SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 59, 30 July 1914, Page 7

SPORTING.

(Notes by "Moturoa." ! THE NATIONALS. | Less than a fortnight remains for ' punters to puzzle over the Grand Nationals—.Steeplechase and Hurdle race ' —and then we will know all about it \ and the "i-told-you-so" crowd will leaii ' kack and let 'er go! .Saturday's ac I ceptance list* contained very few -ii"prises, most of the lieavilv backed divi- ' lion holding their grouud." It h a mat- ! tor for congratulation that the nine I top-weights still remain in the Grand > National Steeplechase, the only with- I drawals "being Rufi'y, Armagh" Silver Monarch, Grit Lawless, Te Whotii Waterworks, Rapid, Davlight Bill. Came azd Black Sea—all Htie fancied nags. Bcrcola, Peary, Captain Jack, The Spaniard and other noted performers are a!«tost tcrtain to start on Tuesday week, and the race looks like providing as n'.ucli excitement as last year. ""J'h" scratchings for the Grand National Jlnvdleu inelude Peary, Te Onga, Forest Prince, Idealism, Flingot, Darby J'au' and Rufi'y, but the nineteen left'in co.itaiu 6ome good ''cattle." a;-.; the issue lookts very open. Player, Ki T.-uy, Morning end Grey King are top-weights that all hare a chance and lower down the •tale are Ngatiruanui, Royal Arms and Sam Pan-ra dangerous trio. The acceptance* show a general weeding nut Of tho lesser lights but the races appear a* open as ever. Taranaki claims Bertola, Faritutu and Darby Paul in ilie Steeples, and Royal Anns and Cheddnr in the Hurdles;, but of their chances ■oore aaon. [Bir Lethe lias been scratched mii.-c th< above was penned.] CURRKNT TOPICS. ''il.J.M.'' (Ilawera) inquires the Bruce Lowe numbers of several horses. "Moturoa'' is pleased to supply same, but cannot help eipiessiug surprise at a «lml frit of the figure svstcm going right Wk to laOl. Mr. \V. 11. K. Wanklvn's very line work, "The Australasian Racehorse," gives the figures as- follows: Iloniform No 1. Cuneiform 3, .San Francisco 22, Nordeufeldt Ki. Panic 14 and Boiardo 81.

! Captain Jack looks lik« starting In- ; vorite lor the National Steeple. There was a run on The Spaniard recently. kat the Hawke's Bay horse is reported to be bleeding badly, and this mttj frighten backers off. The Bar Vons reaped a line harvest OTcr the scratchings in the Winter Cup. > Haskajne, Miscount, Blue»tone, Stevedore, Leonta and others were more or less backed, and now they are "runling" for the layer. Poor punter! I The erstwhile New Plymouth horse | fihnja, by Sonlt—Sprite, winner of the Sydney Handicap in 101*2, is now doing ► tad duty in South Australia. Tattcrsalls' sweeps once gave away fortunes as first prizes, and a {Sydney '. paper, in digging up incidents in eon- ; nection with Carbine, states that when j that great horse won the Melbourne Cup | tie first prize of £22.000 was drawn m i ! party of Japanese on Thursday Island. This scribe supposes they are shouting "baneai" vet.

I Wangamii trainers are fitting Imsy again in view of spring ncinc;. «n<l Mahlstiek, 6t. Gate. Serenity and others are in steady work. Aruake may not ! sport silk until the \Vfinsnn\li_ spring ■ reeeting. but Walter Rayner is keeping him moving easily. Branefleld fell at Trentham, and th,: eanitai of many heavy bettors came 11

for' in the Grand National Hurdles, bul the public won't be rushing so fast at Ri«arton. Okaihau, winner of the Wanganui Steeple two years ago, is now drawing hit owner round in a gig. The "Xew Zealand Turf Register" for the season 11113-14 will be published in the first week in August. This season's publication will contain all the features thatjiavc charaterised the "Turf Register" for the past few seasons, and, in addition, it will be found that further improvements have been made, which Will render it quite indispensible to the student of form. Orders should be sent in at once to the publishers, the Christchurch Press Co., Ltd:, ClUristehuieh, to avoid disappointment, as only a limited number are being printed. An advertisement appears in this issue, and it will be seen that the price is the same viz.. 10s Cd.