SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 10, 30 May 1914, Page 7

SPORTING.

IUCINT; [TXTURES. June 3, 4.—Otaki R.C. Winter. June 3, 4.—Dunedin J.C. Winter . June 3, 6, B—Auckland R.C. Winter ■June 17, 18.-lhnyke' s Bay J.u. \vi ntt;r . ; THE GREAT NORTHERNS. (By "Moturoa.") ' On Wednesday next tne Auckland Racing Club's winter meeting opens -it EKerslie, and tlie principal topics at present aaie naturaliy the Greait Northern Hurdles and Great Northern Steeple--chase. Both, rates are thousand pounders, end good stake- usually draw good liorsest Final payments for the hlurdle r race fell due fast evening, but at time . 'Of writing. were not to hand. A first acceptance iof seventeen 'horses was not **ery ptfoooiisuig, and' tihe writer wUI be surprised if more than a dozen horses line up for the Greatf, Northern Hurdle •Raiee nest Wednesday. Of "the topweights nothing is going ibettcr than Sandy Paul, and the local horse should hold both Bpry and Espartero safe. The latjter'a exhibition in the Century Hitrdle 'Race last week was a poor one and ihe looks anything but fit. Now iliafc Oorndian has gone wrong our Hawera friends will have to rely on Bercola foT the donMe, but whether his training for big country -events has Spoiled! him for (hurdling (remains to fee seen. Merrinax appears to be well treated, but tfhe distance may be a trifle 'beyond him. Of the light-weights Ruffy and Faoli read moat dangerous. One has tioi remember that the Great Northern Hurdle Race is run over two wiles* and a half, and in sizing up the 13kfc!j ones staying powers have to be Reckoned with. Sandy Paul, Bercoia and - Ruffy are well qualified' to see the distance out. Seventeen were paid up for in. the" Grewt Northern Steeplechase, a race run #ver a trying up and dlown ihili country, Mid extending to three and a half miles. Here oCa's splendid victory in this event last year is still freah in our minds, pml judging l>y his stitang .finishing run . In the recent Wanganui Steeplechase j(three males), under 12st his party have j good reason to fancy their chance. Glenmore's showing at Wanganui was wretcJied, and the so? id lititle Marton fcbrse amy not be the -tough proposition .this Season that he wasi last. Paritutu is such a wonderful -old nag that he is Vure to hare a good following this day week. Personally, I prefer a more seaBoned* horse. The erratie Hauiere is reported .to be fairly forward.! "Kauroa jumped badiy at Wanganui, and probably still remembers the spill he got at Riecarton last' season. His fencing since £hen has 'been altogether lacking in dash. JBeucola's most dangerous opponents may come from amongst the middle-weights, •lid of these Ruffy, Hauera and Peary read well. Riro Aim shaped well at Wanganui, and may (beat most of the . light-weights. This race should be a very interesting lone. Provided tliey start Bercoia and Ruffy will carry a lot of monpr. >

• CURRENT TOPICS. Maces at Ellersiie, Otaki and Wingatui on Wednesday. •ill - J. Oetorge has booked accommodation at mierslib for three horsey probabjy ParitirUi, Crown Pearl and Royal Anns. The Great Northern Hurdles eandi-■iSfl-te Barbwire is reported to be a very jaw j lumper. i Ngatiruanui has Quietened down a lot I . »inoe, going to Auckland, and is said to ' Jpoping very well On his fonm at Wangauui Biro Atu look* tta hp well (treated in the Maiden {Steeple at ElleTslie. While being tried over country at BllersSic on Tuesday morning Master Phaeton fed! at a sod wall, breaking bis back. He was destroyed. (;o.<twin PaTk ran well at Wangahui thai, good' judges reckoned ilne would have been a rod in, piclde if he had |>een kept for a. Nattionai. The crack hurdle torsjeman L. Traill

is mentioned as Sandy Paul's -probable pilot in his Great Northern engagement!. Jam According to repent cterts no chances \fkre being taken with Bereolla and Peary .'(in tdJe Steeple), and Menimax and Idealism in ftihe Bundles. Rewi Poto's jockey rode liim a bard tffice in the Empire. Handicap at Wanganui, but it, was nothing to the way a partr of Taiatiaki supporters of the black horse "rode fim htame" from tuc distance.

When you come to consider .that £4535 *ras invested on a £l2O race at Wnnganui it is easily seen that it is up to duta to increase their stakes very considerably. Between tote percentage, entrance and acceptance fees the WangaRui J.O. soored heavily over that race. CaUpha, by 'Martian, was equal to winning a race at Roselje.rv on May fi. The ex-New Zealander was sold in ohirir-tehuiclh for a 'paltry nine guineasA "lXuminiion" advertiser recently offered to exchange "tlic steeplecJiaser KaifU'tipeti, in good condition." for "a suitable express horse!" The note of ' exqiamatikMi is mine. Tatterley and Kofliinoor are engaged in the St.radbrooke .Handicap (six furtongs) ait Brisbane to-day, and Midnight Sun and Mokmbria are in the Brisbane Cup to ibe nun on June 3. The Poidnua Oiorseman 11. McSweeney will ride Pari'tutu in his Klierslic engagement*. The Mnrton trainer. T. Lloyd, arrived at Ellerslie 'On Tuesdnv with CMenmore, Kauroa, Waterworks and a hanter. By the saune train J. CoyV .took up lUro. Atu ;uwl Master Li'pin. A general inerea.-A of stakes at the Canterbury Grand National meeting !» I<> "be noted. The Grand National ?terp>dkase lias been raked 100 sovs: the iitan 1 Xational Hwilks 200 soy--; the ,Winter Gup 100 soys: and minor events bv li •sser awounits. A new condition of liie Onukl National Steeplechase is that KO horse shall he handicapped or penalised to saury more than 12st 71hs. T>. Wilson and C. Brown, with two wins eadu, wertf the hw.=,t successful horsemen at the"Wansimii meeting. f!o an outsider has won the Ep-om • Derby after all. The French horse Durbar was alnriost as great an, outsider as Signoretta, and his vietorv n-nl no tnblm-siasm" the eaWes fell u-. fraiV.n-

Ed with The Tetrarch business the race trf 1914 will go down in history as ft great triumph for the bookmaker, and a regular "facer" fox the >'ong-sho|t backer#.

Trafalgar, .who. is alleged to have proved » failure at the stud, is back again on the training tracks, and being only nine years old' may win fresh laurels shortly. SaCathiel, who won a hurdle rate at the North Otago meeting, was generally reckoned a champion buck-jumper When in these parts. The Coronet gelding is now stated to. be one of the berit-manner-cd Jhqiscs trained at Rie<arton.

Rinai'.do is reported' to be far from well and mby not Ibe taken to the Dunedin meeting.

' After the ITa.wera, roieting most of the crack flat horsemen fluttered through to Wife Nortli Otago mieeting, but with. the excepti&n of C. Emmerson, ! who rode Fimrhold -to victor)- on the opening day, they drew a blank. It is seldom tliajt yon see a two days' meet,ing go by iwith Dieeley outside .the winning division. • Good acceptances have been rdceivej for tllie Otaki Racing CSub's winter meeting next week and races* promise to be hard to pick there ion Wednesday. The grey mare Margo, by Treadmill— Gladys, shaped well at the North Otago mooting, winning the Empire Hurdles binder 10.5, audi running second in the •Pacific Hurdles under 11.6. A useful ■vyrt evidently. . Rinaido was sent out a. warm favorite in the Oamaru Cup, but was done with before half the distance Quad been covered. Thrax and The Cornet then drew away from the field and finished in that owter, a lengtM apart. The winner paid a good price.