SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 July 1916, Page 3

SPORTING.

TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.") Taranaki horses shaped fairly well at tlie "Wellington meeting, Bisogne ami Patronymic winning doubles, while .Maid o' Cowrie, Harbor Light, Darby Paul and Sty rax gained place money. Bisogne's fine form bears out tlie opin- ; ion expressed hv this scribe several ;■ months ago that colt was likely ' to turn out a. really good sort. Under ' welter weights he was raced to a stand--1 still in the summer, but a short respite ■ (and softer going) saw a marked change in the winter. On the opening day Bisogne had the misfortune to get hung up in the tapes, but by his hollow vie- ; tories on Thursday ami on Saturday he made amends, and with 10.1) against his ' name in the Winter Cup he doci not read badly. Patronymic lias improved in uis I jumping during tlie past few months, I but he is still far from the top rung, r and it does not say much for the hack ; hurdlers when they are beaten many lengths 'each day by such a moderate performer. The aged son of Patronus rewarded his party with two dividends in the region of the limit, and the prices returned by both Patronymic and Aus- ' tin 011 Saturday were simply astound- ' ing. The hard race in the Parliamentary 1 Handicap evidently knocked out Maid o' j ! Gowrie, for she showed none of her bril- ' lianey on tlie later days, and on Salnr- ' day finished a bad fourth—ten lengths > behind Sir Agnes. Styrax raced consistently throughout 1 the gathering, and fot a horse that has been hard at it for several months his form is marvellous. He is meeting fresh horses at every turn, but he is always "there, or thereabouts." Hats oil' to the veteran Darby Paul! ' At the Wanganui meeting you wouldn't 1 have taken him at a gift, but he has proved a safe conveyance over big coun- ' try, and although a win has not come his ' way, he must have well repaid Mr. G. * Larcom by place-money and remunerative second dividends. In hack company - he always has ft jumper's chance. '■ Harbor Light does not appear to be : half the horse lie was last winter, and > it seems unlikely that he will join the , |ront rank of jumpers again. Ia or-.

dinary years lie might have to be reckoned with, but this season we have exceptional hurdlers like El Gallo, Te Ongtt, Crib, Styrax, Pursefiller, Tragedy King, Marconi, Tararu Jack, Leonta, etc., as well as promising aspirants like Crown Pearl, Korke's Drift, Kooya, Bon Rcve and others. A Wanganui writer tips "Darby Paul to beat the lightweights in the Grand National Steeplechase. What is the matter with Merry Lad, Captain Macky, Black Sea, The Chef, Nita, and Heatherlea? A keen judge of racing informs "Sloturoa" that Crown I'earl was "dead licked" three furlongs from home in the Winter Hurdles, so it does not look as if he is a champion after all. Possibly lie may have been in need of a gallop, but his showing does not make a long race like the Grand National Hurdles (21 miles) look the moral some people imagine, Leonta's bold showing in the Final Hurdles on Saturday, in which he finished close up third, shows that Fred Tilley lias got the big fellow in fine liick. He was galloping over everything at the end of a mile and three-quarters, and all going well he should give a good account of himself in the National neiA month. By scoring on Patnmymic on Saturday, Frank Flynn secured the hurdle premiership for the season. The Auckiander, A. J. McFlyiwn, was only one win behind. Marton has lost his staying power, that is, if Trcntham running was correct. The well-known Wanganui sportsman, Mr. Hugh Speed, steward of the Wanganui Jockey and Trotting Clubs, and onetime owner of Kew, Interlude and other horses, is reported wounded at the Western front. Korke's Drift has done big things on the flat, and liat " private reputation as a jumper, hut hi, 'wm r must have felt very pleased ip saw the nag at the top of the ln,v i Yith U. 9 in the Grand National Hi - t don't think! Cherry Blossom I more seconds at the Wellington ; nme horses (like Desert Gulil) to none, but Cherry Blossom l - v ' < my old thing. 1 Over £BOO6 was t,. <-i linal event at the Wcliiii; ■ .i ii' . • Pliably by punters who nvii; tecovery, When Toki stroU » ...iuy

several times the limit there was weeping and gnashing of teeth, not to mention tearing up of tote tickets and a frantic rush for the last train. Immensity broke down again at Trentham, and' with Xgatoa, Braeburn» and other top-notchers on the infirm list there is a chance that the lightweights will have the Grand National Steeplechase to themselves. New York, if given a chance to freshen up, should have a chance of picking lip a really good steeplechase at Ricearton. He is only a little fellow, however, and one hard race seems to krock him right out. The special war tax paid by the Wellington Placing Club over ' last, week's meeting amounted to i' 2730 15s, and the ordinary racing club tax ran into £3033 10s. After all that there could have been very little left for the poor punters to carry home. Tyson is at present spelling in Wanganui. Kirkby, on his winning form at the Otaki meeting, was allowed to pay a surprisingly good price in the Hack Steeplechase on Saturday.