SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1921, Page 3

SPORTING.

WOODVILLE WHIRS'S’7'. j (Notes by Pacing b-.t. Weedville -V’e-f-aGSday and attracted large attendances, patrons j comisg itf: go'xJ number* from Wellington, • Palmerston., Wanganui, all parte of the; Wai.rarapa and Hawke's Bs.y. The -track was, fairly hard, and Uis pinners raised some - dust, but racing was throughout. l Everything passed off s;>-md'dly, the start- j hig being good and tl:?. prompt, while ] tfee- secretary (Mr. W. A. Lyon) saw to everybody’s demands* The Woodville Club "tight” with "complimentaries,’’’ but the ur.iwd rblled up just the same, the charges for admission being moderate. A feature of an race card was a list of placed perTkrTrances of acceptors since January, 1921. 2fecant form worked out well, but the public A'd not benefit thereby, the (majority of the <S,iTtdends (both first and second) being above the average of the holiday meetings. C’n tlie opening day Transmission, a winner at Faxton, outstayed th<3 opposition in the Hurdles, and paid a fine price, though Persian Prince, who filled the role of runner-up, Mid carried less than a nunared tickets, paid a better one. The heavily weighted division had no show with Soldiers* Love (MartionLjtehsn) in the Sapling Stakes. Ajphe is a member of F. Davis' string, and should pay her way. Although alleged to be favored in ■ "dcubles.*' Astlnome was allowed to pay the limit In the Ruahlne Handicap, and the run-’-.w-up (Murlhiku) returned her sixty odd sup- ; porters a double figure dividend. Big dlvi- ! donds ware the feature of the Whariti Hack Handicap, Probate (Provocation —Wailethe), a ! double winner at Foxton, rewarding her followers with a fine "price,” while Spare Moj ment’s hundred odd backers were also well re- : numerated. Undeterred by these reverses, the ’ public backed Punka down to little better than i "evens’’ for t£e Cup, and, patiently ridden \ 'by Gray, she came through in the straight and : won handsomely. Puntera emptied out on i Wamba (Absurd —Clntra) in the County Hack i Handicap, but though Gray got everything out 1 of the black gelding, he suffered a narrow defeat, the winner turning up in BLrkie, another double figure dividend being hoisted. Matatua had a slight call over Little River and Namur when the tote closed on the President’s Handicap, and just got home after a rattling finish with Hyttus. Passenger carried over a thousand tickets in the Victoria Handicap, but there was big money for Earthshine (All Black—Selene), who just scrambled home in front of The Digger. Big money went on Hautawa again on the second day, nothing having a chance with Signysian, who won the Hurdles from end to end. A rise of lllbs failed to stop Birkle in the Kumeroa Hack Handicap. The Birkenhead gelding had the race in safe keeping all the way, and again paid a good dividend, as did Yankee Dan, the runner-up. The favorite, Wamba, did not appear to relish the hard going. Lovematch let her army of followers down badly In the Autumn Handicap, which saw Railand get up in time to snatch a narrow victory from Matatua, who got In front at the distance, and appeared to have the race in hand. Punters guessed right in selecting Hepta to win the Ballance Hack Welter, the Demosthenes gelding winning with a lot in hand from an outsider, Bestir, who has proved himself useful lately. Backsheesh was again made favorite in the two-year-old event, but had no chance with Soldier’s Love, who won easier than on the first day. Murlhiku and Astinoune carried heaps more money in the Telegraph Handicap than when they paid the dividends on Wednesday, and first day’s form was good to follow, Murlhiku making a runaway race of it, and beating Astinome decisively. Gray’s mount. Sir Fanciful, was better backed than Festivity in the Settlers’ Hack Handicap, but the Hallowmas colt, 'strongly ridden by Roy Reed, just proved the better of the pair. There were only four runners in the Maharahara Handicap, Hyttus being favorite. Hyttus was always prominent, but failed to stall off Ladify (Gray), who finished best. THE RANGITIKEI MEETING. Arrangements in connection with the Rangltikei Racing Club’s annual meeting, to be held on the Bulls racecourse on March 22 and 23, are now well forward. Owing to the early Easter the Club has been forced to race on Tuesday and Wednesday this year, the 25th being good Friday, a. matter which trainers and patrons should note when making arrangements for conveyance to the meeting. The writer took a run over the Bulls course recently, and noted many improvements, but the Club's big scheme is at present held up until the Government’s embargo on building is lifted. The grass track is hard at present, but the plough is in good order. The lawns and enclosures look well, and the flower beds have received attention. The stalls, which were on the rise behind the stewards’ stand, have been shifted nearer the racing track, and now form an L in the corner to the right of the birdcage* This portion of the enclosure has been raised, some 240 loads of earth being used for the filling. Sixteen stalls and six boxes have been erected here, with a 24 x 24 sand roll in the centre. To supplement the supply of water in the tower (2000 gallons) a large reinforced concrete tank is nearing. completion. This will have a capacity of 15,000 gallons, and would make an ideal swimming bath (wlieif caretaker Ernie Morse isn’t looking!) A new gate is being made at the far end of the*parade, so ihit horses, after walking past the stand wnl enter the track in front of the totalisator. The accommodation house is ready for patrons, and the stalls adjoining also ready for occupation. A good number of horses are in' steady work there. "Ted” Penman has Coolpan, Lady lima and Goolwa in active commlss?.on. Detroit is in the paddock, and several young horses are being educated. Penman also l:as three polo ponies under his care, being assisted by his son and Alf Tricklebank. Mr. J. B. Gaisford is working Celmisia, Mattock, Projector (Formby—Nipple), and Marktime (full brother to Marqueteur). The programme for the Rangitikei meeting, advertised in this issue, shows a £5OO Cup and three open races each day. Hack hurdlers and flat races are also well catered for. Nominations for all events close on Monday,, February 21, at 9 p.m. The Bulls telegraph office closbs at 8 p.m. TURF TOPICS. Nominations for the Opunake meeting close on Thursday next, at 5 p.m. H. King is now located at Feilding, where he has Wapping and Super-Six in work. Winning rides were spread amongst a dozen jockeys at. Woodville, the only double winners being W. Kitchener, H. Gray, R. S. Bagby and R. Reed. Last year Oratress (8.7) filled the role of runner-up to Kilrush (8.2) in the Wanganui Cup. Can she win with 9.2 next week? Punka is coming good again, and looks like turning out a paying proposition for Mr. W. H. Gaisford after all. Up to a mile and a half the daughter of Cooltrim and Drowsy is always dangerous. Maioha was produced at Woodville, but was one of the outsiders of the Cup field, and was never dangerous. Persian Prince ran two good races at Woodville, and will be worth a pound the first time l:e starts in a mile and three-quarter hurdle race. Waimatoa is very sore at present, and the hard going at Woodville rendered his chances nil. He is coming down in the weights now, and will win when the tracks get softer. I "Nugget” Burchall had Amber Tips looking nice at Woodville, but the company was too | rich for the San Eran gelding. [’ Signysian and Railand were the

horses produced at Woodville on Thursday, and to this they owed their victories. CONCERNING VESPUCCI. y The sporting Press of the Dominion has been practically unanimous in applauding the action of the stewards of the Egmont Racing Club in expressing their disapproval of the (manner of handling Vespucci in the recent Hawera Stakes, and the .tenor of the instructions given to Vespucci’s rider by Trainer R. J. Mason. But there is one exception I The Manawatu ParUy Times pretends to be quite annoyed about It, and in recent Issues has published paragraphs such as the following:— "The Eawera stewards must have a great opinion or Vespucci if they expected him to ?;eat Gloaming,” and—- " Much adverse comment has been passed r.bout tlie action of the Egmont Jockey Club in can Siulng- R. j Mason in connection with the ruwal'ag of Vespucci.” It M hardly conceivable that a sane journal ri* uttld pudnjah such piffle. lu the first place the Sawcro stewards did not expect Vespucci to Gloaming, nor did anybody else for the jno.ttar of that, but they DID expect that a trainer cf Mason’s long experience would have aelvd differently from what he did. Secondly, who are these adverse commentatprs ? We have not met with them in Taranaki, so perhaps they hail from Palmerston! Presuming that nucii is tho case, will the Manawatu Daily Timos be kind enough to inform us if they are tee self-same persons who kicked up ouch a dust when R. J. Mason exercised a trainer’s iu recommending Mr. G. D. Greenwood to scratch Biplane On the eve of the projected Dpsert Gold—Biplane tussle at Awapunl? e

The Manawatu Dally Times is barking up tire wrong tree this time. In fact their comments on racing in Taranaki are all to jjot! A paper that calls the Egmont Racing Club a "Jockey Club”—which !.t isn’t; and tells its readers that the totallsjftor turnover at the recent Taranaki J.C. autumn meting showed a decrease—which it didn’t—is not to be taken seriously. But these are only trifles compared with the tote figures for the first day of the Dunedin J.C. autumn meeting, which the Manawatu Times modestly put down as £425 - 320 10s I '