SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 258, 22 March 1913, Page 7

SPORTING.

RACTS'v FITXI'RES. March 22, 24 —Auckland R.C. Autumn. March 22, 24—Wairarapa R.C. Autumn. March 24, 25—Canterbury .1. C. Autumn. March 24, 25—Fcilding J.C. Easter. April 2, s—Wellingtons—Wellington R.C. Autumn. April 9, 10—Manawatu R.C. Autumn. COMING EVENTS. March 22—A.R.C. Easter Handicap. March 24 —Great Easter Handicap. March 24—Feilding Cup. March 25 —Great Autumn Handicap. TURF TOPICS. (By -'Moturoa.") .Heigh-o! Easter is 011 us in a hurry tliis year. Pity the poor punters; some ■of us harassed with the privations of a , rigorously kept Lent (perhaps), and all' •Of us suffering a recovery from the whole host of crammed together meetings of ~the past few weeks. It is a hard world! To-day the ball will be set rolling by .galloping at Ellerslie and other hamlets, and trotting at Wanganui. On Monday the sport of kings will call its votaries to the old convincing grounds at Ricearton. Ellerslie, Wanganui. Feilding. and ■other places, and 011 Tuesday the cur-1 tain will 'be rung down on the Canter-1 bury and Feilding gatherings. On the'. West Coast —where they take their 1 sport like their beer—in schooner glasses the game will be kept moving well into) the following week, and then in quick ! succession we will be confronted with importairt meetings at Trcntham, Awa-1 -puni, Hastings and Masterton. This) scribe sighs for the cash of Carnegie and the luck of Patricus Flanniganus. The A.R.C. Easter Handicap, run over one mile, will bring together a fine •crowd of sprinters this afternoon. Bobrifcoff has 10.4, including 31bs penalty for his win at Napier Park last week. The -cradk all-distance horse is on the spot and is apparently as well as ever hp was. That being bo, he must command respect. La «eina appears to have plenty •of weight over the distance, but Bleriot xrith 8.(1 is not badly treated. There is ) just a doitbt that the filly is not proper--ly wound up. The erratic Kakama does not appeal to a follower of "form." and "Haskayne's running at Napier was not "brilliant. Crown Teatl is nicely treated .and should run well. Of the lightweights Potoa and Dearest read the best It should be a good betting race, and on •paper it looks as if BobrikofT. Bleriot and Crown Peart will carry most money.

The final payments for the Great ■Northern Champagne Stakes were very poor, and the starters may not number more than half-a-dozen at the most. The ncn« at "Napier should benefit Soltano. ■and Mr. Lowry's colt will be a warm favourite.

The minor events at Ellerslie will be contested "by large fields. Maxwell and Monorail may he expected to carry a lot of monev in the Tradesmen's Handicap; Toreador In the President's Handle*?, and Dayfly (if reserved) in the Onslow Stakes. The Brighton Hurdle race should pro Tide an excellent contest. TJp Xorth they talk of nothing but Te Waharoa. but Sandy Paul will carry a lot of local money. The last-named has been showing great form lately, particularly at Wanganui, and he should see the two miles ont easily.

Of minor importance is tlie Wairarapa meeting which opens to-<lay. 'mt a few "Taranaki trained horses finc-lu-liiijr Patriotic. Astor and Katua) figure an.ongst the acceptors. The Easter Handicap, one mile and a quarter, should see Ariom and Sea Queen strongly supported. Astor and Eocene may prove the fittest cf £he! crowd in the Xurserv Han •tie:);), four furlongs. Others that mav ran «e!l at the gathering are Awatiou, F.xertion and Conziak".. The meeting vili he concluded on Monday.

On Ea«ter Monday Fviecarton will he the principal centre of interest, and the Great Easter Handicap and Champagne Stakes will take some picking. Seventeen remain in the handicap event, including well-fancied ones in Emperador. Bon Ton and Heatherbrae. The race is reckoned a really good thing for the Canterbury candidates. The weight-for-age sprint will give Mowbray. Xightwatch. The Hague and Bertrada a chance to measure strides. Xightwateh beat Autumnus over six furlong* the other morning, and it looks as if Pit George Clifford's candidates will take some beatin?.

Bercola's running in hurdle races at Riccarton will be followed closely r.ext •week. The Hawera horse is a p-oved stayer, and the long distance races should suit him nicely.

The Feilding Cup is the principal event at the town that is always "calm." on Monday. The acceptances might hnve been more numerous, and the -ace has lost much of 'its interest bv reason of the withdrawal of the top-weights. Lady Menschikoff. Byron and Montoa Girl are all fancied down the line. A very select lot will strip for the well-endowned Mangaone Stakes. Phroso is likely to sart favourite, but Gladiole will not want for supporters.

Fashion Plate and Allure will carry a lot of money in their Feilding engagements.

Winning Wav will he Sir Geo. ( ifford's sole representative in the Great Northern o;.ks.

Monologue lias many friends for the Ongo Hack Handicap at FciMing. The Palmerston horse is fairly speedy up to six furlon"*.

Final payments for the Great Autumn Handicap are very poor. Bronze and Bon Ton are strong tips from the South.. The race comes up for decision on Tuesday next.

Tiiir alterations and improvements are hein« made to Marton Itueeeour-e. A | tender for £2OOO w's accepted last nijiht for an additional «randstan<l on a monnd with cement steps. The improvements will lie finished ill time for the .-prniL.' nieetiiicr. At the Thames .Jockey Club meeting, prior to the horse- poinp to th" po-t for on;; race, a stipendiary ,-leward directed Hint Pea Rifle, wlio pos-e--e« a reputati,.n f,.r 1t...1 behaviour «t the t.-rri: r. should !i." placed on Ihe oitl-'ide. Hi l ' Ftavii-r. Mr. E. llankiiis. resented -uch intcrfen nee in a matter which he regarded as entirelv within his jurisdiction, and bonded in hi- re-i;niation. The members of the committee have a-ked li;in to withdraw it. Although we hoar a lot anen! t':.> remarkable sTiriit*iic,.- e'-ilitv of lv:-di-h lior-e-, a l.oi'don wrihr i- of caimon that no champion- were not U-f sea-on. "(Icpcra'ilv -pe.ikimr.'' hj" "we look to Kewi:urk«'t. A-'-i.t and ' oe.dwood to show i|. the flier- <tf lint at none of tho-e nvetii:"- !-' v«-r (lid anvthincr stari'inir « -e'tr to that we can l>oa<t a loir*- of «>•« e.-i." io-vi! merit at distances of from iiv • 1 i -;x furlongs." An Auckland writer -avs tha' thyearlin? fill'-" '' v Kin'_ r I?:ifi■ - ''or adv. therefore lialf-sistir to - a leased hv her brcider (Mr. <h C't'i'; i {.. the '"Hi'rhden" stalde. and i- t«i "» into (1. Price's dmrje immediate!.-, _Mr O'rrie has decided not to sell n:iv ' f 1 ae fillies from Our Lady, hut to lease tii • : for tlieir racinjr career. J!enu 'mlt. • the two-year-old half-brother, by Soult,

to Bronz; 1 , is at present held on lease by a Sydney racing man, aiid is in P. Nolan's stable at liandwick. The ages of the li 3 horses noiminatetl for the Liverpool Grand Xational, to be run next month, make interesting reading. There are five twelve-year-olds engaged, three eleven-year-olds, six ten-vear-olds. eleven nine-year-olds, sixteen eight-year-olds, fifteen seven-year-olds, six six-year-olds, and one five-year-old. The topweight, Jerry M., is ten years old, and Bloodstone, who is second in the list of weights, i.s eleven. The ngefi given suggest that in England it takes -several seasons' experience to make a really good steeplechaser. Craganour. who is at present favorite for the next English Derby, is T.xl \L hands high, while Shogun is nearer IB hands. An English writer, who had a look at Shogun a little while back, savs: "He was looking extremely well and clearly in robust health. Perhaps lie was even too robust, for he was certain!v big and fat. and showed a distinct stalI lion-like crest. It is Wootton's plan, however, to get the shoes off his horses when they have done racing for the season, and they are not ridden again until they are put into work again in the spring. The theory evidently is to give them a thorough rest and change from the routine of training, and I need hardly say that it is diametrically opposed to the methods of our English trainers, who ■ have no superiors in the past. Wootton I did not succeed with Lomond but that was probably due to the constitution of that horse being wrong. One thing is certain: Shogun looks more Tike a classic winner now that Lomond did at the same age."