SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 April 1918, Page 7

SPORTING.

DESERT GOLD AT RANDWICIv. A BULLI/lAJN'T VICTORY, MOM END TO END. The victory of Desert- the Autumn Stakes at Randwick on the opening day "of the A.J.O. meeting was a brilliant performance, for the New Zealand champion led from••on<i.to end, never giving the rest of the held, which comprised the best horses ill Australia, a chance. In its report of the race the Daily Telegraph says: —

DESERT GOLD WEN'S ALL THE WAY. The dozen acceptors for Autumn Stakes, with the exception. of W°hu - oi, kept their engagements, and among them was Desert Gold, who thus nrade her first public appearance in this State. Victoria contributed the imported horse Lanius, and the .others were I'locallyowned. There was quite a rush to interview Desert Gold (While she was , being attended to in the preliminary preparation, but only a comparatively few succeeded. The New Zealand star tvas apparently unaffected by the attention she received, and, like Wallace Isinglass, Lanius, Gadabout, Westcourt, and one or two others, wore a well-trained appearance. Speculation on the race was unusually wide, the result in the opinion of speculators generally being regarded in the nature* of a foregone conclusions and while, Desert Gold touched a very short price, 10 to 1 went begging bar one, so that the champion mare made a fine market for admirers of her opponents- The good thing' duly came off. Desert Gold thus won her third race in lately after starting, and remained there, McLachlan really made a waiting liace in front on Desert Gold, making no attempt to break the field up, and from end to end T-hana. was her nearest opponent, so that the only two mares in the race triumphed over the opposition, For a moment in the straight it looked as if Thana might cause the favorite some trouble, but once Desert Gold was permitted to stretch out she soon widened the gf}P> & nd ran home a winner by a substantial margin to the accompaniment of much cheering. There were several surprises in connection with the race. At n» time did Wallace Isinglass get among the first four, nor did Westcourt until the la3t few strides, though he was hard, under pressure for the last five furlongs; but Rebus, who sweated freely before the race, ran prominently ior a mile and a-quarter. One of the features of the running was the display of Gadabout. This importation wns at the rear of the field practically all fhe wav for tlie first six. furlongs, but over the remainder of the journey he went at a surprising' rate, nnd just heat Westcourt out of" third place. Though not ruu in record time, the race was particularly fast for one of its character, and was within a second and a-lialf of the best in Australasia, and which stands to the credit of Comedy King and Cagou. Fortunately the race was ritn in a way that ndmitted of no excuses for beaten candidates, and the merit of the Winner's performace was recognised in the heartiest manner from all parts of the ground. Desert Gold thus won her third race in Australia, and her lengthy record does j not include so much ns one unplaced performance. She lias won upwards ot .-£20,000 in stakes, and since coming to Australia hns earned more than £31)01), which Mr. T. H. Lowry long since announced lyould be devoted, to patriotic purposes in New Zealand. This remarkable performer is by All Black (imp.) (son of Gallimile and Vortex, by St. Angelo) from Aurarins, by Malster from Aurous, by Wallace from Aura, by Richmond, and was bred by her owner.

At a meeting of the Kgmont Racing [Club last week it was resolved to take jup £SOO inscribed slock-in the war loan. The sub-committee appointed to consider repairs and improvements at the course submitted a report which recommended, inter alia; "Renewal of picket fences in concrete; erection of new judge's box; ploughing and grading where necessary of course proper; movement and re-erec-tion of loose boxes and stalls- and various repairs and improvements to grandstand and outside stand, the estimated cost on plan suggested being, roughly, CSfiOO. The. report was discussed at length, and it was resolved: That the , boxes and stalls he replaced on the original site; that the judge's box he erected in concrete; that the' picket fence remain as at. present with necessary "repairs, and extension froip the lawn to the outside; that alterations to the cloak room, if necessary, be carried out ; that the lining of the granstand with match lining be carried out; that the inside of the stewards' dining room he painted; that the questions of papering at the caretaker's house and repairs to the old grandstand be left in the hands of the sub-committee; that, the ,sub-committee consider treatment of land between the grandstand and Waihi'road; that the eburse proper remain as it is; that chairs be obtained for the stewards' dining room- Messrs Tonks, Gray, Adamben, Spratt and Quin were appointed the sub-committee to attend to these I matter*, with power to act. This was all the business.