TURF TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 March 1921, Page 3

TURF TOPICS.

(By

“Mot urea.”)

Masterton races to-day. Rangitikei on Tuesday and Wednesday. Duo’s form at Napier was too bad to be true. Arrowsmith is standing up to light jvork at Riecarton. Red Ribbon is reported to be in fine condition for autumn racing. Malingerer.' who contracted a bronchial trouble on the Taranaki trip, is now quite recovered. Fred. Tilley’s team for Ellerslie will include I Rude, Isabel and Tamatete. Acre and Mida , will race at Feildlng. Those who saw Cruc»li« win at Waneaaul

will agree that she is a beauty, and one worth following from now on. Mr. Gerald Stead is endeavouring to reduce his team, and Right and Left, Prosper, Wanigan and Lethargic are on the sale list. The southerners, Eleus, Silver Peak and Roseday have arrived at Ellerslie. The firstnamed should run well there at Easter. Spook, who ran a first and a second at Napier, is a five-year-old brown gelding by Sylvia Park—Mysticism. Gray rode him when he scoreo. Hepta, by Demosthenes—Heavenly Twin, v.'as responsible for an attractive performance when he carried 9.8 and won the Telegraph Hack Handicap at Napier In 1.14 4-5. Ruruwai, who won the Kuao Handicap at Greenmeadows for Mr. A. B. Williams, is by Absurd —Roscommon. Another of the Absurd’s, Caricature, won the same afternoon. Mr. J. J. Corry had seven horses racing at Lie.helm, but their luck was out. They scored one first, five seconds, and four thirds. The eJt-New Zealander, H. Cairns, came near landing a "motser” at Ilosehill the other day on King’s Word, who ran the winner to a 'head and paid a great second div. on the place tote. King’s Word only carried £6 on the machine: At the same meeting Cool Time,, winner of the first division of the Nursery, returned his few supporters a great price. Cool Time was so little fancied that only. £l3 10s stood against his name on the tote. R6d Ribbon and Astinome are a pair of mueti c.'Scussed candidates at Masterton today. The minor events look fairly open, but Manirhera, Tout Bon, and Automoan a wiil cartj’ Dig money. Menan, Tamatete and The Hawk figure in the classics at the Manawatu Racing Club’s meeting. Wanganui sports reckon Tamatete will keep Mermin busy, but the totallsator won’t say so on the day. Steady rain fell in Bulls on Thursday night, and the course was much improved thereby. In Feiiding also good rains fell, so that next week’s meetings at the two places mentioned should attract good fields. Recent New Zealand-bred horses to win in ’Stralia were Kilwa (Kilbroney—Divlnia), Registration (Demosthenes —Culmination), and the 14 hands pony, Muscatan, by Boomerang, wto cleaned up a hot field at Ascot. The death is announced (at Shannon) of the well-known Shannon sportsman, Mr. J. J. O’Regan, who raced Ladlfy. j A brace of newcomers, Auckland and Callaghan, are worth a note. Auckland is a four : ’year old gelding by Junior—Pasta, and Callaghan a four-year-old horse by Fairy King—Penny Forfeit. The pair were imported from ’Ome by Mr. W. Higgins, and are trained by F. Ellis at Trentham, An exchange tells the following sad story: It was rhe jockeys v. trainers annual cricket match, and a well-known rider fielding In the slips let three fairly easy ones by- in succession, whereupon caune a voice from the fence: "I’ll bet you’d stop ’em if they were gee-gees!” The Auckland Racing Club, having cancelled Ben Deeley’s license, Mr. G. D. Greenwood wi’l have to find another horseman. to ride Gloaming at Riecarton. No cause is assigned for the A.R.C. ruling, but Dame Rumor may be certain to fill in the gap—with embellishments! The present tightness of the money market has been reflected in the diminishing totallsator returns at recent race meetings, but apparently Taranaki, has not felt the pinch—yet 1 Record figures were posted at Opunake on Thursday, and the uneeting was the best yet. Patrons speak, highly of the club's hospitality, and all appear to have had a good •time. Percy Johnson rarely falls (0 win a race at Opunake, and Te Toa was again his trump card. The writer candidly fcdrnits that he considered Te Toa but Percy generally has something up his sleeve, and has the laugh on us at the finish. One thing that may be said for the popular New Plymouth trainer iu that his horses are always produced In splendid racing form. On paper Egmont Park looked a good thing for the Opunake Cup, but the Fordell cast-off, Arrowfield, proved the better stayer. The winner is a finely bred one, and should pay his way handsomely on Taranaki courses. All the flattering things said of’lrapuka were deserved at Opunake. He is a consistent horse, and a worthy son of Our King and Iranui—both smart performers in their day. • Last year Master Curran won a race at Opunake and paid a good price, but this year his luck was out, a brace of seconds being his share. However, It must be admitted that Active and Halcyon were—on the day—superior. According to one speaker at a recent, meeting of the Wanganui Charitable Aid Board the best-dressed woman at the local races was a person ’.ll receipt of charitable aid. The dress question Is a serious one for hubby when the races draw near, and a Sydney paper gets off the following:—Backing his fancy! “What are you putting your money on for the 1 races, old man?” “Well, to tell you the truth, I’m putting most of it on my wife. She’s ordered two new dresses!” An Improvement greatly appreciated by racegoers at the Opunake meeting on Thursday was ‘the new number board, which has just been erected 1 by Mr. L. O. Hooker, on tl'e same lines as the one that has been in operation at Hawera. This board, which has been placed right across the cdurse :.n front of the lawn, replaces the old blackboard arrangement that stood just outside the birdcage and could only De viewed with difficulty. Mr. Hooker was in charge of the board on Thursday, and jockey’s names, overweights, position at the post, dividends, and times were notified. This is only one of the many improvements that tte club has in view, find which are urgently required.