SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 March 1918, Page 2

SPORTING.

TURF TOPICS. (By "Motnroa.") Tl.i? year's inceijn-jr at Opunake must be regarded as the most successful ever held on the Pilnima course, and the 'in!;!, officials deserve congratulation. For -many years the isolated position of the club and its distance from the line we.v factors that militated against its success, but. (lie rdvoT'f of (lie motor wis overcome that. and the sirug;;ling da\-; now appear to he over for the eh'b. Kiuli year sees improvements to the club's appointments for catering to its patrrns, hut tliriro is no doubt that further improvements mn?t he effected if the club is to continue its forward move. Monday's crowd shows that the stand, the lawns, and the totalisator house are far too small. The officials, to. givo them their dues, recognise that an extensile scheme of alterations and enlargements must be undertaken, hut recognise that with '.lie high cost of lahor am l , materials, the present is not, the most opportune time for carrying out i.ii.it fork. , ; '"!i : e idea of (he strides mode by the club may he gleaned from a p ierus:!l of the totalisator invchtiiients during the past few years, which are as follow: l!lll. £5550-. 1012. £7782: inn. ;C!OT1; mi!. f]l 875; 101.j, .W. 182; 1!>1«, £1fi.660: 1(117, .-€10,055; Ifllß. £25 0(17. The double victories of Melita and Gipsy Dcm at Opiinake were responsible for piscine their respective owners. Messrs W. Coffey and 10. ,T. Fearon, at 'he head of the list with £lB3 each. Then came O. McLaren .Cheddar) and H. Oi>r«p 'Madame Kisfori). each with ■EM". W. SlatteTv (T>ec-i,>. fp-sl hur-'les fin-1 f-'j-il welter) -C l lO-. .T, P. TCel!v (Perfect: Bay), £BO. Others tn touch winning money were: F. Jewell £.(<) 0. t.amvn £3O, ,T, TVve'- ■<' > 5. Coffer. Mrs Cleaver each' £2O. F. Hoskin, M. FrarAlin, C. Elmer B. T. Bennett, Ooodw and Alexander each £ls, A. O. MeDonell, Mr. Egmont and Mr, T'to each £lO T'. Cofi'ev was lb" I'mst; pueocs'-fnl trainer, scoring with Cheddar in the Ti'nncl'can end twice with Melitn. .1. .T. T,lacker had a brace of wins with Gipsy Gum. Other successful trainers, were: R. Brough (Deesidel. ,T Fryer (Perfect Duvi. and F. Oorjso (Madn«i P'stori). Winning ioekeys wore: TT. Cray 4 :'f'he('(ler. Madam TiMori, Melita 2V M. Mr-Carlen 2 i'P l r: ' n .r,-. <n;d Gem). and F. Flyrn (Deeside) and B. Mon-is (Ginsy G"m) one each. Hector Gr.iv had a great innings. TTe had Jx mounts, and was home first four time and filled the rolo of runner up t-Tiee. On five occasions he rode the favorite, his mount each time oayi-oiv:' we'll over four figures, .i m j. 0 f cour= <>ayil:2 -verv small dividends. Ta,|r Beaufort, who ran second in the President''-. 1-a.id a. Desert Geld j:riee. He.rside won the Hurdle race comfortablv from the favorite ,Tn Jitsu, who was looked upon as a morn!. Had Monument stood up the finish iui™ht have heen closer, as the brown horse was going well -when he came down. Simple Shm, who had won the race fo' - the last two years, was well sup'.'oited, but after being prominent, at l!ie start; finished lest. The aged son of St Paul has performed well on that course, as far hack as 1012 winning a double in the llat. A field of fourteen lined up in the Maiden, which was won bv Perfect H.iv, who vrn.R well handled in a great finish bv M McCarton and won bv a nine from Tirangn. Tn this rec- 'in- i'.tdo'e hoisted 12 instead of IS for second, but the error was qnicklv rectified. T'oka fell at the tun: in the Maiden wh'm in a 'rond ■ t itic■ n injurin? his jockey (R. F, Baorby). This proiiiisir • "nun.'-' joekev liad ike svmnathr ef tin.. """'-I as fhe nccident prevented his tiding during the afternoon. I'm- Onumike Handicap. wliicli produced a field of five, provided a groat: finish between Icberg and the favorite Cheddar. Gray rode a fine race on the favorite, whom he kept in a handy position until a iinarter of a mile from home, v.-hep he took the lead. Xodder on Ice berg held command on entering the i-aifdii, hut when 50 yards from home Gray put in a claim and the favorite lesponding boat, the grey by a neck. Melita made no race of the Electric Hack Pergola's owner made a complaint ithout W. Price's ridin.s. but it is hard to see how anvlhin? could have affected the result. This was borne out later in the Farewell Handicap, vhen v.-'th a stone difference in, favor of Perco'a the Marble Arch mare could make no impression on AY. Coffey's "elding, whose double win was very popular. Gipsv Gem, who won the maiden at Opunake last year and was second in the Flcctrir, scored a double win in the Y~elIfi- ai'.d President's this year. Madam Kistori, who travelled to the rices like a, lady—per molcr —made no mistake in the St. Patrick's Tlandican. which she won comfortably under Gray's s : :iifn? pilotage. Had another second -"Tie hev way backers would have pot little more than half ilieir iPonev bacl". I.ady Beaufort was slow to he/in in the President's in which she carried the most money of the day, and thoiudi she iimvei'. verv fast at the concluding stages, could only set to within threequarters of a lencrth of Gipsy Gem. Trombone was seen out, twice in ihe Maiden and the President's. In the latter lie flattered his supporters until the slraifhl was reached, when he died away.

I'lter, who led for the first mile in the Opunake Handicap, was to have jjone nurth on Tuesday nifsht to fulfil his hurdle enfragemonts at Auckland. The scarcity of benzine and carbide were forcibly impressed on Alhie Ward, the well-known New "lvmoutli hurdle rider, who motor-- -:cd to Opunake races on Monday. The run out was a pleasant one. but when he went to mount his machine for the homeward journey th« benzine tank was emptv and so was the acetvlene light generator, an-!, to make matters worse, the thief, 'r, his eagerness to secure cheap carbide, had broken ihe wncraloi'. Fresh hennne was procurabl", but the e.enerato" was useless. evr>n if carbide was to be "btaiiied, and Albia had to moke the I rip home in the dark without, the aid of a With the prevailinc wind anrt dv.st. the trip was auythincr but pleasant. He also lost his racing saddle on the run home "i'h" use of the motor wnoron for the c-nvevance of horses to race courses' situated at. a distance from the line should soon become as popular anions;' hnr-c trainers as, is the mnior car amoiri' snorts. The lonp- walk to the Pihania course lias been the hmrhear of owners and trainers, hut it, has been proved 1 hat the trip can be snecossfullv made bv motor wa?on. Last roar R. .lobiison made tlie experiment in Taranaki with Pawakoi'i, hut. after IraveHin<r about 15 miles, the racehorse was able to break and bs'l to be Wt in a paddock. . Despite this faihiro his owner (Mr. \Y. . Raieielil told the writer he was satisfied ' the idea .Vtould succeed and Mr. I " ——