SPORTING

Taranaki Daily News, 16 September 1920, Page 3

SPORTING

GLOAMING WELL AGAIN. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received Sept. 15, 9,55 p.m. Sydrey, Sept. 15. Gloaming is bein£.. exercised and appears to "be as well as ever, though any cxer k to/i is likely to cause a return of bleeding. Ho received injections of serum, and although not yet relieved of his spring engagements it is unlikely he will be able to compete, as it is thought the treatment will necessitate lest for at least two months.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.") Wiuigaiml races this day week. Affectation has been blistered and turned out. Guianform is now located at Ellerslie. J. O'Shea will ride for W. R. Kemball this season. Bill has been withdrawn from his Wanganui engagements, and Simonides from the Okehu Hurdles. Prince Rufus and Troublesotme have been taken up agaia by J. Williamson. Boih are looking well. Bagdad has been schooled over hurdles, aud Is said to be an adept at the game. Silver Link's half-sister, by Martian, cost 1300 gns as a yearling, has been named Password. Gloaming's breakdown is very regrettable, but the way he had been galloped off his legs made it look as if they were anxious to quit him quickly. Quality is not a noticeable feature of thia year's New Zealand Cup. Of thirty-eight acceptors no less than twenty-flve are handicapped below 7st. Mattock, who won the Rangitikei Steeples, is looking a picture at present, and his owner has no reason to complain of the gelding's treatment at Wanganui. In spite of occasional lameness, Arrowsmith is asked to break th,o watch nearly every morning, and it looks as if his pArty is feverishly endeavouring to get the im« ported horso at his best for the meeting with Amythas' at Wanganul. Amythas, on the other hand, is doing good work well within himself, and there seems no, reason why he should not finish In front of Arrowsmith in the Eclipse Stakes. The new electric totalisator will be in full working order for the Wanganul spring (meeting. The large staff of girls have been trained to their work, and appear to have picked it up welt With the more expeditious handling of money under the netf pyßtem th& totalisator figures should be verylarge next week. ' Apart from the cracks, Amythas and Arrowsmith, some fine horses are expected to pport silk at Wanganui next week. Mr. W. tt. Kemball's team, which is now trained at Wanganui, will include Hymestra, Weldone, Bonetter, Trespass, Tenterfield, and Gladfui. In addition there will bo a strong Tnranaki contingent, class being well represented all round. Trainer Fred TlUey has a big. team of horses in work at present, nearly twenty being exercised on his private track. Old Client looks as well as anything, and no fault could be found with the condition of Isabel, who Is expected to run forward in back events next week. Isabel is a three-year-old filly by Hallowmas out of Crucinella, and favors her sire in appearance. Last season she was saddled up on four occasions, finishing up with a win in l7ie Okoia Two-year-old Handicap at the Wanganui autumn meeting. In defeating Verbosity, Insurrection, Rieuse, Canyon, Bestir, and Little River she put up an attractive perfomance, and she looks like turning out a good one this season. Taranakl breeders are fortunate in having the services of such a promising young sire as Antagonist (Soult —Miss Annie) placed at their disposal, Mr. G. Clout, of Hawera, having recently purchased the horse from Sir Geo. Clifford. Lnst season Antagonist was represented by eleven winners of place moner, inciting good ones like Onslaught, Wrestler, Winter Wind, Long Range, McDuff, Counterscarp and Checlomate, and their winnings (£3970) placed him 26th in the winning sires' list. One of the most promising two-year-olds engaged in this year's Avondale Stakes Is Oranga, by Royal Soult—Cadence, by Cyrenian—Lute, by Sir Lancelot. Oranga shows plenty of pace in his spins on tho tracks, and looks like a colt that wil' come "to hand early. Vespucci, who won at the first time of asking for Mr. G. D. Greenwood on Saturday, is a well-grown chestnut colt by Varco from the imported Faraway, and half-brother to that useful handicap horse, Dick Meacher. Vespucci did not raco at two years, but his performance in the Novice Handicap at Sydney Tatts' meeting stamps him as a good one. His next engagement is in the Rosehill Guineas next Saturday, after which he will contest the A..T.C. Derby at Randwick a fortnight later. 1 The entries received for the Egrriont Racing! Club's classics of 1922 are very satisfactory, I most of the leading weight-for-age performers i being engaged, as well as the most promis- ; ing of the youngsters. The leading T;tr;inaki clubs have had no reason to regret having catered for tho Dominion's best horses, and the presence of the "cracks" has dono I much to lift these meetings above the commonplace. Tho public appreciate seeing good j Jiorses, and tho outside interest' taken in Ihese gatherings is universal. . Starter C. O'Connor attributes the almost total absence of false starts in Australia to tjie use of formidable starting barriers, and it is possible that the Auckland Racing Club will consider his suggestion to strengthen tile present tapes in use. The system was tried in Auckland years ago, during the Cutts' regime, but several jockeys were rather badly injured through no fault of their own, their restive prade rushing the barrier, and the consequence was that the "entanglement" was lightened an» made practically harmless. To tho writer it appears to be more a matter of control than anything else. At Marton and Awapuni this spring tho starting was quick and clean, only once wore the tapes broken, as far as I can recollect. In Australia the bookies will bet on horses in running, or on anything. A Sydney paper stales that when Scerry was winning the Hurdles at Warwick Farm something was seen to fall from his saddle about fifty yards from the winning post. The bookies at once offered to take 10 to 1 that Scerry did not weigh-in correctly, but the missing article proved to lie only a light towel, which made no appreciable difference when the rider got on the scaie* Sentiment rather than business must have actuated Mr. A. R. Cox when he refused £IOO,OOO for Gay Crusader. Although a great racehorse he has yet to prove himself a great sire, and even at the stud it is v hardly likely that he could earn that money. In fact there is nothing in a stallion at tho price. Stock is selling At fabulous prices In the Old Country at present, yoarlinirs fetching from 10,000 to 15,000 guineas, while since the war Tracery was sold for £53,000, and even more refused for Tetratema. It doesn't look as if some people are hard up in the Old Dart, though the papers paint pitiful pictures of tho poverty which is alleged to overshadow everything. , Gambler's Gold, who won the Liverpool. Mile at Warwick Farnf last month, started at a long price, and beat a smart field including Poitrel, Millieme, Finmark, Sydney Damsel, Ready Aye Ready, White Phast, and Remnon. He is engaged in the Epsom Handicap with 8.2, and in tho Metropolitan Handicap with 7.12. E. George went, north last night with Alteration, Stork, Hallow, Hypo, and Spanner who have encagements at the Avondale and Whangarei meetings.