SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 August 1918, Page 8

SPORTING.

I ■ ■ n __ J --n.- TURF TOPICS. ; t-

(By "Moluroa.")

The formidable lists of weights for the Marton spring meeting foretell big fields for the new season's racing. Consequent on the curtailment of racing days, fields promise to be too large for safe racing, and how to remedy the evil is likely to be a tough problem >or racing clubs. At Marton there .ire 33 horses in the Hack Hurdles. 47 in the Trial Plate, 20 in the Hack Steeples, 2a in the Marton Handicap, 14 in the I\angitikei Steeples, 40 in the Electric Handicap, 3(i in the Tutaenui Hack Handicap, and 31 in the Railway Handicap. A fair proportion of these horses will sport silk on September 4, and how the Marton course is going to accommodate them all goodness only knows. Horse*, larly of the hack species, appear to be more numerous than over.

At first glance. Air Over 7.13 looks the pick of the Marton Handicap. Excuses can be made for his defeat in the Winter Cup, and lie has proved his ability from five furlongs to a mile and a-half. Colonel Soult reads as well as any of the others.

A good three-year-old generally ranks as favorite for the Railway Handicap at Marton, and Torfreda should fill the role this time. Waimatoa is well cared for, and Sweet Tipperary, Torfreda. and BoPeep read much better. The lastnamed is reported to be very forward for spring racing. A good crowd of 'chasers should be seen out at Marton. Coalition has won over tiie course, and may be quite equal to the task of carrying 11.13 comfortably. Yellow and Black may be the best of the others. Gaekwar, if reserved, should run well in the Hack Steeples, and Simple Sam can run a two miles.

The Hack Hurdle Race will take some sizing up. Deluge 0.6 appears to be well treated, but a mile and a-half journey also suits Tornea, Paraoa, and Lord Ainslie. The race lookß very open. The draw for places at the post will practically decide the hack flat events, but the owners of Oratress, Glueian, Omalm. and Royal Park have nothing to complain of as regards the weights apportioned.

Collector's displays at Rieearton were a source of disappointment to his army of admirers, but the Hawcra hoitc w.ts sore, and was not in a condition to show his best form. He got round safely on Saturday, but put no dash into his work, and was never dangerous.

Quite a number of persons who coupled Waimai (Beaufort Steeples) with other horses in the Sydennam Hurdles and August Handicap are not aware thai they should get their money returned. This scribe wired the secretary of the Canterbury Jockey Club, and was informed that Waimai was scratched for the Beaufort Steeples at 7.20 p.m. on Friday. All double bets about 'Waimai made after that hour are therefore void.

All Over's defeat in the Winter Cup caused punters to drop him rather too abruptly, but (hose who stuck to Mm were rewarded with a great dividend in the August Handicap. One Bar Von alone held £42 of All Over, and the total he wrote on the race was only £7O. About a score of this was on Ibex (second), and with a £lodinar you can imagine how he snorted when ye got the wire. However, lie was game, and got a lot back when (Jang Rwa'. Wishful, and Bedford got "lined" later in the day. A perusal of the penciler's book often makes interesting reading. Tn a little hamlet down the line, the "silver kings" and the half-dollar punters were in Ihe habit of turning the main street into a regular Vulcan Lane on race days. On the first day of the National meeting a posse of police descended upon the crowd, and you never saw such a scatter in your life before. You'd have thought somebody was trying to take up a collection at a galherI ing of Scotchmen. Two punters jumped I into cars and went in one direction, ! while others boarded a passing cab am! hastened elsewhere. Punters faded into pubs and various shops, and one acitated crson actually rushed into a j dentist's parlor and had a tooth ex|tracted!

Collector lias been sold to iTr. Gerald Stead, but the price is not stated.