SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 January 1919, Page 8

SPORTING.

'DESERT GOLD AND BIPLANE. 'A TEST HOPED FOE. Sydney, Last Night. As Desert Gold's departure for New Zealand has been so long delayed, the hope has been expressed in sporting eirelea that her owner will allow her to remain for the Ttandwick autumn meeting, thereby enabling the long-looked-for test with Biplane to eventuate. It is stated Biplane's present owner would not object, and Mr. Lowry has always been eager for such a meeting.

DEATH OF A FAMOUS HURDLER. A Sydney cable states that this famous hurdler Obi is dead. TARANAKI AUTUMN MEETING. ENTRIES CLOSE TO-NIGHT. Considerable interest is being taken in the above gathering, which takes place on February 5 and C. This year's Xaianaki Cup has been raised to 600 sovs, and is backed up with good stakes all round. Mr. H. Coyle (handicapper) and 0. O'Connor (starter) will bo in their usual places, and it is expected (hat entries will be large. The full programme will be found in our advertising columns, and the secretary (Mr. E. P. Webster).) will take entries up to 9 p.m. to-night. TURF TOPICS.

(By "Moturoa.")'

Considering the high quality of the racing which was served up for the huge crowds which rolled up to the Auckland Trotting Club's summer meeting last week, it is more than ever evident that the northern club will have to go in for very extensive improvements in the near future. This, the writer was assured, is the club's intention, and an outlay of between £25,000 and £30,000 is probable. The present track (of' Californian soil) is set too low, the view being blocked by high ground in the centre, and, in fact, very little can be seen of the runners from the lawn or from the outside enclosure. The present stand is altogether too small, and the totalisator quite out of date. The racing track and stands will be shifted forward, and to enable this being (lone a big tract of land has been added to the present enclosures- The programme mapped out is a huge one, but the popularity of the sport in Auckland warrants it. The recent meeting was a record one, and the club's officials catered well for their many patrons, *

Easy victories were ti'ie predominant features of the concluding day of the Auckland racing carnival, the postponed spring meeting being a ibeneflt for the well-backed division. The MaTilen Hurdle Bace was a well-contested affair, Ditto, Notability, oHd Loyal Arch lighting out a good finish. Loyal Arch was kept too far out of it in the early stages to have a chance with Ditto, but he made up a lot of ground in the last halfmile. and carried his 12.7 like a really good one- Athens 11. won the Great Northern Guineas well, giving Kipling, Te Miro, and others a good start, and coming on the outside at the home turn. { Kipling, who was brought up especially, ran a good race and returned his backers a better dividend than the winner. The Hobson Handicap was a soft tiling for the Waikato-owned Queen Abbey, who easily settled Tigritiya over the last hundred yard?. Hetaua, with TI. Gray aboard, won the Welcome Stakes from end to end, the only one to chase the ITawke's Bay colt being Bingle. Cray's mount, Teka, was a warm order in the Mitchelson Cup, ibut had to put up with second place, Uncle Ned winning very easily. Gazique, who was sore, started at si long price, and but for being "pocketed" might have beaten Teka for second money, but lie had no chance with jha winner Blue Cross, Bedford, Form Up, and others looked as if they had had! enough of racing for a while. There were only four runners in the Onehunga Steeples, and Alec Mitchell's Tirau was backed as if the race was all over, hut The Channel held him safe at any part of it, and won easily from Peneton, more by actual merit on the horse's part than by good riding. Hautere broke down ,'iopelesßly Silver Link, who was ridden by H- Gray, made the opposition look cheap in the Shorts Handicap First j frway, the New Plymouth filly never gave anything else « look in, and won pulling up. Bownham ran a creditable race, but better things were expected of Rekandti The top-we!;dits had the Normaiibv Handicap to themselves. AH Talk (Gray) was favorite, but both Spanner (Deeley) and Independency (MeFlymi) beat liim In the run home. The Feilding sprh;y me; Ling, postponed from last November, takes place on Saturday. Big fields are curded tor the various events, but Zola, Demos, Robur, Rewi Poto, Cotillion, Cherry Mart, Croesus, and Sea Sprite will have plenty of followers if they ,go to the post-