SPORTING

Taranaki Daily News, 25 June 1919, Page 7

SPORTING

COMING EVENTS, Julys—Waikato Hunt Race Meeting. July- 6, 9, and. 12—V.R.C. Grand. National July 8,10, and 12—Wellington R.C. WinJuly 17—Waimaie District Hunt Steeplechase. July 26—Christchurch Hunt Steeplechase. August 12, 14' and 16 —C.J.C. Grand National NOMINATIONS. July 11—Christchurch Hunt Steeplechase July 26—CJ.C. Grand National (general, entries). HANDICAPS. June SO—Wellington R.C. Winter. June 30—Waimate District Hunt 1 , Steeplechase. July 18—CJ.C. Grand-National Steeple-, chase, Hurdle Baceuand Winter Cup. July 18—Christchurch Hunt Steeplechase. August I—C J.C. Grand National (minor., events). ACCEPTANCES. July 3—Wellington R.C. Winter. July 7—Waimate District Hunt Steepler chase. , , July 23—Christchurch Hunt Steeplechase.. July 25—C.J-C. Grand National Steeplechase, Hurdle Baceuand Winter <?up<August B—CJ.C. Grand National (minor events) ■ FINAL PAYMENTS. August B—CJ.C. Grand National Steeplechase, Hurdle Kace, and Winter Cup. NOTES BY "MOTUROA." BIG winners.

The "tall' prices frequently paid "for promising horses in Australia often cause one to wonder whether buyera have not mislaid their presence of mind, but when you come to consider the big_ stakes offered and the great opportunities oi making money by backing your 'crack performer, it is plainly evident that there is really "something in the game for-the man who is fortunate enough to acquire a good horse, and in game enough to BUpport it when ready. A glance at the list of stakes paid over after the recent A.J.O. autumn, meeting shows that practically all'the big winners at the meeting owed their respective stakeearnnga to the efforts of one horse. Messrs W. and F- A, Moses won £4502 With Poitrel, who gathered in the Autumn Stakes, Cumberland Stakes, and AJ.C. Plate. Mr. A. B. Cockram took £4150 as the result of lan Ws victory in the Sydney Cup, and Mr. W. Kelso followed with £3519, Millieme landing the Sires' Produce Stakes and filling the role of runner-up to Bigaroon in the Champagne Stakes. Bigaroon's single success credited "Mr. Constable" with £2229, and then came Mr. H. Main, for whom Hem win the Dopcaster Handicap and £2147 in stakes. Greenstead, With £1982) Finmark, with £1404, Kennaquhair, with £1200; Braille, with £1117; and Night Watch, with, a cOol thousand, noma next. It practically means , that more money can be won at a single big meeting in 'Stralia than in a fhole season's racing in JTew Zealand. Therefore it is little wonder that NewfZeatandt owners, once, they tcquire a Bsally useful 'horse, cast envious eyes at* the huge stakes and liberal betting ;\<?dds obtainable across the Tasman. J..

A MtJCH TRAVELLED JOCK^f. Bobbed up on Dependence, winner of the Adelaide Cup the other day, a much travailed knight of the pigskiiwjn the person of P. Herbert. Born in Bondon in IS9O, Herbert migrated fo'America iti 1890, and the next year, when only a handful of less than 4st., rode three winners at Dallas, Texas, on his initial appearance in the saddle. He, rode for Boine of the biggest men in the game, and to 1909 he reached the head of the poll in America, a position which, he maintained for two more seasons. Then he earned further successes, in Canada, in Germany, and in Russia, and in 1913 invaded England, where he won many big racei He holds a remarkable record of 87 first on Bad News, a horse that won no less than 114 races. Herbert is only on a holiday in 'Stralia, and, _as soon as the influenza and shipping troubles allow, proposes to light out for fresh fields to conquer. 'Stralia could ;i do With a few more Herberts.

BETTING. Under the above title, The Month, a brightly-written little paper from the pen of Bishop Cleary, the well-known Auckland divine, tells us a few home troths about our Turf morals that should prove interesting. Few editors of religious journals could treat the subject with such toleration or exhibit such expert knowledgeof the betting business. Bishop Claary writes:— "Sarah Battle's idfeS t>f a proper game oftyMrt Was 'a ,deaf clean rigor of the same.' The Caftfw--Ijj£y, Joekejr'* susdry otoer riahS people have been hosing with highpiefsSire protest the camp-followers' of theeiwt who haVe fallen short of the rigb#of' the gajae' - of ttagers'as ueflned by' wk law of-the land.; 'Drastic measi4es^:.are against "illicit bettifcjgf;' tie sltyj sly, and elusive 'bookie' is ttf'jbfe as, a, toad beneath this harrow; andCfn the rewiri of betting King Totali-, Eator 'is to'reign, rgign .alone. We , bava of ft' b#ef for. nor sympathy ths'ti§ctkies'' illegal calling, for wftfc Mjy-.wftgering .ways that are tricks' that are vaiiS; accels of" Illegal betting:; That; m«,y, »indßcd\ tpoSsiblyi arise from con<£fn W1 9 r jporif lawj 'bijfe.MDsiS father wore Ekely; & 1& closely a S#9owrfl®d l which, the toffcKs«tor, with ; of rac&ouFsa wagering, .'in|ft||pe ; treasuries of\the "ifflubs wear: aftwpjraif.:: The. keenness: of tffijp appreciatftSMSif'' fee "gauged from Jfri] j we coiidense tlio New' M&d Herald of June Racing Glub alone benefited,, by theirjj toalisator, to the merry tune of £46,160. in ; A season :9,f nine days'racing;, and | during that period no less a sum than £615;558 passed through the 'machine.' The State's share of the spoil was £15*389."

"GAMBLING." The Month then tackles the above much-disputed subject, and, after pointing out the various and divergent meanings attached to the word, -which in dictionary speieh may mean anything from "playing or gaming for a stake" to "wasting oi» squandering in gambling," meg on to say that "Catholic theo-_! iogians deal with this whole practical j question on moral principles that are clearly statiesd and beyond the reach of.. successful adverse criticism. They die-, 1 tgagtly is morally.

permissible and what is forbidden in, 'lot and Wager. They condemn all excess, •or abuse or improper risk. At the eamet time they regard the lot (which has even a religious use in the Scriptures) and' the wager as normally permissible in, circumstances which may be summarily i stated as follows: (1) The purpose of, the wager or lot must be good, or at' least not evil ("indifferent" in the technical sense). (2) The money risked must belong to him who risks it; he must have the free disposal of it; and the amount staked, must not exceed what he may, in justice to himself and others, spend. (3) The lottery, or wager must be frse from deceit or fraud. And (4) there must be a fair equality of chance for all. The moment any one of these guiding principles is violated, the proceeding is anti-moral and forbidden. Such, for instance, would be the case if the horse-race bettor endeavored to win his wager by "doping" or any other fraudulent practice. Incidentally, we may remark that the Presbyterian "Larger Catechism" (Q. 142) demands reverence for the Biblical use of lots; and it forbids, not lotteries generally, but only (as we do) "sinful" ones (Q. 113) and "wasteful.ganßng" , >(Q.«-142).

HORSE-SENSE. The worthy bishop will excuse the '(liberty I take in applying the appelation '"horse-sense" to the remarks that follow. These remarks have nothing, whatever to do with the "moral" side of the betting (or gambling) business, but are simply the observations of a broad-minded clergyman, scholar and teacher. A youog man once asked the bishop: "Would you advise against 'backing one's fancy' even in a strictly fair, moderate and very occasional way at horse races?" To which the bishop replied: "Son, you ask for counsel op the subject (which, of course, has no force of precept) that is best summed up in the words of Mark Twain: 'There are two occasions in a man's life when he should not wager—whei) he can't afford it, and when lie can.' But if any of you young men, are bent Upon 'backing your fancy,' then let it be the reliable flyer on which (according to his biographer) William Terries often staked, yet never lost and never tfon: 'a little filly called Common I Sense, ridden by Tommy Let-it-alone."

LADY EQUESTRIENNES.

At a recent charity trotting meeting at Perth the outstanding feature of the proceedings was the race for the Ladies' Bracelet. The riding of Miss Pearl Thomas, an exponent of the crouch seat, was voted infinitely ahead of the exhibitions of 90 per cent of the regular jockeys seen in action earlier In the day at the Goodwood meeting. The winner #as capably bandied by Miss Mildred Parker, whose "pa" is mace bearer at Parliament House, but the event was chiefly remarkable for the great effort of the trotter Alfred Donald, on whom Miss Thomas all but wo*i from 210 yards behind scratch. It is interesting to note that ladies can ride as well, if not better than men, but apart from that fact there is an "atmosphere" about race l riding which' renders it no fit place, generally speaking, for ladies.

The late Mr. Emanuel Lyons, who died recently in Melbourne, was at one time one of the best known figures in the New Zealand racing world. The late Mr. Lyons was one of the leading bookmakers of his day, and also a prominent horse-owner. He owned First Lord, winner of the C.JC. Middle Park Plate, and was also part owner of Sommeil, the only horse that ever seriously threatened to upset Carbine's unbeaten career as a two-year-old. Mr. Lyons was also interested in the ownership of other horses trained by the late Mr. H. Goodman, a notable one being Axe, one of the beat trotters of his day. When the totalisator became established Mr. Lyons dropped out of the bookmaking business, but always took a keen interest in racing. He decided to settle in Melbourne about ten years ago.