SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 55, 25 July 1914, Page 7

SPORTING.

NOTES BY -MOTUROA." RACING FIXTURES. August 11, 13, 15- Canterbury J.C. CI ran i National. August 27 —Kgmont-Wanganui Hunt Club. September 9—Dannevirke R.C. COMING EVENTS. Aiu/ust 11—Winter Cup. August ll—Grand National Steeplechase August 13—Grand National Hurdle Race

RACING STATISTICS. The racing season 1913-1914 being now, like Callaghan, "on its last legs." it is time—before touching on the new -.-par's prospects—to take a glance at the figures for the old year. In Irief. the leading ones in each section read as follows: Sires—Martian £15,173 10s, Soult .f13,436 10s, Charlemagne II £11.13-2 IDs, Birkenhead£B74l, Bonifonn £7741. and Obligado £6523. Owners— G. D. Greenwood C 8250 10s, Highden" £6054, Hon. .T. D. Orniond £5962 10s, E. J. Watt £5394, T. H. Lenny £4651, and F. Hall £4485. Horses*—'Merry Roe £3130. Cherubini £3050, Shiapis £3005, Warstep £2600, Jack Delaval £2200, and Emperador £2175.

The above figures show in no uncertain mariner the ups-and-downs of horseracing. Horses, whether they are kings of the harem or numbered amongst "the awift and the dead" on our racecourses, liave their good and their bad days, and racing folk have their many bad days (alas!) and their too few good days (too true!). Take the sire, for instance. Martian, whose 22 winners of |>lacc money last season gathered in has jumped to first place with 2* winners o! £16,173 10«. The defunct fioult, who topped the poll for five seasons, and last year ended up with 4S winners of £20,685. has dropped to second place with £13,436 10s, the stakeearnings of 36 equines. Charlemagne 11. lias crept up from £6IOB to £11,132 10s. He has gone to 'Stralia, so his total may never be as Urge, in this Dominion, •gain. Birkenhead, who follows with £8741, is just a couple of hundred short of last year's total, and Bonifonn shows a slight improvement. Obligado has jumped a couple of thousand, and one looks 'way down the list for Treadmill, Btepniak and others which were in the running last season. The owners' list •hows that Sir George Clifford and Messrs W. G. and G. L. Stead, who topped the poll last year, are not now in the first half-dozen. G. D. Greenwood lias jumped from £1435 to £8250 10s, and another notable rise is that of "Mr. Bighden," whose £l>l4o has swelled to £6»54. The Hon. J. D. Ormond has more than doubled his score, and the East Coast owners. Messrs E. J. Watt, T. H. Lowry and F. Hall, have just about held their ground. Merry Roc, the champion of the autumn, has been * great stake-earner for Mr. F. Hall, and Cherubini has done similar service for Mr. G. D. Greenwood. . In addition, the Canterbury sportsman had a good innings with Emperador, who could have been bought cheaply just before he began his trumphal 'march through the autumn gatherings. Sinapis,* with a New Zealand Cup and Wanganui Cup to his credit, put £3005 on the ledger for Mr. Durrant, and Warstep and Jack Delaval also put on over a couple of "thou." Merry Roe's stakes fall considerably short i.f B.m Revc's tr.tal la-t year, but whereas the latter was then the only horse to pass the three thousand mark there are now three enjoying the distinction. Full statistics are' not to hand yet. but next week we will he able to peruse the lists of the less fortunate ones—and to this class Taranaki horses and owners iinfortunatelv belong.

Ct'RREXT TOPICS. Royal Arms is in demand for the Grand National Hurdles. It ia reported that Chaniinade is not *S|x-cted to stand another preparation. Jockeys W. Ryan 2nd Sid. Reid each fode two winners at Trentham last •reek. Winners on the second day at Wellington have incurred penalties for the Grand National meeting as follows: Winter Cup: Black Lupin (Slbs) 9.13. Trv Fhike (61b) 9.11. Haskavne (AIM 11.9. Grand National Steeple: Grit Lawless (61b) 9.13. Sir Lethe Mllbl 11.10. Grand National Hurdles: Idealism (121bV 80.2.

It is stated that neither Haskavne nor Blue-tone -will be sent to the Grand Rational meeting. Toreador is getting into form again *nd shows all his oil da-h in -recent track gallops.

Kilosteri broke down badly at Trentbam last week, hence the long prices Offering against him for the X.Z. Cup. ''Skipper" Rvan has ridden the winder of the Trial Plate at Wellington •three times —on Effort. Pcarv and Bhaki. Crown Pearl was scratched for the [Winter Cup on Monday, and Goodwin Park for all engagements at the Grand Rational meeting.

■ Try Fluke was offered for -ale for BOrtgns. before the Wellington meeting, but no purchaser was forthcoming. The game little AiN-klaiidev then won two race-, but he is now too high up in the Weights to go mueii further with his Win-.

• Another winner at Tr-ntham that totih! have been bonyM eh,aidv prior to the meeting was northern, whose owner only n-ked a moderate t!00 for the jumper. De-pite the anti-racing agitation. "Wlii'-li is most virulent in Wellington, jfcbo loeal raeinj.' eluh hoists fresh total-'s-Ittor records vear after year. Fnen 1011-12 the total has Ccpt no front tt'2"5,242 to CW.TBT. an,! hf •-,'■■ rvin"; is becoming more ppouhiv ■ •-.-. ry 'la-'. Grit Lawless, who return-d a <1 i v i!.-n-1 Of close on a century at 'I-, nt!:-v:i )■>-* year, gave his party another fine priee When he won there on V.(n;-,!a .- h-t. ; Garanee was well ',,0!;., l i-ii.- -tart fct Trenthani. hut failed to run on. Tt fg said that the n.\L. ha- turned "musiral."' • Jockey C. Jenkins rod. ,no of J. |[. Prober's hor=.- at the Wellington meeting. an<l in all probability v ill .min ride for the stahle he ira, -,, -ii,<cc-- : ul for in the davs of Achill.s. Ad* we and Gold Crest. A. Olliver has heen of?..- .] ;',,, m,.e> : f fcf Gijrandra in the Ep-oni n; mliraiv A successful sire nr.i-f he worth i fortune in Fran-". M. Fdtj. ti ' V'-i,;.-. ■Who paid nearly Cin.oc.rtf.>- y;- ..._, r,„. reeenilv offered C5H.r-.firt f„- iV !",:•', horse Ximbus. The ex-XeW Zealanler. <v \", , -, .;. PlacMa. winner of th, K-:\ ;,,-;..! Steeple at Flcmineton on il-e "- i-i-r. The many friend- of \ft. c ' '•:■ ■.. . ley i'"S'pearmint"i v.ill !■- ' ?'■ ihat he has been an inmaf ,••■ :■ :.:■■•.-it-io-pital for some week--. T7<- i- - ■•> file road to recovery.

The Wellington Steeplechase is not run, over a particularly stiff course, yet top-weights do ndt often have their numbers hoisted there. Since 1885 only one horse, Plain Bill !ias won with 12st., and only five with list or over.

One thing that the Wellington Racing Ciub should attend to at once is the widening of some of the steeplechase i'-nevs. Tills remark was made in these columns twelve months ago, and seeing that horse? are crowded out continually the matter calls for instant attention. Acceptances for the C. J. G. Grand Nationals and for the Winter Cup should appear this moiuing, and punters will now have a chancv of reckoning up the likely runners in next month's chief events.