start in the Wellington Oup. Tied Lupin lias a nice handy weight m the Zealandia Handicap at Takapuna. and should run well.

Hon Keve is much favored for the Telegraph Handicap at Trentliam. Ihe three-year-old has dropped out of the Cup. llobrikofT has started in 45 and lias been placed iirst in 22. second in li. and third in 0. The black champion has only ei.dit times been out of place, and has won in stakes (lie tidy sum of CW-'i-l.

• Splendid acceptances have been received for the first day of the Loxlon meeting, and TaranaH 'stables _ will _ be well represented at the little seaside town next week. Lady Louisa. Simple Sam. I'atronyniic. Manawakaha. Royal Dragoon. Tree Lucerne, and others claim engagements. and. on paper. Taranaki horses read very well treated.

'the Foxton Cup should be a pood belt ins race. Ngatimaru was mneh discussed when the weights appeared, hut the chances of Hill. Manawakaha. Bonnie lioy. Mescal Hiid Montreal all look tiooi 1. and the race may take some picking.

Writing of Postillion, a contemporary somewhat, ambiguously remarks, "the black horse wants time to execute his best deeds. - ' Unfortunately our hacks rush over six furlongs in 1.10, and the mile in 1.44 nowadays, and the horse who "wants time" finishes a long way down the straight.

Mr. Albert .Jackson has Coromandel a lijl.,.Yankee Doodle galloping strongly at Wanganui. and there will be a lot of local money for the pair in tljcir Foxton engagements. | Trainer J. Rue takes the pastry ,for hard luck at the Auckland meeting, Hpi;s<;R hailing from,his equine-palace were "almost there" time after time, but failed. to. win <a ,rae,e: £llOO was their solatium as place-money, however.

~ 11l New Zealand the tout is almost unknown, nut the art of securing the times of private; trials has been almost perfected. Trainers in this province are apt to cast a suspicious eye at turfscribes, but in England they look for them with a waudy. A humorous story is told of a hardworked sporting newspaper proprietor in IJngland, who, not being satisfied with the work done by his tout, gave. him notice to quit. The tout came up to see the proprietor, and made the most unfortunate defence he possibly could. ,He said: "To show the esteem in which I am held, sir, only last week, as I vVas leaving the Downs, the trainers met me and presented me with a gold watch and chain." Replied the proprietors: "The man I want is one that the trainers will be on the look-out for with a shotgun."

Last season's English racing figures show that Frank. Wootton rode in 438 races, winning 118. His percentago works out to 20.04 —figures which would make a crack Xew Zealand horseman, go green with envy. If a man followed Wootton, doubling his bet evefy tifrie, he lost and coming back to the original wager after every win. lie would make a very comfortable living. If a syndicate of local sports like to finance "Moturoa," he will have much pleasure in going Home and giving the svstcm a thorough trial!

A southern scribe reckons that Nightwatch. who has been running badly of late, may have gathered from his name that he is on night duty. If that is so it is no wonder that Clill'ord's two-vear-old does not put his whole heart into the day's work. Railway engines, journalists and country pub-keepers arc the only ones (or things) which can be expected to keep going night and dav. A queer story comes from Dunedin. A trotter named Soda was penalised lOsec. in' a race, but the owner, it is alleged, told the rider to start before his time and never mind about the penalty. Instructions were faithfully followed, with the result that Soda was c;:lled oil - in the first round. Xow the stewards will -if on (he case of .Soda, and somebody will get a blowing-up for his foolishness.

Passed away peaceably in Auckland the other day. honest old Dick .May, one of the whitest of the old-time "little" men of the betting ring. Dick went out of the gainu when the bookmaker was outlawed a few years ago, and was employed on the tote up north. The writer first met May in Auckland thirteen years ajro. when Vulcan Lane was thronged with pencillers armed with hefty betting books. It was almost as ""pen'' ;is the Stock Exchange, and the police were suffering from defective eyesight. T sorted out Dick as the best looking of the bunch, and asked for ten boli on something or other. Dick opened up a huge bcltiiijr book, and was writing up particular-; when T caught sight of a man in blue bearing down on us. ''Look out." I whispered. ''Here's a. John!" Dick looked round casually and remarked. "Oil, it's all right. He bets with me!"' To round off the yarn, it may be mentioned that "the John" came up and inquired the winner of the Flying, "Dash!" was all he said when he heard it. and he continued on his beat.