SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 177, 5 January 1915, Page 7

SPORTING.

TURF TOPICS. (By Moturoa.) The Dodger and Tirohanga were the only double winners at Stratford, but Fore, Silver Flood and Crawford (with a first am] e close second apiccv) went near doing the trick. New Plymouth form was good to follow at Stratford, and Fore, Crawford, Tirohanga, I haiuinade, Wioletta, Calais, and Afbaiic.'r may lie singled out, as horses tiiat ran consist.-jitly throughout the fi.;;r days' racing. Crawford was a goi. I slake earner, winning thrice and running .■ '''id oi.ee. With ordinary luck the St. Paul gelding would have held an unbeaten record. The 1 urn of luck was overdue, anyhow. Fore ran a first and a second at each meeting, and Tiro- ]; ii)ga's record is one of an improving horse—a third and a second at New Plymouth and two wins at Stratford.

The MenschikolT gelding Magneta was one of the last in finish in the Railway Handicap on the first day at Stratford, anl was 1 iieding badly. The gelding d I in his bex the same night. What a '.nra.' Multilid would have mi■ {-> for as a sire if an early death 1 ad not tv: minnted his career! Jli; slock are winning everywhere, and tin result ef the Hack Scurry at Hastings reads like a van for Multiiid's progeny only. Reputation's defeat by Warstep in the Auckland Plate came as a surprise, and considering the comparatively slow time i ecorded it can only be assumed that the gruelling Cup race and subsequent iJerby battle took all the sting out of Air. W. Bidwills' champion. Reputation has had a heavy season since he led the field home in the Wangamti Guineas and it looks like a case of trying to pluck too many plums! / Some of the "horsemanship" exhibited at Stratford was decidedly poor, to say the least of it, and on at least three occasions races were sn.iply handed away. With the cracks engaged at Auckland the smaller clubs had to put up with anything that could sit in a saddle. One youth was given a ride at Stratford — bis debut by the way —on the strength of his alleged dream that he rode a winner. Needless to say, his dream is still unfulfilled. Some jockeys only win races in their sleep! Gentlemen with nimble fingers were busy at Stratford and one lucky escape from sudden loss of weaitb is worth recording. "Look out for your pockets," counselled a friend. The admonished one dug a purse containing fifteen pounds from his hip pocket and deposited the wealth in an inside oreast cavity, returning the empty purse to its original place. Two minutes later the purse was missing and a disappointed thief was ■ probably cursing his luck in an obscure corner. The police hounded off several notorious characters each day at Stratford, but it is impossible to pick all the crooks. Anyhow, it is gratifying to [know that one fell in badly! Warstep, Despatch Carrier, Chortle, Square Deal, Crawford, Jem, Pavlova and Croesus have been scoring all along the line at the Christmas and New Year meetings. There's nothing like following form when the big stakes arc hung out.