SPORTING. TURF TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 December 1918, Page 7

SPORTING.

TURF TOPICS.

T.J.C. CHRISTMAS MEETING?. GENERAL ENTRIES. Complete arrangements have been piade by the Taranaki Jockey Club to ensure a pleasant day's aport for all patrons at the Christmas meeting. Excellent entries have been received, bo that, given fine weather, a good day's •port is assured. The club has effected jnany improvements during the year, among these being the new drive at the entrance and the enlargement of the saddling paddock. General entries:

HUATOKI PLATE; weight for age; seven furlongs.—Otonga, Trench Wheel, Halcyon, Lipton, Lord Formby, Queen Victoria, Lipton, Anserine, Bonville, Spinifix, Some Boy, Havasaek, Romance, Gardenia, Kareao, Cammy, Huipoto, Marshal Neil, Tiranga, Hallow, Mimire, Circulate, Takanganui, Guianform, Solita, Nemaline, Army Service, Genskus, Te Toa, Reopai, Vagrance-piece, Khartoum.

TIKORANGI HACK STAKES; weight, Bst; winner of any race to carry 141b extra; 5 furlongs.—Vance, Empyrean, Elevation filly, Althone, Anserine, Master Curran, Occasion, Metallum, Princess Ora, Some Boy, Staccato, Passing Through, Cheer Up, Cammy, King Shimose, Bisognio, Madam Ristori, Marble Bar, Circulate, Solita, Nemaline, Genskus, Toarere, Piano, Primato, Robur, Carmel Arch.

Acceptances for all events, including the Huatoki Plate and Tikorangi Hack Stakes, close on Friday, December 13, 1918, at 9 p.m., with the secretary, Mr. E. P. Webster, Box 33, New Plymouth.

RACING FIXTURES. Dec. 26—Taranaki J.C. Christmas. ,Dec. 26, 27—Manawatu R.C. Summer. Dec. 26, 28, Jan. 1, 4—Auckland R.C. Summer. Jan. I—Stratford R.C. Annual. Jan. I—Marton J.C. Summer

AUCKLAND ACCEPTANCES DELAYED.

Auckland, Last Night, Owing to the mail delav, due to the slip on the Main Trunk, 'the Auckland Racing Club's acceptances close at noon to-morrow.

MANAWATU TROTS,

By Telegraph.—Press Association.

Palmerston X., Last Night. The Manawatu Trotting Chib handicaps are aa follow:

MAIDEN HANDICAP, 1J miles.— Jimmy Richmond, Peace, Lincoln, Jersey, Plain Bill, Hiram, Galindo, William Ist, Lady Moreland, and Conscript limit, Scottish Child 12 yards behind, Morning Light, Taihorea, The Bath, Albert Patch, Plain Rose, All Jet, Lyall Bay 38, Emperor 96, Rejoice 108.

STEWARDS' HANDICAP, \y, miles. —Zeta and Warlock limit, Lady Burlington,- Elmo Junr. 12 yards behind, Kate Zolock 24, Master Hal 30, Van Coronado 48, Inora, Gallantry 00, Galindo Belle 72.

MANAWATU TROTTING CLUB CUP,2 miles— Rothcliff,Gold Boy, Black Jet, Dean Dillon, Hal Junr. limit, Locanda Dillon 12 yards behind, Truganini 24, Will o' the Wisp, King Capitalist 3D, Lady Haldane, Bundong, Miss Havos 00, Peter Mac 72, Xaney Stair 84.

LINTON HANDICAP, li miles.— Proud Boy, Ned Dillon, Lunar Dillon, Tariki, Speculator, Nancy Wilks, Othello limit, Brachycombe, Ladybirl 12 yards behind, Bonny Ls.su 24, Rio Grande, Koraki 72, Alisa Lorna 9G, Rotomanuka, Bobby B 108. LADIES' BRACELET, 1* miles—Lyall Bay, Morning Light, The Bath, Albert Patch, Plain Rose, Taikorea, AH Jet, and Koraki limit, The Weaver, Jewel Wood 12 yaftis behind, Warlock, Reindeer 48, Emperor, Lady Burlington, Rio, Inora 108, Galindo Belle 120.

CHRISTMAS HANDICAP, 1 mile Rotheliff, Hayseed, Eagle Abbey, and Gallantry limit, Lincoln Star 12 yards behind, Lovelock 24, Linotype 36, Truganini 48, Will o' the Wisp 60, Waiteranui 84.

PALMERSTON NORTH HANDICAP, 2 miles.—Bonny Lass, Koraki, Rio Grande, Wonderland limit, Sweet Memory 12 yards behind, Miss Lorna 24, Rotomanuka, Monsoon 30, Bluewoou 00, King Capitalist 210.

PRESIDENT'S HANDICAP, I*4 miles.—Truganini, Stone Beftlon, Dean Dillon, Mollv Chimes limit, Gold Girl, Will o' the' Wisp, Lady Haldane 12 yards behind, Miss Havoc, Bundong, Peter Mac 24, Nancy Stair, and Waiteranui 36.

(By "Moturoa".)

Nothing doing until Boxing Day. Bonnie Maid has a chance in the Auckland Cup. The Hawke's Bay touts are saving up for Hendra.

Acceptances for the Taranaki meeting arc due on Friday. If Rose Pink goes to Awapuni she will give the Cup a shake. 'Silver Link is surprising the natives at Ellerslie. When is that Railway Handicap? T. H. Lowry's share of the spoil at the V.R.C. spring meeting was a paltry £SOO. Hyades, brother to Hymestra and Torfreda, willmake his debut at Awapuni. He is a nice mover.

Hector Gray; who is mostly a mixture of crutchca plaster these days,| is making a ijood recovery* 'f roin lis recent; ■ ■ : ' ' V rac£ and'"lStra'tf bird' 600 sovs, but; both failed to. dijag the ,top-notchers from the big.holidsiy meetings. Rewlpojo is well looked after in the iTokojdaiu Hurdlejs' at AwapunlJ but he reads well witb ! ,7.t2'in the Cup. ;

Tuipinite wasn't much of a success as a Bprinter, but reports from Palmerston credit him with being a proficient fencer. Wonder will he stay? Gloaming is working the reverse way at Riccarton, in view of the Great Northern Derby, which looks something in the nature of a moral for the lanky son of The Welkin. There waß a big "go" in Wangamn the other day for the position of secretary to the Wanganui Trotting Club, which position fell to Mr. W. H. Falconer, recently of New Plymouth, of Fairbairn and Falconer's, accountants, by one vote. 'Stralian scribes wax enthusiastic over the fact that an ancient and overworked prad named Raheny has hoisted a new "record" of 388 starts. Like the school kid that a»v« plajsd the wag from

'school, a single day in his life, poor old! .Raheny has this scribe's deepest pathy. They have a way of their own of getting in nominations down south. The. New Brighton Trotting Club called foe entries for the Trotting Derby of 1921, and thirty-nine horses were nominated. Then the club blamed the epjdemic andthe general dislocation of telegraphs and mails, and the date was extended. Whether this is permissible under the rules of racing is doubtful, and, anyway, the practice is one that wants to be given a gentle tap on the solar plexus. "Lucky" Kemball has a big string of horses in work at present, but it is doubtful if some of his "young stuff" is going to pay as well as the ready-made champions he raced last season. Still, a man who can win a Canterbury Cup with Snub is hard to lick at anything that looks like a synonym for luck. Acceptances for the Auckland Cup closed last night, and the field Bhould now be reduced to a reasonable number. No less than a dozen of those nominated were also engaged in the Manawatu Cup, run on the same day. Henry Clay is not overburdened in the Grandstand Handicap at Awapuni with 7.8. Multaine may be the hardest) to stoush.

They say that Torfreda was very backward at Riccarton, but she is coming on with every gallop now, and will be worth following at the holiday meetings. The entries for the various hack events at Stratford are first-class, but the Cup and Douglas Handicaps have filled poorly. Croesus and AH Over are the only outsiders of note included, and the former is engaged all over the place about that time. Such poor support would warrant the Stratford Club running a purely hack meeting in future. There is no sense in firing' away 900 sovs on horses that would race for one-half the money. Albert Cutts is working Heathercote, Lionskin, Macduff and Onslaught the reverse way at Riccarton, and if facilities for transit are available he will take a ,team to Kllerslie. Onslaught is said to be particularly well, and may show up in the Railway Handicap. The Auckland Cup candidate Red Ribbon is reported to be showing good form on the tracks, but would have been all the better for a race, which has been rendered impossible owing to the postponement of the Woodville n.eeting. Last year Red Ribbon carried 7.4 A in land Cup, and ran Fiery Cross (8.8) to toee-quarters of a length in swift time —3min 25 4-ssec. Her subsequent displays were somewhat disappointing, ier only victory during the season being in the Wairarapa Cup, in which she carried .8.5, and got to the end of ten furlongs in 2min Gsec on a fast track.

Just in case any of my readers got the idea that "Moturoa" had been put in gaol or relegated to the "nut factory", it might be explained that "the flu" claimed him for its own for a whole month, but after being "given up" about five times the old horse got over all the obstacles safely, and struggled home a winner. Barring being a trifle dizzy in the head, "drunk" in the knees, and down to the featherweight class (as regards avordupois), "Moturoa" is almost "brand new".