SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 182, 11 January 1915, Page 7

SPORTING.

HACIXG FIXTURES. January 20, '22, 23—Wellington lt.C., Summer. January 22, 23 —Foxton R.C., Annual. February 3, 4—Egmont R.C., Summer. February 1, ti—Cisborne R.C., Summer. February (i—Canterbury J.C., Summer. February 10, 11—Taranaki J.C., Autumn. TURF TOPICS. : j (By "Moturoa.") i With the close of the holiday mect- ' ings, sportsmen are now gladly resting' for a few weeks before joining in tin; turmoil of a fresh batch of race meetings. Practically no meeting of importance is carded until the Wellington Summer gathering blows along on Wednesday week. Then Foxton, Egmont, Taranaki. and other meetings collie quickly. Despite the war and alleged hard times, the totalisator has been "fed'' as strongly as ever, and in many places record figures have been hoisted. Racing was never in such a flourishing condition as at present. 'fhe progress of the Auckland Racing Club—now the premier club of the Do- ' minioin—is phenomenal, ■lust fancy, neariv a quarier of a million pounds filtering through the totalisator at EI-. ! r-lie in four days! On Xew Year's Day the machines handled £U7,2">7 Bis, a record for any one day in Xew Zealand. Taranaki showed an increase of nearly live thousand. Stratford three. Mana- j watu two. Thames four, Reefton four, Dunedin two, Wairarapa one, and Hawkc's Bay eight thousand. Marton showed a falling oil', but that was only to be expected, fields being small in eonseqiienee of horses being knocked out at Awapuni, and then again there was cla.-hing with Wairarapa, Hawkc's Bay, and Stratford. On the whole, things are satisfactory in the racing line. There were many notable performances at the holiday meetings, Warstep, Desert flold, Reputation, and Chortle covering themselves with distinction at Ellcrslie: Cladiole at Awapuni, and Croesus, .Inn, First Clance, and Dciiise Orme at minor centres. Opinions, difler as to , whether Warstep or Reputation should have won the Auckland Cup. The mure carried her big weight in fine style, and her eauieness was immense. Her Auckland Plate victory came as a surprise, but Reputation was "tucked up," and Far from his best on that day. Warstep's winning's have now reached the fine total of Ci>22o, and her record of dead-heating in the Xew Zealand C'up and winning the Auckland Cup is one that any owner would lie proud of. Reputation only went under by a nose in the Auckland Cup, and subsequently won the Great Xorthern Derby, and ran second in the Auckland Plate. This brings his winnings as a three-year-old up to £ISOO, which is about CSOO above the record set by Xonctte in P.iftl. In fairness to the Auckland crack it should be mentioned that 1 stakes are much bigger now than in Xoncttc's day. Desert Cold is as good ! as her party assert. She won the Foal p Stakes and Royal Stakes in fine style. Tn the latter event she had a bad passage. but finisljed as true as possible, and just beat Sutala in a punishing finish. Chortle won two of the big handicaps in fast time, but his running shows that he is not partial to a longer course than ten furlongs, Several local punters scored well over his victories, biiyfc they returned a good parcel of tlicir gains when the son of Multifid \v<;« "downed'' in the Rummer Cup. Others picked out for honorable mention include the resurrected Cladiole, who dashed off with the Pahnerston i Stakes and Kawau Handicap at Awa- | puni. There was an element of luck

about the former victory, but she beat Lady Alicia, Pavlova, Zeus, Peronilla, and others on their merits in the Kawau Handicap, running the six furlpngs in 1 min. 14 3-ssec., and winning very easily. Jem won all along the line, at Awapuni and at Marton, and at the conclusion of the latter meeting was handed over to .Mr. Murray, of Dannevirkc, in exchange for £4OO. He is a great big horse, about 17 hands, and should pay . his way over sticks. Most horses of l Jem's size, are awkward brutes, but he has a nice easy action, and appears to , stroll to the front (and stay there) : without an effort. Dcnise Orme figures | on the list as a mare reputed to have I run six furlongs in Imin. 12 3-."> sec., with Sst. Clb. up, at Marton, and First (llance was clocked to cover a mile and a quarter at Oainaru in 2min. 5 l-.'isee.—an Australasian record. If these times are right they are marvellous gallops. Croesus, with three wins on end, nmvt lie pome good. Pome good record's were registered by the jocksters. 'The lightweights, W. Bell and 11. Y'oung, had a fine innings at Awapuni, and the former rode nine winners at the Wairarapa meeting, Young adding another three to his wore at- Marton. "Skipper*-' Ryan piloted sever, winners at Hastings, ant} .Landless did the trick five, times at Creyniouth. Xoduer and MeCarten stood out on their own at the Taranaki meetings. In (Auckland things were cut up more, but Declev, Emerson, Buchanan, Robinson, Wilson, and Conquest all drew tidy cheques. The. stipendiaries were busy during the holidays, and fines were dealt out all round. R. Young was given the "rest cure" for twelve moons, and little Bell was fined £2.j for jostling. 11. Batten was also handed twelve months for corrupt practices, and minor fines blossomed on every side like (lowers that bloom in Hm* spring, tra-la! An error crept into our report of the Stratford Racing Club's meeting. The total "tote" investments were, £33,3115, an increase of £2780 on last year's figures. The total given was that for the previous year. Katua will .probably bid farewell to the racing track, and in future will be sprinting round with the sausages for father's breakfast. » ¥*!<§

The harsh treatment dealt out to Svlvandale at Stratford will probably bo the subject of an enquiry. A rise from 0.12 to 8.5 (in the Flying Handicap) was ov -r the odils for a mare that has won one race. Toa Tere is another liorse that was harshly treated in the Stratford Cup. Toa Tere may, or may not, be able to see out ten furlongs, but the fact remains that he has only won two races in his career—both six-furlong events —and he was stamped as a stayer, which lias to be proved