SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 January 1922, Page 3

SPORTING.

GREYMOUTH MEETING. LORD ASHLEA WINS PRESIDENT’S HANDICAP. By Telegraph.—Presv Association Greymouth, Jan. 5. The weather was tine and the track in good order for the third day of the Greymouth Jockey Club’s meeting. The totalisator handled £9696 10s, against £13,440 on the corresponding day last year, and the total for the meeting was £37,643 10s, a decrease on last year’s figures of £2769. Results: RUNANGA HANDICAP. Six furlongs.—Missland (Pqrter) 1, Redsome 2, Walthea 3. Won by a length, a neck between second and third horses. Time, Imin. 17 2-ssec. THIRD HURDLES HANDICAP. One mile and a half.— Ly roe (Young) 1, Woodrow 2, Black Night 3. Won by two lengths, third horse one length back. Time. 2mjn. 49 l-ssec. PRESIDENT’S HANDICAP. One mile. —Lord Ashlea (Lee) 1, Cheer Up 2, Mythology 3. Wbn by a length, two lengths between second and third. Time, Imin. 43sec.

OMOTA HANDICAP. Five furlongs and a half. —Lady Pallas (Cotton) 1, Kilderg 2, Weary Willie 3. Won by a nose, third horse a length away. Time, Imin. 10 3-ssec.

BOROUGH HANDICAP. Six furlongs.—Carnbrae (McCarthy) 1, Redsome 2, Marble Bar 3. Won by half a length. Time, Imin. 16 l-ssec.

AHAURA WELTER HANDICAP. Seven furlongs. —Grand Duchy (Faulkner) 1, Falstaff 2, Lady Middleton 3. Embezzler was left at the post. Won by a length, third horse half a -length away. Time, Imin., 30 4-ssec. SUMMER HANDICAP. Six furlongs and a half.—Benefit (Hagerty) 1, Rosevear 2, Divorce 3. Won by a length, half a length between second and third. Time, Imin. 23 2-ssec.

FAREWELL HANDICAP. Six furlongs.—Counter Attack (Young) 1, Kilderg 2. Merton 3. Won by a length, third horse four lengths off. Time, Imin. 16sec. RACING STUD SOLD. By Telegr«3h.—Pr*ss Assn —v.cD v tight. Received Jan. 6, 7.20 p.m. Sydney, Jan. 6. Barney Alien’s Dartmouth racing stud was auctioned. " The prices, excepting brood mares, which were good, were moderate, sixty-nine lots realising five thousand guineas. DEATH OF-A JOCKEY. Received Jan. 6, 5.5 p.m. London, Jan. 5. W. Smith, a steeplechase jockey, winner of the Grand National in 1914, was killed through falling from Sir Eyre at the Gatwick meeting.

RACING FIXTURES. Jan. 7, 9.—Reefton J.C. Summer. Jan. 7, 9.—Vincent J.C. Annual. Jan. I.l.—Rotorua R.C. Annual. Jan. 21, 23. —Foxton R.C. Annual. Jan. 21, 23, 25. —Wellington R. C. Summer. Feb. 9, 11. —Taranaki J.C. Autumn. TURF TOPICS. (By t: Moturoa.”) races to-day. Wellington weights are due on Monday. Winning Hit is still the champion three-year-old. Egmont Park keeps on winning, and always pays a good price. Tommy Rot changed hands twice during the holidays, and is now owned by Mr. J. J. Corry. Rational, with Gray up, was very hot on Derby Day at Ellerslie, but the speedy Solfanello made him look like a second rater.

Nursing Sister did a lot of racing during the holidays, and at Marton she looked jaded, and failed to finish on when well supported. Callaghan has struck form at last, and a cpuple of firsts came his way at Awapuni and Marton. He is a washy chestnut, and not much to gaze upon, but he can gallop all right. It is not often that Dick Mason makes a but tbe heads are blaming him for being too lenient with Gloaming before the Islington Plate. With a gallop into him he was a Stone better horse next start, and he would have “lined” Thespian over any distance. Those who argued that Farceur would beat Epitaph over six furlongs had their opinion strengthened by Royal Stakes running, but it must be admitted that the filly had come through a gruelling time at the meeting, and her hard race with 10.3 in the Midsummer Handicap may have taken all the steam out of her.

We are so used to North Island horses cleaning up the plums of the stakes offered at Riccarton that it comes as a surprise to see southern horses getting away with one-fourth of the prizes at Ellerslie. Mr. G. D. Greenwood’s share was £5300; Mr. H. A. Knight totfk £2550, and Sir Geo. Clifford consoled himself with £1440.

Marqueteur and Stork are the only Taranaki representatives in the Wellington Cup, which has attracted recent winners like Malaga. Rude, Winning Hit, Esperance, Red Bob, Ngata, Sycorax, Vespucci, Callaghan and Nursing Sister. The field promises to be a small, but select one.

Winning Hit only played with Thespian in the Great Northern Derby, and beat the Absurd colt decisively. At one part of it Winning Hit was a dozen lengths in front, but was allowed to slow down, and when tackled by Thespian at the distance came away again and scored handsomely. Helen Rufus, by King Rufus—Helen Portland, comes from Foxton with a reputation for much speed, and each day at Marton she was entrusted with tote investments running into four figures, but she began too slowly to have a chance, and was never near the front. The connections of Red Bob bewailed their ill-luck in missing Manawatu nominations, considering that the All Red —Miss Bobbie horse had a good chance of annexing the Cup there, b “ t bad a royal win at Marton, Red Bob made every post a winner in the Marton Cup and good horses like Ngata, Molyneaux. Kilrush, Cleasanta, ete., failed to make anv impression on him. Isabel carried well over a thousand investments in the Marton Cup, and Fred Tilley considered that whatever beat her would win. The result proved that she was right off color, as tne paks winner faded right put with half

the distance gone, and eventually finished last.

As anticipated, Triboulei made amends for Awapuni defeats, by running off with a double at Marton. The big son of Kilbroney won without, an effort each day.

The rider of Spook in the First Hurdles at Marton broke a stirrup leather, which probably accounted for the failure of the favorite to score. On the second day they managed things better, and the Sylvif Park gelding easily outpaced Banogue in the run home.

Banogue jumped like a stag the first day and won anyhow, but he struck heavily in front of the stand in the Second Hurdles, and although West bustled him to the front again, most of the steam was knocked out of him. Mr. Hughes’ gelding is a useful sort, and he will not meet a pacy animal like Spook every day. The worst ridden gentlemen riders’ race the writer ever saw was the Ladies’ Bracelet at Marton on Tuesday. The finer arts of,horsemanship were entirely lacking, the amateurs jostling each other and displaying lamentable lack of judgment, while War Loan, who should have won easily, could only gain third place. It was a strong argument for. the elimination of amateur riders’ events from che programme. Ngata’s victory in the Summer Handicap at Marton was easily achieved, the big Maniapoto gelding assuming the lead three furlongs from home, and romping in an easy winner. After the i ace the joint owners, Messrs. J. Bull and J. MeKelvie, entertained the stewwards and Press with wine—which, speaking personally, was not very hard to take!

Tote figures are declining all round, being a true reflex of the state of the money market. The writer was alongside a big punter when the Farewell Handicap was being run at Marton. Said the punter: “Kuia is a stone moral, and I could only afford to put a score on her. This time last year I would have plunged a hundred!” Kuia won. Kinsem looked a picture at Marton, and took out the open sprint each day. She won the Telegraph Handicap on Tuesday with 9.7 in Imin. 13 4-ssec., and won it easily. Considering that she was only meeting Waimatao on 41bs. I worse terms than when she beat him I on the first day she paid a good price.

Both juvenile events at Marton were won by K. D. Duncan’s representatives, Ares, who won on the opening day, is a two-year-old gelding by Martfan— Paphia, while The Emperor, who led his stablemate home in the Nursery Plate is a two-year-old son of Boniform and Vice-reine. Both are useful, though not up to the Absurd class at present. They should be notable three-year-olds, Ares especially. Explorer put up a wonderful record at Ellerslie, winning three hurdle races under crushing weights. The Wanganui sport, Mr. Lovell Nicoll, secured a bargain when Mr. W. Kemball turned the imported gelding down as a third-rater. Uncle Alex made a big bid for victory in the two-year-old handicap at Ellerslie on Tuesday, and with 9.2 beat alto but The Cypher 8.7, who prevailed by a neck. The winner is a bay colt by Martian—Polymnia, and like all the Martians, stays weH. Boomerday and Mangamahoe ran prominently ’each start at Ellerslie, and after dead-heating in the A.R.C. Handicap on Monday, again divided the principal money in the Grandstand Handicap the next day. Boomerday returned a two-figure dividend for first, and Mangamahoe’s backers also handled bigger money than usually accompanies straight-out winners. Lightweights had a rattling good run in all the distance handicaps at the meeting. The other day you could have got Rebuff for about the price of a packet of fags, but he managed to win a race at to the surprise of his owner and trainer.

Sy corax and Jovial ran well enough at Awapuni to suggest that they would win at Hastings, and Esperance and Barleycorn did likewise at Awapuni and at Tauherenikau. On the whole, form at the holiday meetings was good to follow.

In Wanganui on Thursday there was more wagering over thg sculling than there will be at the ’next Wanganui Cup race meeting, and only for the fact that Arnst finished up a hot favorite more money would have been lost. One Wellington punter had £4OO to back Arnst. but could not get “set.” He had a large smile on. his face after the race—if you could call a procession a race! Hadfield was always in front, and won with his mouth open—to use sporting parlance. Fred Burn, one of the greatest crosscountry horsemen ever seen in Australia, intends to ride his own liorse Vanitor in his engagements over fences in the coming winter, says the Melbourne Herald. Burn had his first ride in a race 25 years ago. He recently recovered from an attack of pleurisy, and he is now riding on the tracks at Flem- . ington. Burn, who retains his ability in i the saddle in a remarkable manner, rode Vanitor two years ago, and signalised his return to the saddle by winning the Cup Steeplechase, at Flemington, on him in 4.1 J. The time still stands as the record .for “about two .fillies and half a furlong” over fences at headquarters. The New Zealand horse Maniapoto, winner of the Sydney Metropolitan of 1905, had the reputation of being the worst outlaw of his time, says a writer in Smith’s Weekly. On one occasion he was taken to the well-known vet., “Billy” Miller, to be given a ball. Billy opened the horse’s mouth, whereupon his attendant warned him to be more care- ‘ ful, as Maniapoto was a regular maneater. “You'd better get him home at once,” said Billy. “Why, ain’t you going Ito give him the ball?” asked the dis- [ gusted groom. “He’s had it,” said Billy. ; “Get him home at once.” And as the groom walked to the gate he was heard [to remark to the boy on top, “Well, I’m a nd he didn’t even take the bit out.”

Turf vicissitudes have been many since Tarcoula won the last of the £lO.OOO Melbourne Cups in 1893. Prior to that Carbine, Malvolio, and Glenloth, in the three preceding years, had the distinction of winning the greatest twomile handicap in the world. Since the victory of Tareoola the added money for the event has varied from £5OOO to £BOOO, and though opinions may differ as to whether the times altogether warrant the step, the Victoria Racing Club committee, at its meeting recently, realising what the Melbourne Cup means ; to Victoria and the Commonwealth generally, boldly decided on increasing the added money from £BOOO to £lO,OOO for the race to be decided in November :of next year. There will also be an ! increase in the second prize money, 1 which has been raised from £l6OO to | £2OOO, and the third prize from £BOO !to £lOOO. The trophy to be presented to the winning owner will be of the value of £2OO.